Bookshelf vs Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
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+
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Access your Pearson eTextbooks and supplementary learning materials in one app. Watch short video explanations of complex topics and utilize study tools like notes, highlights, and flashcards. The app also offers an audiobook feature for most eTextbooks and powerful search functionality.
- eTextbook access
- Video explanations
- Notes and highlights
- Audiobook feature
- Searchable content
- Flashcard creation
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The Pearson+ mobile app provides you access to all your Pearson eTextbooks in one place, as well as curated bite-sized video explanations of complex topics for your toughest college courses. Get started by logging in with the same username and password you created via the web-based version of Pearson+. Feature highlights: -- Anytime, anywhere access to eTextbook content and embedded media assets -- Short video explanations of complex topics to help you succeed in the classroom -- Ability to easily create and refer to your notes and highlights within the eTextbook -- Have your eTextbook read aloud to you with our audiobook feature (available for most eTextbooks) -- Search across all the content in the eTextbook to easily find exactly what you need -- Create your own flashcards or use pre-built ones to help you study -- Personalize the reading experience to best meet your needs For bug reports or general feedback, please reach out to us at PearsonPlusFeedback@pearson.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Bookshelf at free against Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's free with in-app purchases. Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (31% vs 21%). On price, rating, ratings volume 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Bookshelf against 4.8 for Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 78K and 61K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 31% of Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's.
Bookshelf ships an update every 6 weeks, Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Bookshelf | Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (78K ratings) | 4.8 (61K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.4% of reviews | 30.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 78K — better | 61K |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #71 — better | #109 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 185 MB | 501 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | VitalSource Technologies, Inc. | Pearson Education, Inc. |
Customer experience
Bookshelf
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
User reviews
Bookshelf
From 78K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Convenient access to textbooks
- 🔍 Useful search functionality
- 📚 Offline reading capability
- 🔖 Bookmark and note-taking features
- 🔊 Text-to-speech option
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
From 61K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient access to textbooks
- 🎧 Useful audio feature
- 📚 Helpful study tools (flashcards, quizzes)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy highlighting and page navigation
- 📱 Poor usability on mobile devices
- 🔍 Lack of search and page number features
- 💰 Expensive for limited functionality
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
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Reported bugs
3 issues- Textbooks failing to load or display properly
- Audio playback issues and lack of syncing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching apps or rotating devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved highlighting and annotation tools
- Better syncing between devices and web version
- Page number support
- Split-screen and landscape mode on tablets
In-app purchases
Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bookshelf free?
Is Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts free?
Which has better reviews, Bookshelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
Do Bookshelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bookshelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
Which is more popular, Bookshelf or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
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