# My Book List vs ARC Bookshelf

The clearest difference is rating: My Book List at 4.1 against ARC Bookshelf's 3.6. My Book List also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (639 vs 36). ARC Bookshelf's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. My Book List sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ARC Bookshelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

My Book List holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: My Book List has 639 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of My Book List's written reviews are positive against 34% of ARC Bookshelf's.

My Book List ships an update every 4 days, ARC Bookshelf every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | My Book List | ARC Bookshelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (639 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-book-list-library-tracker/id443391908/reviews)** | [3.6 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arc-bookshelf/id537997638/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **639** | 36 |
| Positive reviews | **48.7% of reviews** | 34.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 41 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BigBalli Consulting llc](https://appshunter.io/developer/363765325) | [American Reading Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/537997641) |

## What reviewers say

### My Book List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-book-list-library-tracker/id443391908)

Effortlessly catalog your personal book collection with this library organizer. Easily add books by scanning barcodes or searching online, and view your library with customizable sorting and filters. Keep track of reading status, ratings, and notes for each title.

**Highlights:** ISBN barcode scanning, Online book search, Customizable library views, Read status and ratings, Multi-device syncing, Import/export library data

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full unlock | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Offer | $14.99 | per year |
| Full unlock | $24.99 | per year |
| extra details for all books | $0.99 | one-time |
| Barcode scanner | $0.99 | one-time |
| remote database & device sync | $1.99 | one-time |
| CSV Import | $3.99 | one-time |
| Amazon Kindle eBook import | $3.99 | one-time |
| BibTeX and Zotero export | $4.99 | one-time |
| 500 Tokens | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Tokens | $9.99 | one-time |
| 10000 Tokens | $49.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Full Unlock | $49.99 | one-time |
| 20000 Tokens | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📚 Helpful for tracking books
- 💻 Convenient virtual bookshelf
- 🔍 Useful barcode scanning feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
- 💰 Excessive in-app purchases required
- 🔍 Barcode scanner not always reliable
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with mandatory Facebook login
- 🤔 Confusing pricing and feature structure

**Reported bugs**

- Books disappearing from user libraries
- Scanning and importing issues
- Crashes and freezes when using certain features
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort books by series or genre
- Option to manually add book details
- Offline access to book lists
- Improved search and filtering capabilities
- Sync across multiple devices


### ARC Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arc-bookshelf/id537997638)

This eReader app provides access to award-winning books designed for young learners. It supports children in Kindergarten and first grade as they develop reading confidence and independence through teacher-vetted content.

**Highlights:** Access to American Reading at Home books, Designed for Kindergarten and first-grade levels, Gradual removal of reading support, Builds reading confidence, Independent learning

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for early readers
- 👍 Helps with reading skills
- 👍 Engaging for children
- 👍 Realistic page turning effect
- 👍 Useful for sight words

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Login issues frequent
- 🐛 Server always down
- 🐛 Crashing after first use
- 🐛 App crashes on iPhone 5S
- 🐛 Crashing after first use

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot make an account
- Keeps asking to log in
- Page stuck in two-page model
- Books do not load
- App closes and goes home

**Requested features**

- Add more books
- Add more reading levels
- Add option to zoom
- Add themes
- Add bookmarks


## Frequently asked questions

### Is My Book List free?

My Book List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ARC Bookshelf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, My Book List or ARC Bookshelf?

My Book List is rated higher. My Book List averages 4.1 out of 5 from 639 ratings, while ARC Bookshelf averages 3.6 from 36 ratings.

### Do My Book List or ARC Bookshelf have ads?

Neither My Book List nor ARC Bookshelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, My Book List or ARC Bookshelf?

My Book List ships an update every 4 days, and ARC Bookshelf every 2 months. Most recently, My Book List was updated on October 17, 2026 and ARC Bookshelf on October 16, 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.*