Comparison

TBR vs ShelfTime

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

Head to head
About

TBR

Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished. Rate and review books, log favorite moments, and discover new reads. Set yearly reading goals and celebrate milestones with fun animations.

Highlights
  • Track books (to-read, reading, finished)
  • Rate and review books
  • Log favorite moments and quotes
  • Browse public ratings and genre-specific insights
  • Set custom yearly reading goals
  • Earn achievement stickers
  • Pro features: tropes, playlists, adaptations
Features
Read full description

Got a growing TBR list? See great book recommendations, but forget them later? Meet TBR Bookshelf! Easily track books you want to read, are currently reading, or have finished with no limits. Rate and review books once you’ve read them and log your favorite moments using our quick and intuitive rating system. Browse public ratings to see a book’s POV, tropes, reread rate, and up to four genre-specific ratings. For example, Romance tracks Spice, Fluff, Humor, and Tear. All ratings are anonymous, so you can be honest with your reviews. Within our rating system, you can log: * Reading format * 5 Star Rating including half stars * Up to four genre ratings * If you would reread a book * DNF (Did Not Finish) * Favorite characters and quotes * Series and standalone books * Pro quotes and annotations (Paid Subscription Required) * Any additional thoughts about the book Celebrate your reading milestones with special book confetti and earn stickers for completing books and certain book tropes. Exclusive Pro features include: * Book tropes * Book playlists to track songs (cannot be played within the app) * POV format and amount * TV show and movie adaptation ratings * Four seasonal ratings All users can create custom yearly reading goals. When you finish a book, it is automatically added to your yearly reading goal bookshelf. Pro users can also fully customize their bookshelves with color themes, bookshelf items, and layouts. TBR Bookshelf makes managing your TBR list fun, easy, and satisfying. Track books, set reading goals, log quotes, and discover new reads all in one place. With customizable shelves, anonymous ratings, and a supportive community, staying on top of your reading has never been more enjoyable. Join TBR Bookshelf, a woman-owned and operated company, BookTok’s favorite, and trusted by millions of readers. TBR Bookshelf is free to download and use. No account or sign-up is required. TBR Bookshelf Pro includes a 7-day free trial and then options for a monthly plan ($4.99), a 6-month plan ($19.99), or a yearly plan ($29.99). All other features remain free indefinitely. A subscription will be applied to your iTunes account at the end of your free trial. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary. Note: This app is for tracking your reading journey. Reading is not available within the app. Privacy Policy: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-privacy-policy/
Terms of Service: http://jordanpetersonstudio.com/tbr-bookshelf-terms-of-service/

About

ShelfTime

Features
Read full description

ShelfTime keeps your reading life in one quiet place. YOUR SHELF, YOUR PACE - Add books in seconds: title, author, pages - The "reading now" card starts a session timer with one tap - Update your page when you stop - progress fills in automatically REMEMBER WHAT MATTERED - Save quotes and thoughts per book - Finish dates, ratings and collections SEE YOUR READING YEAR - Monthly reading time and books finished (Pro) - Unlimited shelf and quotes, CSV export (Pro) PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no cloud, no ads. 100% offline. HONEST PRICING ShelfTime Pro is $1.99/month or $9.99/year with a 7-day free trial. Free tier: 5 books with full timer and quotes. Privacy Policy: https://goonobu-dot.github.io/batch21-pages/shelftime/privacy.html Support: https://goonobu-dot.github.io/batch21-pages/shelftime/support.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

TBR4 screens
ShelfTime4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ShelfTime at none against TBR's shown. TBR's advantage is chart position (#39 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. TBR sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and ShelfTime sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
TBR versus ShelfTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTBRShelfTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4.4K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.4K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#39 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB1 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTBR - Bookshelf, LLCSHINOBU MIYAHIRA

Bugs and requests

TBR

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books disappearing from shelves
  • Inability to edit read dates
  • Search function not working properly
  • Crashing when trying to access certain features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to organize books by series
  • Option to view other users' reviews and ratings
  • Customizable bookshelves and themes
  • Sync across multiple devices
  • More genre/category options for ratings

ShelfTime

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

TBR

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$29.996 Months
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time7
  • 1500 Gems$2.99
  • 4500 Gems$5.99
  • 20,000 Gems$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Gift 6 Months$19.99
  • Gift 1 Year of Pro$29.99
  • Gift Lifetime Pro$119.99
  • Lifetime Purchase$179.99
2 purchases

ShelfTime

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is TBR free?
TBR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShelfTime free?
ShelfTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TBR or ShelfTime have ads?
TBR shows ads; ShelfTime does not.

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