NetGalley Shelf vs Tertulia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Tertulia
Discover your next favorite book with curated recommendations from across the web. Organize your reading lists and purchase books seamlessly. Enjoy the best bookstore membership for passionate readers.
- Book recommendations from social media, podcasts, and web
- Reading list tracking
- Seamless book purchasing (US only)
- Bookstore membership benefits
- Discover trending books
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Welcome booklovers! Tertulia is a one-stop shop for finding your next great read, keeping track of your reading lists and purchasing books with the best bookstore membership for avid readers. Tertulia serves up book recommendations from across social media, podcasts, and the web — all in one app which incorporates seamless book purchasing (US only). If a book has moved someone enough to get them talking, you can find it, buy it, and share it on Tertulia.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tertulia at 67% against NetGalley Shelf's 20%. Tertulia also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). NetGalley Shelf's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and chart position (#166 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Tertulia holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tertulia has 509 ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of NetGalley Shelf's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tertulia's.
NetGalley Shelf ships an update every 6 months, Tertulia weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NetGalley Shelf | Tertulia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (87 ratings) | 4.7 (509 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 19.9% of reviews | 67.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 87 | 509 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #166 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | NetGalley, LLC | Tertulia, Inc. |
Customer experience
NetGalley Shelf
Tertulia
User reviews
NetGalley Shelf
From 87 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works fine for some users
- 👍 Keeps user logged in
- 👍 Audiobooks work well
- 🚀 Able to read ebooks
Room to improve
- 🐛 Narration speed issues
- 🐛 Confusing interface
- 🔒 Login issues
- 🐛 Bookmarks and positions don't sync
- 🐛 No built-in dictionary
Tertulia
From 509 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient app
- 👍 Visually appealing and user-friendly design
- 💡 Excellent book discovery and recommendations
- 👍 Convenient book tracking and management
- 🚀 Quick delivery of purchased books
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy and slow performance issues
- 🔍 Lack of detailed book descriptions
- 💸 Overly commercial focus on selling books
- 🔍 Inconsistent or missing order tracking/history
Bugs and 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
Tertulia
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Login and account issues
- Disappearing user book lists
- Inconsistent pricing and shipping information
Requested features
4 requests- iPad app version
- Ability to rate and review books read
- Improved personalized recommendations
- Smoother scrolling and list management
In-app purchases
NetGalley Shelf
No in-app purchases
Tertulia
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NetGalley Shelf free?
Is Tertulia free?
Which has better reviews, NetGalley Shelf or Tertulia?
Do NetGalley Shelf or Tertulia have ads?
Which is updated more often, NetGalley Shelf or Tertulia?
Other comparisons
