# BookShelves eBook Reader — EPUB, PDF & Comic Book Library > EPUB, PDF, and comic reader with 1.5 million free books and iCloud sync. (iPhone/iPad app by CPE Verm. GmbH.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelves-ebook-reader/id6756848973 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [CPE Verm. GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1863249600) - Category: Books, Reference - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.80/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.4 · 49 MB - Languages: Russian, Hindi, Vietnamese, American English, Arabic, Hungarian, Dutch, Greek, Danish, Hebrew and 23 more - Released: 2026-02-09 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelves-ebook-reader/id6756848973/reviews.md ## What is BookShelves eBook Reader? BookShelves is an EPUB, PDF, and comic book reader with a built-in catalog of 1.5 million free books. Discover public domain classics, organize your digital library, and sync seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud (Pro). WHAT READERS SAY "Phenomenal book reading and management app, 'just works'." "My everlasting search for the perfect ePub reader might be coming to an end." "Among the best and actively developed." DISCOVER 1.5 MILLION+ FREE BOOKS • 1.5 million+ classic works — Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, more • 1,100+ premium editions from Standard Ebooks • Internet Archive — millions of historical texts and rare books • 1,200+ Spanish classics from the Biblioteca Nacional de España • 16,000+ Japanese classics from Aozora Bunko • Browse OPDS catalogs from external libraries and servers One tap to download. No account required. POWERFUL READING EXPERIENCE • Paginated or continuous scroll — read your way • 10 themes including Sepia, Dark Academia, Night Sky, and more • 10 bundled fonts including OpenDyslexic for accessible reading • Adjustable line spacing, margins, text justification, and font weight • Highlight in 5 colors and add notes to any passage • Export highlights to Markdown, JSON, or CSV • Dictionary look-up with language detection • Full-text search across chapters • Nested table of contents navigation • Bookmarks (iCloud sync with Pro) • Vertical text (tategaki) for Japanese and CJK books • Right-to-left reading for Arabic, Hebrew, and CJK texts • Full keyboard and trackpad support • Multi-window reading on Mac COMIC BOOKS AND MANGA • CBZ, CBR, and CB7 format support • Two-page spreads for landscape reading • Right-to-left mode for manga with reversed tap zones and swipes • Auto-detected from metadata or toggled manually SEAMLESS ICLOUD SYNC (Pro) • Books and cover images • Reading progress and current page • Shelves, tags, and ratings • Highlights, notes, and bookmarks • Reader preferences (font, theme, layout) Start reading on your iPhone, continue on your iPad, finish on your Mac. SMART LIBRARY MANAGEMENT • Edit metadata -- title, author, series, publisher, ISBN, and cover image • Automatic metadata and cover art fetching • System shelves: All Books, Recently Added, Reading, Finished, Favorites • Custom shelves for any collection • Color-coded tags for categorization • Search and filter by title, author, or tag • Grid and list views • 5-star ratings • Drag-and-drop import, Files app sharing, or OPDS catalogs • EPUB repair — auto-fixes broken navigation and missing metadata • Import from Calibre libraries with best-format selection FORMAT SUPPORT • EPUB — professional rendering with beautiful typography • PDF — native viewer with smooth scrolling and search • CBZ / CBR / CB7 — comic book archives • FB2 — FictionBook 2 format (auto-converts to EPUB) • MOBI / AZW3 / KF8 / KEPUB — auto-converts to EPUB for reading • TXT / Markdown — plain text and Markdown files (auto-converts to EPUB) MAC EXTRAS • Calibre wireless sync — connect KOReader or other devices over Wi-Fi • OPDS server — share your library on your local network PRIVACY FIRST • No account required — your data stays on your devices • No personal data collected • No ads — clean, distraction-free reading • iCloud keeps your library private and secure FREE AND PRO Free: 10 books with all reading features. Pro unlocks unlimited books, iCloud sync, email to Kindle/Kobo/reMarkable, highlight export, and OPDS server. Pro is available as a one-time purchase or subscription (monthly/annual, select regions). Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://getbookshelves.app/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://getbookshelves.app/terms/ All books from discovery sources are public domain or openly licensed. ## Key features - 1.5 million+ free books - EPUB, PDF, and comic reader - Customizable themes and fonts - iCloud sync across devices - Smart library management - Highlighting and note-taking - Export highlights ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Large Tip | $8.99 | one-time | | Small Tip | $2.99 | one-time | | Medium Tip | $3.99 | one-time | | Unlock Pro | $6.