# Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource vs RedShelf

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource and RedShelf both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 16% of Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource's written reviews are positive against 3% of RedShelf's. RedShelf's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.4K and 7.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource's written reviews are positive against 3% of RedShelf's.

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource ships an update every 3 months, RedShelf every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource | RedShelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-on-vitalsource/id1147791956/reviews)** | [4.5 (7.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/redshelf/id1511013608/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.4K** | 7.1K |
| Positive reviews | **16.3% of reviews** | 3.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 188 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Elsevier Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/367031326) | [RedShelf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511013606) |

## What reviewers say

### Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-on-vitalsource/id1147791956)

Access and read Elsevier textbooks on your iOS device. Download books for offline study, search your entire library, and add notes and highlights. Sync your progress across devices for a seamless learning experience.

**Highlights:** Download books for offline reading, Search entire library, Create notes and highlights, Sync across devices, Pinch to zoom figures

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient digital access
- 📚 Helpful study tools (e.g., flashcards)
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 📱 Poor mobile app experience
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and book access
- 🔊 Subpar text-to-speech quality
- 💻 Compatibility problems across devices

**Reported bugs**

- Repeated sentence/paragraph playback
- Highlighted text disappearing across devices
- Inability to download or access purchased books

**Requested features**

- Allow handwritten notes and annotations
- Improve page-turning and scrolling functionality
- Enhance diagram and image viewing experience
- Integrate seamless cross-device synchronization
- Provide more customization options (e.g., font, layout)


### RedShelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/redshelf/id1511013608)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource free?

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource 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, Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource or RedShelf?

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource is rated higher. Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.4K ratings, while RedShelf averages 4.5 from 7.1K ratings.

### Do Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource or RedShelf have ads?

Neither Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource nor RedShelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource or RedShelf?

Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource ships an update every 3 months, and RedShelf every 5 weeks. Most recently, Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource was updated on November 11, 2026 and RedShelf on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*