RedShelf vs Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RedShelf
Access and read your digital textbooks on any device. Highlight text, take notes, create flashcards, and have content read aloud. Your notes and highlights sync across all your devices.
- Access textbooks on any device
- Highlight text and take notes
- Create flashcards from content
- Define unfamiliar words
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Sync notes and highlights across devices
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The RedShelf eReader companion app provides access to read and engage with your textbooks located in your RedShelf account on the My Shelf page. Access your textbooks no matter where you go with a unified experience across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. eReader Features: - Access textbooks on your device for seamless reading - Easily highlight text, take notes, and share with classmates - Create flashcards while reading to test your understanding of the content - Define unfamiliar words quickly and easily - Have text read aloud and select the voice and pace - Sync all of your notes and highlights to your account and across devices App Requirements: - Active RedShelf account - One or more books available in your RedShelf account
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Access your Pearson eTextbooks and supplementary learning materials in one app. Watch short video explanations of complex topics and utilize study tools like notes, highlights, and flashcards. The app also offers an audiobook feature for most eTextbooks and powerful search functionality.
- eTextbook access
- Video explanations
- Notes and highlights
- Audiobook feature
- Searchable content
- Flashcard creation
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The Pearson+ mobile app provides you access to all your Pearson eTextbooks in one place, as well as curated bite-sized video explanations of complex topics for your toughest college courses. Get started by logging in with the same username and password you created via the web-based version of Pearson+. Feature highlights: -- Anytime, anywhere access to eTextbook content and embedded media assets -- Short video explanations of complex topics to help you succeed in the classroom -- Ability to easily create and refer to your notes and highlights within the eTextbook -- Have your eTextbook read aloud to you with our audiobook feature (available for most eTextbooks) -- Search across all the content in the eTextbook to easily find exactly what you need -- Create your own flashcards or use pre-built ones to help you study -- Personalize the reading experience to best meet your needs For bug reports or general feedback, please reach out to us at PearsonPlusFeedback@pearson.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts at 31% against RedShelf's 3%. Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). RedShelf's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). 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.
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts has 61K ratings behind it against 7.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 3% of RedShelf's written reviews are positive against 31% of Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's.
RedShelf ships an update every 5 weeks, Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RedShelf | Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (7.1K ratings) | 4.8 (61K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 3.1% of reviews | 30.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.1K | 61K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #109 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 501 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | RedShelf | Pearson Education, Inc. |
Customer experience
RedShelf
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
User reviews
RedShelf
From 7.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient to access textbooks in one place
- 🚀 Decent overall performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💤 Slow loading and page turning
- 👎 Unreliable highlighting and note-taking features
- 🤖 Poor text-to-speech functionality
- 📵 Inability to access books offline
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
From 61K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient access to textbooks
- 🎧 Useful audio feature
- 📚 Helpful study tools (flashcards, quizzes)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy highlighting and page navigation
- 📱 Poor usability on mobile devices
- 🔍 Lack of search and page number features
- 💰 Expensive for limited functionality
Bugs and requests
RedShelf
Reported bugs
3 issues- Books not loading or showing blank screens
- Highlighting issues (selecting wrong text, unable to edit)
- Sync issues between devices and web version
Requested features
4 requests- Improve highlighting and annotation tools
- Add support for split-screen mode
- Enhance text-to-speech capabilities
- Allow offline access to downloaded books
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Reported bugs
3 issues- Textbooks failing to load or display properly
- Audio playback issues and lack of syncing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching apps or rotating devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved highlighting and annotation tools
- Better syncing between devices and web version
- Page number support
- Split-screen and landscape mode on tablets
In-app purchases
RedShelf
No in-app purchases
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RedShelf free?
Is Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts free?
Which has better reviews, RedShelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
Do RedShelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts have ads?
Which is updated more often, RedShelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
Other comparisons
