# Bookshelf vs AIU Faculty

The clearest difference is rating: Bookshelf at 4.7 against AIU Faculty's 3.6. Bookshelf also leads on ratings volume (80K vs 7) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Bookshelf holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 80K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Bookshelf ships an update every 6 weeks, AIU Faculty every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookshelf | AIU Faculty |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (80K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf/id389359495/reviews)** | [3.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aiu-faculty/id1281713233/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **80K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 21.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#113** | — |
| Size | 185 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VitalSource Technologies, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/333263745) | [American Intercontinental University](https://appshunter.io/developer/1070313943) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf/id389359495)

**Currently charting:** #113 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Access and study your digital textbooks on your iPad or iPhone. This app allows for offline reading, note-taking, flashcard creation, and customizable reading settings. Sync your progress across devices for a seamless study experience.

**Highlights:** Offline reading, Customizable highlighters and notes, Flashcard creation, Personalized reading settings, Read Aloud feature, Cross-device syncing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Convenient access to textbooks
- 🔍 Useful search functionality
- 📚 Offline reading capability
- 🔖 Bookmark and note-taking features
- 🔊 Text-to-speech option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy highlighting and annotation tools
- 🖋️ Lack of Apple Pencil support
- 📚 Restricted functionality compared to other e-book apps
- 🔍 Inconsistent search and navigation experience
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Issues with page loading and scrolling
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
- Unreliable text-to-speech functionality

**Requested features**

- Improved highlighting and annotation tools
- Apple Pencil support for note-taking
- More customization options (e.g., font, layout, night mode)
- Seamless cross-device synchronization
- Enhanced search and navigation features


### AIU Faculty

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aiu-faculty/id1281713233)

This app helps university faculty connect with students and manage course content on the go. It provides tools for instant communication, tracking student progress, and organizing academic tasks. Faculty can post announcements, send messages, and access student performance data securely.

**Highlights:** Class notifications, Student communication tools, Track student progress, Manage course content, Calendar reminders, Speech-to-text for discussions

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Is AIU Faculty free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or AIU Faculty?

Bookshelf is rated higher. Bookshelf averages 4.7 out of 5 from 80K ratings, while AIU Faculty averages 3.6 from 7 ratings.

### Do Bookshelf or AIU Faculty have ads?

Neither Bookshelf nor AIU Faculty shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or AIU Faculty?

Bookshelf ships an update every 6 weeks, and AIU Faculty every 4 months. Most recently, Bookshelf was updated on October 24, 2026 and AIU Faculty on September 29, 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.*