Bookshelf vs Open
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bookshelf
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.
- Offline reading
- Customizable highlighters and notes
- Flashcard creation
- Personalized reading settings
- Read Aloud feature
- Cross-device syncing
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With Bookshelf, you can enjoy a digital-first, comprehensive study experience from the convenience of your iPad or iPhone. Access all of your VitalSource textbooks and study anytime, anywhere. Bookshelf Features: • Download books to your iOS device for 100% offline reading. • Customize highlighters and add notes for a rich study experience. • Create flashcards with text and images to learn concepts faster. • Personalize font, font size, and background colors to make reading easier. • Listen to your books and learn on the go with Read Aloud. • Sync your current reading position and all your work across devices so you can easily pick up where you left off. • Built with accessibility in mind. Requirements: • VitalSource Bookshelf account • Access to one or more VitalSource textbooks • iOS 17+
Open
Access your educational courses and content directly from your mobile device. Download materials for offline use, update your profile, and receive important notifications. Students can track grades and badges, while teachers can grade assignments on the go.
- Access courses on mobile
- Download content for offline use
- Update profile information
- Receive course notifications
- View grades and badges (student)
- Grade assignments (teacher)
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Welcome to the Open LMS Mobile App! With the Open LMS Mobile App, you can: • Access your courses directly from your mobile device • Download content for offline access • Update your profile information • Receive course notifications and messages • As a student: view your course grades and awarded badges on your profile • As a teacher: grade assignments both online and offline • ...and much more! We love feedback! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave us a note and a rating on the Store.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bookshelf at 4.7 against Open's 2.7. Bookshelf also leads on ratings volume (80K vs 86) and chart position (#134 vs unranked). Open's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
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 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshelf has 80K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 21% and 21% positive.
Bookshelf ships an update every 6 weeks, Open every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bookshelf | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (80K ratings) — better | 2.7 (86 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 21.3% of reviews — better | 21.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 80K — better | 86 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #134 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 185 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | VitalSource Technologies, Inc. | PeopleFluent, Inc. |
Customer experience
Bookshelf
Open
Bugs and requests
Bookshelf
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Issues with page loading and scrolling
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
- Unreliable text-to-speech functionality
Requested features
5 requests- 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
Open
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
Open
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bookshelf free?
Is Open free?
Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or Open?
Do Bookshelf or Open have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or Open?
Other comparisons
