# Living Shelf — Find any book on your shelves

> Digitally catalog and locate physical books on your shelves using photos. (iPhone/iPad app by Adam Keath.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/living-shelf/id6814247652 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adam Keath](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852162256)
- Category: Books, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 4 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-10-08
- Data updated: 2026-10-26
- Monetization: freemium

## What is Living Shelf?

Find the book you want, right where you left it.


WHAT IT COSTS
Living Shelf includes five shelf scans every month at no charge. Your library, search, shelf maps, importing a book list, and adding books by hand are never limited.

For unlimited scanning there is a monthly option, a yearly option, and a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app. Monthly and yearly options renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and can be managed in Settings, Apple Account, Subscriptions. The lifetime option is a single payment that never renews.
Living Shelf turns a photograph of your bookshelves into a library you can actually search, so a title never disappears into a wall of spines again.

PHOTOGRAPH YOUR SHELVES
Point your camera at a shelf. Living Shelf reads the spines and builds your library from what it sees. Clear matches are saved for you. Anything uncertain waits under Needs checking, so nothing is guessed into your collection.

MAP YOUR ROOM
Map a whole bookcase, divide it into sections, and mark each shelf. If the photograph is taken at an angle, drag the grid corners to match it, then adjust rows and columns one line at a time. Shelves can be removed or restored individually, so bookcases with uneven columns still map correctly.

FIND ANYTHING
Search by title, author, bookcase, or shelf. Locate opens your library map, shows the shelf a book belongs to, and takes you to the photograph of that shelf.

SEE WHAT CHANGED
Rescan a shelf and compare it against what you had before. Highlighted areas show you what to look at. They are a prompt to check, not proof that a book has gone missing.

WORKS OFFLINE
Reading spines happens entirely on your device. Online lookup adds catalog details and cover art, and you can switch it off completely in Settings.

SHARE A LIBRARY
Sync through your own iCloud account, and share a library with family or housemates. You can stop sharing at any time.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
No account. No analytics. No advertising. Your library and your photographs stay on your device and in your own iCloud.

Requires iOS 17 or later. Designed for iPhone and iPad.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Photograph bookshelves to create a searchable library
- Map room layouts and individual shelf locations
- Search by title, author, bookcase, or shelf
- Compare shelf scans to see changes
- Offline spine reading
- iCloud syncing for sharing libraries
- Private and ad-free design

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Yearly | $19.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


## Is Living Shelf safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Living Shelf.

## Is Living Shelf legit?

Living Shelf has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Living Shelf is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Frequently asked questions about Living Shelf

### How many book scans does Living Shelf offer for free?

Living Shelf provides five free shelf scans each month. Additional features like unlimited scanning, library search, shelf mapping, and manual book entry are not limited by the free tier.

### What are the subscription options for Living Shelf?

Living Shelf offers a monthly subscription for unlimited scanning at $2.99/month, a yearly subscription for $19.99/year, and a one-time lifetime purchase. Monthly and yearly plans auto-renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior.

### Does Living Shelf have ads?

No, Living Shelf is designed to be private and ad-free. Your library and photographs remain on your device and in your iCloud, with no analytics or advertising.

### Can I use Living Shelf without an internet connection?

Yes, Living Shelf works offline for reading spines and building your library. Online lookup for catalog details and cover art can be switched off in settings.

### What devices is Living Shelf compatible with?

Living Shelf is designed for iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 17 or later. It offers a 5.0-star rating from 2 reviews.

### How does Living Shelf help me find a book?

Once your shelves are photographed and mapped, you can search by title, author, bookcase, or shelf. Living Shelf will then show you the specific shelf and photograph where the book is located.

### Can I share my Living Shelf library with others?

Yes, you can share your library with family or housemates through your iCloud account. You have the ability to stop sharing at any time.

### How often is Living Shelf updated?

Living Shelf was last updated on October 8, 2026, with version 1.0. The release date was also October 8, 2026.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.0 — 2026-10-08

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Living Shelf

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Better Bookshelf](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-bookshelf/id6791765002) | 4.4 (5) | Free | Books |
| [Leaf e-Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leaf-e-reader/id6467753185) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Books |
| [Shelf Scanner.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelf-scanner/id6503261472) | 4.5 (263) | Free | Books |
| [PINES (Georgia)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pines-georgia/id1400443994) | 4.2 (20) | Free | Books |
| [The Palace Project](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693) | 4.6 (5,530) | Free | Books |
| [Royal Road - Read Stories](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-road-read-stories/id6456945333) | 4.8 (5,377) | Free | Books |

---

*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 2026-10-26.*