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 25) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelves-ebook-reader/id6756848973/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Be aware.. *2026-08-22* Wasn't immediately obvious, but this is one of these apps that won't let you export (or directly manage your files). Completely unacceptable, not sure what the developer was thinking. I wasted my time in vain trying to liberate my books. No go. Good thing I have them in more than one place. Unfortunately, this is instant disqualification for me. Uninstalling immediately. **Developer response:** Thank you for the kind words, Sarassine! Really glad BookShelves is working well for you. Good news on the Discover section: version 1.0.24 adds a toggle in Settings to hide it completely. And thanks for noticing the analytics switch. ### 5/5 — Ausgezeichnetes Bücherregal! *2026-08-19* Keine Werbung wie bei Apple Books, Bücher können gleichzeitig mehreren Kategorien zugeordnet werden, Filterung nach unkategorisierten Büchern, Synchronisation über die iCloud, was will man mehr? Nun hat Bookshelves seit Neuestem auch eine deutschsprachige Oberfläche. Die Weiterentwicklung schreitet schnell voran! Was ich jetzt noch gerne hätte, wäre eine Möglichkeit die Kategorien (bzw. Bücherregale) in eine selbst gewählte Reihenfolge zu schieben. Und wenn es möglich ist, auch noch die Bücher selbst. **Developer response:** Vielen Dank für die Bewertung! Sortierung der Bücherregale steht auf der Liste. ### 2/5 — Very primitive *2026-08-18* Cannot import directly to a bookshelf. Cannot select multiple books to move to a shelf in a single move. Basically all your books are on a single shelf but if you want them to be on different shelf’s you have to move them one book at a time which is not an option if you have hundreds of books. **Developer response:** Thank you for the feedback. You're right that multi-select for organizing books into shelves is missing on iOS. This is already supported on macOS, and bringing it to iOS is a high priority. Importing directly into a specific shelf is also on the list. Both will arrive in upcoming updates. ### 3/5 — Needs bulk operations on IOS. *2026-08-03* This app does a nice job of offering public domain books to read with a decent choice of fonts and formatting with more theme options when upgraded to the Pro level. The free version limits you to 10 books. Unfortunately, there are no functions provided to work with multiple books at a time on iPad, whether adding them to user defined bookshelves or deleting. For me at least, the ability to select multiple books for management operations such as categorizing or deleting books is an essential feature. I upgraded to Pro and added a bunch of the public domain books before noticing this functionality omission when I set out to organize them. Disappointing. I hope someday the developers will add this ability to the app. In the meantime, the hunt continues… **Developer response:** Thank you for the feedback and for upgrading to Pro! You're absolutely right -- multi-select for bulk operations like deleting and organizing books into shelves is missing on iPad. This is already fully supported on macOS, and bringing it to iOS is on our short list. Expect it in an upcoming update. ### 4/5 — Goood… *2026-07-29* Like it only, local epubs, works well the missing star is no family sharing , would also like my daughter to be able to use it **Developer response:** Thank you! Family Sharing is something we'd like to support. Right now the Pro upgrade is tied to a single Apple ID, but we're looking into making it available for family members too. ### 4/5 — Entwickelt sich sehr Positiv weiter *2026-07-04* Schön das die App von einem deutschen Entwickler jetzt auch die Heimatsprache benutzt . Glücklicherweise kann man die Seitenanimation jetzt ausschalten. **Developer response:** Danke für das Feedback. Der Pro-Preis spiegelt den Umfang der App wider — iCloud-Sync, E-Reader-Versand, Export und regelmäßige Updates. Die App wird aktiv weiterentwickelt. ### 5/5 — Ausgezeichnetes Bücherregal! *2026-07-03* Keine Werbung wie bei Apple Books, Bücher können gleichzeitig mehreren Kategorien zugeordnet werden, Filterung nach unkategorisierten Büchern, Synchronisation über die iCloud, was will man mehr? Nun hat Bookshelves seit Neuestem auch eine deutschsprachige Oberfläche. Die Weiterentwicklung schreitet schnell voran! Was ich jetzt noch gerne hätte, wäre eine Möglichkeit die Kategorien (bzw. Bücherregale) in eine selbst gewählte Reihenfolge zu schieben. **Developer response:** Vielen Dank für die Bewertung! Sortierung der Bücherregale steht auf der Liste. ### 5/5 — Ausgezeichneter E-Book Reader *2026-07-03* Ich persönlich nutze, wenn möglich,nur E-Books im PDF Format, weil ich die festen Seiten-Layouts von Büchern her gewohnt bin. Der BookShelves E-Book Reader bietet hier eine wesentlich bessere Katalogisierung als die Bücher App von Apple. Man kann hier Bücher gleich mehreren unterschiedlichen Kategorien gleichzeitig zuordnen, und man kann auch Bücher herausfiltern, die noch keine Kategorie