Comparison

NetGalley Shelf vs Build A Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Access digital review copies
  • Listen to audiobooks
  • Download books for offline reading
  • Stream audiobooks
  • Discover new titles
  • Request and review books
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

Build A Reader

Read full description

The Build A Reader app from Tulsa City-County Library is a free tool that can help parents develop early literacy skills in children from birth to pre-K in order to grow and sustain a love of reading. The app offers short, bite-sized videos led by professional library staff demonstrating songs, finger plays, and great book recommendations in thematic categories such as Animals and Feelings to prepare young children for a lifetime of reading joy. Plus, when you can’t make it to the library for story time, you can still get a story time… in your pocket!

Screenshots

NetGalley Shelf4 screens
Build A Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: NetGalley Shelf at every 6 months against Build A Reader's every 14 months. NetGalley Shelf also leads on chart position (#164 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NetGalley Shelf ships an update every 6 months, Build A Reader every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
NetGalley Shelf versus Build A Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetGalley ShelfBuild A Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (82 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings82 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#164 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB204 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNetGalley, LLCTulsa City-County Library

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
Show 2 more
  • Add highlighting and note-taking features
  • Improve organization and sorting of books

Build A Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NetGalley Shelf

No in-app purchases

None

Build A Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NetGalley Shelf free?
NetGalley Shelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Build A Reader free?
Build A Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NetGalley Shelf or Build A Reader have ads?
Neither NetGalley Shelf nor Build A Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NetGalley Shelf or Build A Reader?
NetGalley Shelf ships an update every 6 months, and Build A Reader every 14 months. Most recently, NetGalley Shelf was updated on September 27, 2026 and Build A Reader on September 13, 2026.

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