Comparison

My Book List vs Shelfable

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

My Book List

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
Read full description

Catalog your entire home library in an afternoon. Snap a photo of any shelf and the AI adds every title. No typing, no spreadsheets, no scattered notes. Trusted by 600+ readers and rated 4.1 stars on the App Store since 2011. • Catalog a 200-book shelf in five minutes. Point your camera. AI reads the spines and adds the books. • Add a single book in seconds by scanning the barcode on the back cover. • Bring your Kindle library across in one tap. No CSV juggling. • Find anything in plain English. "That biography about the architect" works. • AI sorts your shelves by genre, mood, and theme so you stop tagging by hand. • Read on iPhone, edit on iPad, look something up offline at the bookstore. Sync handles the rest. How it works: 1. Point your camera at a shelf and let AI populate your library. 2. Sort, tag, and mark books as Read, Reading, or To Read. 3. Pick up on any device. Share with friends, join a club, ask for a recommendation when you want one. Coming from another app or a spreadsheet? Import CSV, TSV, JSON, XLSX, BibTeX, or RIS files. Field mapping is built in. Real review: "I had a bunch of books I needed to inventory and the barcode scanner made it incredibly easy. Great app." BuckeyeCityCates, App Store review, 2024 Free to start with twenty books and three barcode scans. Open the app and add your first shelf. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://BigBalli.com/privacy

About

Shelfable

Effortlessly manage your book collection with barcode scanning and smart organization. Track reading progress and access detailed book information to find your next read faster.

Highlights
  • Barcode scanning for instant cataloging
  • Custom organization by room and shelf
  • Reading progress tracking
  • Access book metadata
  • Handles large collections
Read full description

Say goodbye to the endless search for that one book and hello to a perfectly organised library. Shelfable makes it easy (and even fun) to keep track of your books. Especially when your collection is bigger than your bookshelf. WHY SHELFABLE Because “I know it’s here somewhere” isn’t a strategy. With barcode scanning and smart organisation, Shelfable helps you scan, sort, and find your books faster than you can say, “Where did I put that?” Whether you organize by room, bookshelf, or individual shelf, your books will always be exactly where you need them. FEATURES • Barcode scanning magic. Scan a book’s barcode, and Shelfable does the rest. It instantly catalogs the book with all the key details. • Custom organisation. Sort your books into rooms, bookshelves, and individual shelves. • Track your reading progress. Mark books as unread, to be read or completed. • Book metadata. Instantly access details like publication date, genre, and more, making it easier to find your next great read. • Built for big collections. Whether you have a couple of shelves or an entire home library, Shelfable handles collections of all sizes. DISCOVER, TRACK, ORGANISE Your library deserves to be as smart as you are. With Shelfable, you’ll spend less time searching and more time reading. Start organising today—and read happily ever after!

Screenshots

My Book List4 screens
Shelfable4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: My Book List at 49% against Shelfable's 0%. My Book List also leads on rating (4.1 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (639 vs 1). Shelfable's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

My Book List holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: My Book List has 639 ratings behind it against 1, 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 0% of Shelfable's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

My Book List ships an update every 4 days, Shelfable every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
My Book List versus Shelfable: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMy Book ListShelfable
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (639 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings639 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBigBalli Consulting llcFrederick Andersen

Customer experience

My Book List

All ratings639 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral6.9%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews339 reviews
Positive48.7%
Neutral10.9%
Negative40.4%

Shelfable

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

My Book List

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Shelfable

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

My Book List

Subscriptions3
  • Full unlock$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly Offer$14.991 Year
  • Full unlock$24.991 Year
One-time11
  • extra details for all books$0.99
  • Barcode scanner$0.99
  • remote database & device sync$1.99
Show 8 more
  • CSV Import$3.99
  • Amazon Kindle eBook import$3.99
  • BibTeX and Zotero export$4.99
  • 500 Tokens$4.99
  • 1000 Tokens$9.99
  • 10000 Tokens$49.99
  • Lifetime Full Unlock$49.99
  • 20000 Tokens$79.99
None

Shelfable

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is My Book List free?
My Book List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shelfable free?
Shelfable is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, My Book List or Shelfable?
My Book List is rated higher. My Book List averages 4.1 out of 5 from 639 ratings, while Shelfable averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do My Book List or Shelfable have ads?
Neither My Book List nor Shelfable shows ads.
Which is updated more often, My Book List or Shelfable?
My Book List ships an update every 4 days, and Shelfable every 5 days. Most recently, My Book List was updated on October 10, 2026 and Shelfable on September 24, 2026.

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