zugeordnet sind. Die Darstellung erfolgt entweder als Doppelseite oder als Einzelseite. Was noch fehlt: man sollte die Reihenfolge der Kategorien (bzw. Bücherregale) ändern können. Im Moment liegen sie in der Reihenfolge, in der man sie angelegt hat. **Developer response:** Vielen Dank! Übrigens: ab Version 1.0.29 ist die komplette App auf Deutsch verfügbar. ### 5/5 — Ausgezeichnetes Bücherregal! *2026-06-30* Keine Werbung wie bei Apple Books, Bücher können gleichzeitig mehreren Kategorien zugeordnet werden, Filterung nach unkategorisierten Büchern, Synchronisation über die iCloud, was will man mehr? Nun hat Bookshelves seit Neuestem auch eine deutschsprachige Oberfläche. **Developer response:** Vielen Dank für die Bewertung! Multilinguale Oberfläche ist in der Planung, aber dauert als Ein-Personen-Projekt etwas länger. ### 5/5 — Ausgezeichnetes Bücherregal! *2026-06-28* Keine Werbung wie bei Apple Books, Bücher können gleichzeitig mehreren Kategorien zugeordnet werden, Filterung nach unkategorisierten Büchern, Synchronisation über die iCloud, was will man mehr? Doch, es fällt mir etwas ein! Es wäre natürlich schön, wenn das Programm eine deutschsprachige Oberfläche hätte, zumal es sich um einen Entwickler aus Deutschland zu handeln scheint. Aber ansonsten: klare Empfehlung! **Developer response:** Vielen Dank für die Bewertung! Multilinguale Oberfläche ist in der Planung, aber dauert als Ein-Personen-Projekt etwas länger. ## Frequently asked questions about BookShelves eBook Reader ### What devices does BookShelves support? BookShelves is available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It offers seamless iCloud sync, allowing you to start reading on one device and continue on another. ### Does BookShelves have ads? No, BookShelves is ad-free, providing an uninterrupted reading experience. This allows users to focus on their books without any distractions. ### How many free books are available on BookShelves? BookShelves offers access to over 1.5 million free books, including public domain classics and premium editions. You can discover works from sources like the Internet Archive and Biblioteca Nacional de Espana. ### Can I organize my books on BookShelves? Yes, BookShelves provides smart library management features. You can create custom shelves, use color-coded tags, and filter your collection by title, author, or tag. ### What reading formats does BookShelves support? BookShelves supports EPUB, PDF, CBZ, CBR, and CB7 formats. It can also auto-convert MOBI, AZW3, KF8, and KEPUB files to EPUB for reading. ### Is BookShelves suitable for users with dyslexia? Yes, BookShelves includes the OpenDyslexic font among its 8 bundled fonts, along with adjustable line spacing and text justification to enhance readability for users with dyslexia. ### How does iCloud sync work in BookShelves? iCloud sync automatically updates your entire library across all your devices. This includes books, reading progress, shelves, tags, ratings, highlights, notes, and reader preferences. ### What is the age rating for BookShelves? BookShelves has an age rating of 17+. This is based on its content and features, and it is recommended for mature users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.0.36 — 2026-08-25 Tag Manager -- Create, rename, merge, and delete tags to organize your library your way. Pin your favorites to the sidebar for quick access. Tags -- Tags and subjects are now displayed separately. Assign tags directly from the book context menu. Changes sync across all your devices. Book Inspector -- A cleaner, more compact layout. Contributor roles like illustrator, editor, and translator are now labeled and translated in all 33 languages. Import -- Contributors are now correctly identified by role instead of all being listed as authors. Books whose metadata lists only non-author roles (e.g. editor or illustrator) will now show "Unknown Author" -- set a custom author in the Book Inspector to override. OPDS Server -- Browse your library by subject category from any OPDS reader. Calibre -- Fixed a crash when syncing books with bookmark metadata. Tag sync now sends only your personal tags; EPUB subjects are no longer included. Reader -- The screen now stays awake while you're reading. Shelves -- Drag to reorder your shelves on both macOS and iOS. ### 1.0.35 — 2026-08-16 Sync -- Duplicate detection is significantly more reliable. Merging duplicates now correctly preserves all shelves, tags, authors, bookmarks, highlights, reading sessions, series assignments, and covers. Sync -- Fixed shelf repair resurrecting shelves that you intentionally removed. Sync -- Delete ordering is now correct, preventing ghost records that could reappear after deletion. Comics -- Fixed a race condition where changing reading direction or other settings while viewing a comic could lose the change. Discover -- Catalog sync is more resilient, with better retry handling and clearer error diagnostics when the connection is unstable. Stability -- Hardened internal data migration and improved test