Comparison

NetGalley Shelf vs PlotLock

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

PlotLock

Features
Read full description

PlotLock is a reading companion for book clubs and reading partners. Add any book, track your progress by page or chapter, and leave margin notes as you read — shared with your group in real time. READ AT YOUR OWN PACE Join a group with a simple code. You see everyone's progress, but notes written past where you are stay locked until you get there. Nobody has to read on a schedule, and nobody gets spoiled. MARGIN NOTES, NOT A CHAT Every note is pinned to a place in the book. Reach that page and it unlocks. It reads like borrowing a copy covered in a friend's handwriting, rather than scrolling a feed. AN ASSISTANT THAT WON'T SPOIL IT Ask about what you've read so far — a character you've lost track of, a thread you want to untangle. The assistant knows exactly how far along you are and will not discuss a single page beyond it. QUIET BY DESIGN No public profiles, no followers, no algorithm, no ads. Just you and the people you're reading with. FEATURES · Track progress by page or chapter · Margin notes that sync live with your group · Spoiler lock on every note and every AI answer · Share a journey with a link · Emoji reactions and threaded replies · Dark mode PlotLock was previously published as SamePage. Same app, same account, same books.

Screenshots

NetGalley Shelf4 screens
PlotLock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PlotLock at every 2 weeks against NetGalley Shelf's every 6 months. NetGalley Shelf's advantage is chart position (#185 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, PlotLock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
NetGalley Shelf versus PlotLock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetGalley ShelfPlotLock
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (83 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings83 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#185 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperNetGalley, LLCNicholas Figliolia

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

PlotLock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NetGalley Shelf

No in-app purchases

None

PlotLock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NetGalley Shelf free?
NetGalley Shelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlotLock free?
PlotLock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NetGalley Shelf or PlotLock have ads?
Neither NetGalley Shelf nor PlotLock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NetGalley Shelf or PlotLock?
NetGalley Shelf ships an update every 6 months, and PlotLock every 2 weeks. Most recently, NetGalley Shelf was updated on October 12, 2026 and PlotLock on September 29, 2026.

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