Comparison

Revel by Pearson vs RedShelf

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Revel by Pearson

Access interactive course materials offline and online, with progress syncing across devices. Listen to audio versions of texts, complete quizzes, and set reminders to stay on track with deadlines.

Highlights
  • Offline course material access
  • Cross-device progress syncing
  • Audio playback of texts
  • In-app quizzes
  • Customizable reminders and notifications
  • Highlighting and note-taking
Features
Read full description

With the Revel app from Pearson, you can read, practice, and study anytime and anywhere—and set notifications so you never miss a due date again. The Revel app lets you access your interactive course materials on your tablet or mobile phone, offline and online. Your progress automatically syncs across all devices (including your laptop or desktop computer), so you can learn as you move throughout your day—on the train, on the bus, or whenever you have a moment—without breaking stride. Check out some of the ways the Revel app lets you learn where you want to, when you want to. - Download course materials to your devices and read, practice, and study even when you're offline - Listen and learn as you go with full audio of your text (available for most courses) - Complete assigned quizzes on your device to prep for class whenever you have a moment - Set your own reminders and notifications so you never miss a deadline again - Highlight key passages and take notes at your convenience

About

RedShelf

Access and read your digital textbooks on any device. Highlight text, take notes, create flashcards, and have content read aloud. Your notes and highlights sync across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Access textbooks on any device
  • Highlight text and take notes
  • Create flashcards from content
  • Define unfamiliar words
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Sync notes and highlights across devices
Features
Read full description

The RedShelf eReader companion app provides access to read and engage with your textbooks located in your RedShelf account on the My Shelf page. Access your textbooks no matter where you go with a unified experience across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. eReader Features: - Access textbooks on your device for seamless reading - Easily highlight text, take notes, and share with classmates - Create flashcards while reading to test your understanding of the content - Define unfamiliar words quickly and easily - Have text read aloud and select the voice and pace - Sync all of your notes and highlights to your account and across devices App Requirements: - Active RedShelf account - One or more books available in your RedShelf account

Screenshots

Revel by Pearson4 screens
RedShelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Revel by Pearson at 4.7 against RedShelf's 4.5. Revel by Pearson also leads on review sentiment (13% vs 3%). RedShelf's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Revel by Pearson holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.9K and 7.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Revel by Pearson's written reviews are positive against 3% of RedShelf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Revel by Pearson ships an update every 3 months, RedShelf every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Revel by Pearson versus RedShelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRevel by PearsonRedShelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (8.9K ratings) — better4.5 (7.1K ratings)
Positive reviews12.5% of reviews — better3.1% of reviews
Number of ratings8.9K — better7.1K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size267 MB26 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPearson Education, Inc.RedShelf

Customer experience

Revel by Pearson

All ratings8,884 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews176 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral16.5%
Negative71.0%

RedShelf

All ratings7,078 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive3.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative92.5%

User reviews

Revel by Pearson

From 8.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient app for accessing textbook
  • 👍 Good learning tool with interactive features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Poor user experience and interface
  • 🔇 Audio playback issues
  • 📱 Not optimized for mobile devices
  • 💾 Unreliable sync and data saving

RedShelf

From 7.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient to access textbooks in one place
  • 🚀 Decent overall performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 💤 Slow loading and page turning
  • 👎 Unreliable highlighting and note-taking features
  • 🤖 Poor text-to-speech functionality
  • 📵 Inability to access books offline

Bugs and requests

Revel by Pearson

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Orientation issues when switching between pages
  • Highlighting and text selection problems
  • Inconsistent audio playback controls
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add portrait mode and zoom options
  • Improve highlighting and note-taking features
  • Implement bookmark/progress saving
  • Allow offline access to textbook content

RedShelf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Books not loading or showing blank screens
  • Highlighting issues (selecting wrong text, unable to edit)
  • Sync issues between devices and web version

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve highlighting and annotation tools
  • Add support for split-screen mode
  • Enhance text-to-speech capabilities
  • Allow offline access to downloaded books

In-app purchases

None

Revel by Pearson

No in-app purchases

None

RedShelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Revel by Pearson free?
Revel by Pearson is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RedShelf free?
RedShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Revel by Pearson or RedShelf?
Revel by Pearson is rated higher. Revel by Pearson averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.9K ratings, while RedShelf averages 4.5 from 7.1K ratings.
Do Revel by Pearson or RedShelf have ads?
Neither Revel by Pearson nor RedShelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Revel by Pearson or RedShelf?
Revel by Pearson ships an update every 3 months, and RedShelf every 5 weeks. Most recently, Revel by Pearson was updated on September 22, 2026 and RedShelf on September 19, 2026.

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