coverage across sync, import, and preferences. ### 1.0.34 — 2026-08-12 Sync -- Reading progress now saves precisely instead of overwriting the entire record, preventing data loss when two devices sync at the same time. Several other sync conflict scenarios that could lose edits or resurrect deleted books have been fixed. Sync -- Duplicate detection preserves covers, custom metadata, and shelf assignments when merging duplicates. Previously, deduplication could silently drop these. Import -- ISBN detection is more reliable, now scanning all metadata fields instead of just the first. Duplicate detection during batch imports is also improved. Discover -- The "Already in Library" badge works reliably with accent-insensitive author matching, and load-more errors show a small retry button instead of a blank screen. Reader -- Fixed several issues with page position: rotating an iOS device no longer jumps to the wrong page, and resuming a book always opens to the correct position. EPUBs with embedded data: URI images now display correctly. Covers -- Placeholder covers have been redesigned with better typography, including correct Arabic and Thai rendering. Downloaded covers are now validated before saving. Send to Reader -- SMTP auto-detection no longer overwrites manually entered server settings, and error messages now distinguish between rejected addresses, spam blocks, and connection failures. Resume Last Book (iOS) -- The app can reopen the last book you were reading on launch. Enable it in Settings > Reader. Deep links and share sheet imports always take priority. Calibre -- Fixed a race condition where a keepalive timer could interfere with an active book transfer, and another where disconnecting mid-transfer could corrupt the session state. Stability -- Numerous reliability fixes across sync, import, cloud storage, reading sessions, and the OPDS server. Improved performance for large libraries through database-level search and sort. ### 1.0.33 — 2026-08-06 Reader -- Highlights and notes are more reliable. Adding a highlight or note now applies instantly and saves correctly, highlights can always be deleted or edited afterward, and marking the same passage twice no longer creates duplicates. Reader -- Fixed embedded fonts occasionally failing to load, which could make some books fall back to a default typeface. PDF -- Fixed adding a note in two-page (spread) view showing a blank note, and highlights or notes sometimes not appearing until the book was reopened. Highlight and note changes are no longer lost if a save is interrupted. Bookmarks -- Fixed the bookmark button occasionally showing the wrong state when tapped quickly in PDFs and comics. Library -- Editing a book's metadata no longer clears its series, and saving with no changes no longer overwrites your existing edits. OPDS Catalogs -- Adding a catalog you've already saved now shows a clear message instead of doing nothing, and connection problems are reported instead of failing silently. Localization -- Corrected formality and wording across translations in several languages. Stability -- A range of reliability and threading fixes across the reader, sync, and library. Spotted a translation issue? Let us know via Settings > Report an Issue. ### 1.0.32 — 2026-07-22 Reader -- Books with obfuscated fonts now display correctly instead of being rejected as DRM-protected. Both IDPF and Adobe font obfuscation methods are supported. Reader -- Fixed scroll mode breaking stylesheet images and backgrounds when navigating between chapters. EPUB -- More accurate metadata. Books using EPUB 3 title-type are now parsed correctly, multi-rootfile containers pick the right content, and manifest items with missing media types are handled instead of dropped. OPDS Catalogs -- More reliable connections to password-protected servers. Covers, search, and re-authentication now work correctly on servers that use cookies or basic auth. Fixed a stall when loading large Calibre libraries. Import -- Fixed manga and comic series being flagged as duplicates when importing multiple volumes. Comics -- SVG covers are now rendered on iOS, where they previously showed a generic image. Performance -- Replaced the third-party reading engine with a custom-built one. Books open faster, the app launches quicker, and the download size is smaller. Stability -- Hardened archive handling against oversized or malformed files, and fixed decompression failures on some EPUBs with slightly misreported file sizes. ## Related topics [shelf wp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shelf-wp) · [bookshelves ebook reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bookshelves-ebook-reader) · [shelves app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/shelves-app) · [bfb medien barrierefrei bauen](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bfb-medien-barrierefrei-bauen) · [ebook converter epub pdf mobi](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ebook-converter-epub-pdf-mobi) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*