A Libib alternative that scans whole shelves
Updated July 25, 2026. Competitor details checked against their public pricing pages on that date.
If you want a Libib alternative because barcode-scanning books one at a time is too slow, Home Library Companion catalogs an entire shelf from a single photograph: point your iPhone at the bookcase and it reads the spines, identifies every book, and records which room, bookcase, and shelf each one lives on. A 40-book shelf takes about a minute. That is the short answer; the honest comparison is below.
When Libib is the right choice
Libib is a good product, and for some people it is the better one. Its free tier catalogs up to 5,000 items, it handles movies, music, and video games as well as books, and its Pro plan ($9/month or $99/year) adds lending workflows that small organizations — church libraries, classrooms — genuinely need. If your collection is modest, you scan as you buy, and free matters more than speed, use Libib.
The gap appears when the books already own the house. Cataloging a few hundred existing books with any barcode-at-a-time app means standing at each shelf, pulling every book, and beeping them through individually — and older books often have no barcode at all, or a barcode that maps to the wrong edition. That backlog is the problem Home Library Companion was built for.
The comparison, plainly
| Home Library Companion | Libib | |
|---|---|---|
| How books get in | Photograph a whole shelf — every spine read at once. Plus barcode, copyright-page, and cover scanning, and title search | Barcode scan (one at a time), ISBN entry, or manual search |
| Where a book is | A real address: building → room → bookcase → shelf | Libraries and tags you define |
| Ask questions | Plain-English answers drawn only from books you own ("which of my books cover rose care?") | Search and filters |
| Household use | One shared library via invite code or QR; everyone's phone and the web see the same catalog | Sharing/lending features on paid plans; org-oriented |
| Beyond books | Books only | Books, movies, music, video games |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, web (no Android) | iOS, Android, web |
| Price | 7-day free trial, then $39.99/year. No free tier | Free up to 5,000 items; Pro $9/mo or $99/yr for lending/admin features |
| Library size | 1,000 books per library (multiple libraries supported) | Very large collections supported |
Two concessions worth repeating: Libib has a free tier and Android support, and Home Library Companion has neither. If either is decisive for you, that settles it — no hard feelings.
What "shelf scanning" actually means
You take one photo of a full shelf. The app finds each spine in the image, reads it, and matches it to the right edition, flagging anything it is unsure about so you can correct it on the spot. Books it can't read from the spine — thin mass-market paperbacks, decorative fonts — you add with the barcode scanner, a photo of the copyright page, or a cover shot. Shelf photos are processed on our servers and are not retained; there are no third-party analytics SDKs and no ads (privacy policy).
Because every book is cataloged standing in front of its shelf, location comes free: the catalog doesn't just know you own a book, it knows the book is in the living room, tall bookcase, third shelf. For a household with books in five rooms, that is the difference between a list and a library.
Home Library Companion — catalog the whole house in a weekend. 7-day free trial, then $39.99/year.
Frequently asked questions
Is Libib really free?
Yes — Libib's Basic tier is free and catalogs up to 5,000 items across books, movies, music, and games. Its Pro tier ($9/month or $99/year) adds lending and administration features aimed at small organizations. Cataloging on every tier is barcode- or search-based, one item at a time; there is no shelf-photo scanning.
What is the fastest way to catalog hundreds of books?
Photograph shelves instead of scanning barcodes. One photo per shelf, roughly a minute for a 40-book shelf, working room by room. A 500-book house is an afternoon, not a lost weekend. Libib, CLZ Books, BookBuddy, and LibraryThing all catalog one book at a time; Home Library Companion is built around the shelf photo, and files each book with its room and shelf as it scans.
Can an app tell me which shelf a specific book is on?
Home Library Companion can, because location is part of cataloging: each book is filed to a room, bookcase, and shelf as it is scanned. Search a title and the app answers with its physical address. Tag-based systems can approximate this, but you have to maintain the tags by hand.
Does Home Library Companion work on Android?
No. It is iPhone and iPad only, with a web app at homelibrarycompanion.com/app that works in any browser once your library is cataloged. If your household is Android-first, Libib or CLZ Books will serve you better today.