Comparison

RedShelf vs Wiley Reader

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Wiley Reader

Access and read your Wiley eBooks offline or on the go. Listen to your books with text-to-speech functionality. Sync your notes, highlights, and bookmarks across devices for a seamless learning experience.

Highlights
  • Offline eBook access
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Note-taking and highlighting
  • Bookmark management
  • Cross-device sync
  • Personalized display settings
Features
Read full description

With Wiley Reader, learn wherever you are, at home or on the go. Listen with text-to-speech. Download your Wiley books for offline access. Notes, highlights, and bookmarks sync with the web experience, and with personalization settings, you can make Wiley Reader your own. • Access Wiley books wherever you are • Listen using text-to-speech • Read anywhere with offline access • Sync your notes, highlights, and bookmarks between mobile and web • Personalize your reading experience with display settings

Screenshots

RedShelf4 screens
Wiley Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wiley Reader at 48% against RedShelf's 3%. Wiley Reader also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). RedShelf's advantage is ratings volume (7.1K vs 1.1K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wiley Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RedShelf has 7.1K ratings behind it against 1.1K, 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 48% of Wiley Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RedShelf versus Wiley Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRedShelfWiley Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (7.1K ratings)4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews3.1% of reviews47.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.1K — better1.1K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRedShelfWiley

Customer experience

RedShelf

All ratings7,078 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive3.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative92.5%

Wiley Reader

All ratings1,121 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral0.9%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive47.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative45.9%

User reviews

RedShelf

From 7.1K App Store ratings

What 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

Wiley Reader

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💾 Convenient for reading on the go
  • 🔊 Text-to-speech feature
  • 🔍 Helpful sample problems and explanations
  • 📚 Well-designed for textbook reading

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable performance
  • 🤖 Poor navigation and user experience
  • 🔍 Unreliable search and highlighting functionality
  • 🔒 Lack of annotation and note-taking features

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

Wiley Reader

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Pages not loading correctly
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Inconsistent text formatting and layout
  • Playback issues with text-to-speech

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add annotation and scribbling capabilities
  • Improve page navigation and swiping
  • Enhance search functionality and result display
  • Sync highlights and notes across devices

In-app purchases

None

RedShelf

No in-app purchases

None

Wiley Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RedShelf free?
RedShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wiley Reader free?
Wiley Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RedShelf or Wiley Reader?
Wiley Reader is rated higher. RedShelf averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while Wiley Reader averages 4.8 from 1.1K ratings.
Do RedShelf or Wiley Reader have ads?
Neither RedShelf nor Wiley Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RedShelf or Wiley Reader?
RedShelf ships an update every 5 weeks, and Wiley Reader every 5 weeks. Most recently, RedShelf was updated on September 19, 2026 and Wiley Reader on September 22, 2026.

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