CW MARS Libraries vs NetGalley Shelf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CW MARS Libraries
Access the shared catalog of libraries across Central and Western Massachusetts. Requires a library card and password from a participating CW MARS member library to use.
- Access shared library catalog
- Search for books and materials
- Manage library account
- Find participating libraries
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CW MARS Libraries gives you access to the shared library catalog for all CW MARS member libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. To use this app, you must have a library card from a CW MARS member library, and know your password. If you do not know your password, or need a library card, please contact your local library.
NetGalley Shelf
Access and review digital books and audiobooks provided by publishers and authors. Discover new titles, download them for offline reading, or stream audiobooks directly within the app. This platform is designed for book advocates and industry professionals to provide valuable feedback.
- Access digital review copies
- Listen to audiobooks
- Download books for offline reading
- Stream audiobooks
- Discover new titles
- Request and review books
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NetGalley Shelf is a reading and listening app for NetGalley members. NetGalley helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies and audiobooks to book advocates and industry professionals. Publishers make digital review copies and audiobooks available for the NetGalley community to discover, request, read, and review. NetGalley does not sell any content, including books or audiobooks. Each book on NetGalley is provided to specific members by the publisher directly, at no cost to the NetGalley member. Books on the NetGalley site are used for review and promotional purposes only. Users of the NetGalley Shelf app will need to register as NetGalley members on NetGalley.com or NetGalley.co.uk, then all your approved NetGalley books and audiobooks will automatically appear in this app. No need to press Download on the NetGalley website! Reading is easy and convenient using the NetGalley Shelf app. Download approved books for access on the go, or start listening right away with streaming for audiobooks.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CW MARS Libraries at 3.8 against NetGalley Shelf's 2.1. CW MARS Libraries also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 20%). NetGalley Shelf's advantage is chart position (#179 vs unranked) and ratings volume (82 vs 26). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CW MARS Libraries holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 82 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of CW MARS Libraries's written reviews are positive against 20% of NetGalley Shelf's.
CW MARS Libraries ships an update every 4 months, NetGalley Shelf every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CW MARS Libraries | NetGalley Shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (26 ratings) — better | 2.1 (82 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 | 82 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #179 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenneth Cox | NetGalley, LLC |
Customer experience
CW MARS Libraries
NetGalley Shelf
Bugs and requests
CW MARS Libraries
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
NetGalley Shelf
Reported bugs
5 issues- Login issues
- Downloading issues with audiobooks
- Books disappearing from shelf
- Inability to remove expired books
- Inconsistent behavior when opening books
Requested features
7 requests- Add ability to write reviews within the app
- Improve audiobook playback controls
- Add font size adjustment
- Implement dark mode
- Sync reading progress across devices
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- Add highlighting and note-taking features
- Improve organization and sorting of books
In-app purchases
CW MARS Libraries
No in-app purchases
NetGalley Shelf
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CW MARS Libraries free?
Is NetGalley Shelf free?
Which has better reviews, CW MARS Libraries or NetGalley Shelf?
Do CW MARS Libraries or NetGalley Shelf have ads?
Which is updated more often, CW MARS Libraries or NetGalley Shelf?
Other comparisons
