# Biblioteket vs Shelf

The clearest difference is rating: Shelf at 4.7 against Biblioteket's 4.4. Shelf also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). Biblioteket's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Shelf holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 7 respectively.

Biblioteket ships an update every 3 months, Shelf every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Biblioteket | Shelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biblioteket/id1316020515/reviews) | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelf/id1620828408/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 65 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [City of Gothenburg](https://appshunter.io/developer/494545314) | [Beat Technology AS](https://appshunter.io/developer/433400941) |

## What reviewers say

### Biblioteket

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biblioteket/id1316020515)

Search, find, and reserve books, magazines, movies, and music from public libraries in Gothenburg. Manage your loans, renewals, and get personalized book recommendations. Track the book bus and receive arrival notifications.

**Highlights:** Search and reserve library materials, Track loans and holds, Renew borrowed items, Receive book recommendations, Locate book buses and get arrival alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelf/id1620828408)

Access your personal library of purchased audiobooks and e-books. Read or listen anywhere, anytime, with or without an internet connection. Enjoy your collection without subscriptions or time limits.

**Highlights:** Access purchased audiobooks and e-books, Read or listen offline, No subscriptions or time limits, Bookmark and comment, Customize reading experience, Adjust playback speed, Sleep timer for audiobooks

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Biblioteket free?

Biblioteket is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shelf free?

Shelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Biblioteket or Shelf?

Shelf is rated higher. Biblioteket averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Shelf averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do Biblioteket or Shelf have ads?

Neither Biblioteket nor Shelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Biblioteket or Shelf?

Biblioteket ships an update every 3 months, and Shelf every 5 weeks. Most recently, Biblioteket was updated on November 2, 2026 and Shelf 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.*