Comparison

WhiteBook* vs shelff

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

Head to head
About

WhiteBook*

Features
Read full description

WhiteBook* : An app that can be managed books as if you were arranging them on a bookshelf. -The biggest feature of the app Most existing book management apps place (manage) books using the cover, but our app uses a spine-like placement by default.You can organize and manage your books in a manner similar to a bookshelf in a bookstore or home.By using an arrangement like the spine, you can check the book from a bird's-eye view.You can also switch to a cover of book. That is, you can interweave the a cover and spine covers.Therefore, you are able to place books with your own arrangement.Please, see also app store preview. -Other features + Home screen with a bookshelf as a motif -> The home screen uses a white-based bookshelf as an interface so that you can check the necessary information.ย  We plan to provide various information about books on the home screen. +Function to "TSUNDOKU" books you want to read ->There is a "Tsundoku" area on the bookshelf on the home screen, and it is designed to stack books that you want to read later / someday.ย  You can also check the details of the registered book by clicking the area. In addition, you can register the status of Tsundoku (before purchase / purchased, etc.) on the details screen, and you can add the read books to the bookshelf. -Privacy policy: https://premiumcolors.github.io/privacy-policy/ -Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

shelff

This app provides a dedicated reading experience for PDF documents stored in iCloud. It offers robust organization tools, including folders, tags, and collections, along with a full-text search capability. Users can also manage PDF metadata and highlight content with comments.

Highlights
  • iCloud PDF management
  • Organize with folders and tags
  • Full-text search
  • Highlighting with comments
  • Metadata editing
  • Customizable reading layouts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

shelff is a bookshelf for the books you own as PDFs โ€” technical books, scanned books, DRM-free ebooks. One-time purchase, no subscription, no account. And no ads. Everything lives in your iCloud Documents. You are never locked into a proprietary database. Metadata is saved as JSON files alongside your PDFs, so even if you stop using the app, your data remains yours. โ–  Library - Organize with folders or browse in a flat list - Filter by categories and tags - Group multi-volume works and magazine back issues into collections, with custom ordering - Sort by title, author, date added, or last read - Filter by reading status (unread, reading, finished) - Full-text search across your PDFs - Switch between grid and list views โ–  PDF Reader - Immersive full-screen reader - Single page, two-up, and two-up with cover layouts - Left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL) support - Highlights with optional comments - Jump from table of contents or annotation list - In-document text search - Crop margins per book, with mirrored or separate settings for facing pages and optional cover exclusion - Brightness adjustment - Encrypted PDFs supported โ–  Metadata Management - Edit title, author, publisher, publication date, and more - Auto-extract initial values from PDF metadata - Automatic reading status transitions (starts reading, finishes at last page) โ–  Siri, Shortcuts, and Spotlight - Open a book, continue reading, or change reading status from Siri and Shortcuts - Find and open books in your library from Spotlight โ–  Data Transparency - All data stored as files in iCloud Documents - Metadata and display settings (layout, crop, etc.) in JSON; annotations in the PDF itself - Annotations are saved as incremental updates, so existing content such as OCR text layers in scanned books stays intact - Accessible anytime from the Files app - On your Mac, an AI agent with shelff-mcp can search and organize the metadata JSON in your iCloud

Screenshots

WhiteBook*4 screens
shelff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WhiteBook* at Free against shelff's $6.99. WhiteBook* also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). shelff's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

WhiteBook* is free to download; shelff costs $6.99 up front. WhiteBook* sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. shelff asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WhiteBook* ships an update monthly, shelff every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences ยท 3 level
WhiteBook* versus shelff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhiteBook*shelff
PriceFree โ€” better$6.99
Positive reviewsโ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
Monetizationโ€”Paid
Best chart rankโ€”#72 โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size41 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTatsuya FujisakaSatoshi Kojima

In-app purchases

1 purchases

WhiteBook*

Subscriptions1
  • WhiteBook* plus$3.991 Month
None

shelff

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WhiteBook* free?
WhiteBook* is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is shelff free?
shelff costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do WhiteBook* or shelff have ads?
WhiteBook* shows ads; shelff does not.
Which is updated more often, WhiteBook* or shelff?
WhiteBook* ships an update monthly, and shelff every 4 days. Most recently, WhiteBook* was updated on October 25, 2026 and shelff on October 25, 2026.

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