# Bookshelf vs MPHPL

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MPHPL at none against Bookshelf's 4. MPHPL also leads on ads (none vs shown). Bookshelf's advantage is ratings volume (3K vs 88) and chart position (#172 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bookshelf sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MPHPL asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bookshelf against 4.8 for MPHPL. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 3K ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 100% of MPHPL's.

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, MPHPL every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | MPHPL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274/reviews)** | [4.8 (88 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mphpl/id6502933574/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3K** | 88 |
| Positive reviews | 93.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SquidBit d.o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464032273) | [Capira Technologies, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1010559443) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-your-virtual-library/id1464032274)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

Organize your book collection with virtual shelves and tags. Track reading progress, set goals, and manage your TBR list. Discover new books, share recommendations, and connect with friends' reading journeys.

**Highlights:** Virtual bookshelves and tags, ISBN barcode scanner, Reading progress tracking, TBR wishlist management, Social reading profiles, Book statistics and insights, OCR text scanning for quotes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookshelf (1 Month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Bookshelf (1 Year) | $19.99 | per year |
| Bookshelf (Lifetime) | $59.99 | one-time |
| Bookshelf (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Batch scanning feature
- 📚 Excellent for organizing book collections
- 💰 Free app with no limits
- 🔍 Helpful for avoiding book duplicates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function could be improved
- 🔢 Inability to add multiple copies of the same book
- 📷 Limited cover image options for some books

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional issues with scanning barcodes
- Trouble accessing app after account creation

**Requested features**

- Ability to organize books by author and series
- Option to filter statistics by bookshelf
- Manual page count entry
- Borrowing/lending tracking system


### MPHPL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mphpl/id6502933574)

Access your local library's catalog, reserve books, and manage your account from your mobile device. Explore online resources and discover new titles on the go.

**Highlights:** Search library catalog, Reserve items, Manage library account, Access online resources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

Bookshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MPHPL free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or MPHPL?

Bookshelf is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while MPHPL averages 4.8 from 88 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or MPHPL have ads?

Bookshelf shows ads; MPHPL does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or MPHPL?

Bookshelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and MPHPL every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 17, 2026 and MPHPL on October 12, 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.*