# RedShelf vs McGraw Hill Express Library

The clearest difference is rating: RedShelf at 4.5 against McGraw Hill Express Library's 2.7. RedShelf also leads on ratings volume (7.1K vs 156) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

RedShelf holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RedShelf has 7.1K ratings behind it against 156, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 3% and 3% positive.

RedShelf ships an update every 5 weeks, McGraw Hill Express Library every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RedShelf | McGraw Hill Express Library |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/redshelf/id1511013608/reviews)** | [2.7 (156 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgraw-hill-express-library/id6443494926/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.1K** | 156 |
| Positive reviews | **3.1% of reviews** | 3.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 26 MB | 183 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RedShelf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511013606) | [McGraw-Hill](https://appshunter.io/developer/325792150) |

## What reviewers say

### RedShelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/redshelf/id1511013608)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient to access textbooks in one place
- 🚀 Decent overall performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Books not loading or showing blank screens
- Highlighting issues (selecting wrong text, unable to edit)
- Sync issues between devices and web version

**Requested features**

- Improve highlighting and annotation tools
- Add support for split-screen mode
- Enhance text-to-speech capabilities
- Allow offline access to downloaded books


### McGraw Hill Express Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgraw-hill-express-library/id6443494926)

Access and read McGraw Hill textbooks on your iOS device. Download books for offline access, search your library, and create notes and highlights to enhance your studies. Sync your progress across devices.

**Highlights:** Download books for offline reading, Search entire library, Create notes and highlights, Sync across devices, User-friendly navigation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Makes studying easier
- 👍 Love the audio option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App does not work
- 🐛 Won't let me login
- 🐛 Cannot access ebooks
- 🐛 Account doesn't exist
- 🐛 Incorrect password/email

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot log in
- App does not recognize school account
- App does not recognize user account
- Cannot create a new account
- Cannot access ebooks

**Requested features**

- Fix the app
- Make app work on iPad
- Allow access to ebooks
- Resolve login issues
- Provide FAQ for book access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RedShelf free?

RedShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is McGraw Hill Express Library free?

McGraw Hill Express Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, RedShelf or McGraw Hill Express Library?

RedShelf is rated higher. RedShelf averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while McGraw Hill Express Library averages 2.7 from 156 ratings.

### Do RedShelf or McGraw Hill Express Library have ads?

Neither RedShelf nor McGraw Hill Express Library shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RedShelf or McGraw Hill Express Library?

RedShelf ships an update every 5 weeks, and McGraw Hill Express Library every 4 months. Most recently, RedShelf was updated on November 3, 2026 and McGraw Hill Express Library on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*