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, video explanations, and study tools in one app. Features include audiobook narration, note-taking, flashcards, and search functionality to enhance your learning experience.
- eTextbook access
- Video explanations
- Audiobook feature
- Note-taking and highlights
- 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 update cadence: Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts at fortnightly against Bookshelf's every 6 weeks. Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts also leads on 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.
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 80K and 63K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 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 fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Bookshelf | Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (80K ratings) | 4.8 (63K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.3% of reviews | 31.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 80K — better | 63K |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #110 — better | #209 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 185 MB | 550 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | VitalSource Technologies, Inc. | Pearson Education, Inc. |
Customer experience
Bookshelf
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
User reviews
Bookshelf
From 80K 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 63K 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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