Comparison

Animal Giga Scroll vs ShelfStream

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

Head to head
About

Animal Giga Scroll

Explore animated medieval Japanese animal scrolls, considered by some to be the first manga. Swipe and pinch to zoom through these ancient ink drawings, brought to life on your iPad.

Highlights
  • View medieval Japanese animal scrolls
  • Swipe to navigate
  • Pinch to zoom
  • High-quality ink drawings
  • Interactive digital art
Features
Read full description

Medieval Japanese hand scrolls, brought back to life on your iPad.   Animal Giga Scroll (Animal Caricature Scroll, Scroll of Frolicking Animals) is a Japanese well-loved National Treasure, commonly called Choju Giga. Famous for its humorous depictions of various animals acting like humans, sometimes called the first Manga. The Choju Giga consists of four separate scrolls drawn in ink on papers, and this App contains the first two scrolls supposedly drawn in the middle of the 12th century. Scroll A, measuring 30.4cm × 11.5m (1 × 38ft), is the most famous and beloved, consisting entirely of caricatures of animals. Scroll B, measuring 30.6cm × 12.2m (1 × 40ft), consists of depictions of various animals, both real and mythical. Though they have no stories, and been disordered during the long-term preservation, the vivacity of the action and the sinuous elegance of the brush strokes are still outstanding. - Swipe to view, and let the medieval animals frolic again. - Pinch to zoom-in, and enjoy the high quality of draftsmanship. * TEXT IN JAPANESE ONLY...

About

ShelfStream

This app is a powerful comic and manga viewer that supports a wide range of file formats and cloud storage services. It offers a premium reading experience with intelligent prefetching and multiple viewing modes, along with easy library management.

Highlights
  • Cloud storage integration (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box)
  • NAS and server connection (SMB, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP)
  • Zero load time prefetching
  • Multiple reading modes (single, spread, vertical scroll)
  • Support for ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR, PDF, 7z
  • Library organization and bookmarks
Features
Read full description

【The Ultimate Comic & Manga Viewer】 ShelfStream is the next-generation viewer designed for comic enthusiasts who want the best reading experience for their scanned ebook and comic collection. ■ iPhone Duo Support • Open your iPhone Duo and keep reading the same page—the fold becomes the book's spine and you read in a two-page spread • Scanned two-page spreads open as one image, centered on the fold • Half-open in portrait: read on the top half, browse and turn pages on the bottom half • Right-to-left and left-to-right books are laid out just like printed books ■ Cloud Storage Support (Premium) • Works with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box • Read your files where they are, without copying them to your device ■ NAS & Server Connection (Premium) • SMB, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP protocols supported • Open books on your home server without copying them • Handle massive libraries effortlessly ■ Comfortable Reading Experience • ZIP/CBZ files prefetch page by page, so you can start reading without waiting for the whole file (RAR/CBR/7z/PDF are retrieved in full before display) • 7 reading styles (single page, two-page spread, vertical scroll (Webtoon), and more) • Right-to-left and left-to-right reading support • New Page Curl mode: pages curl like paper as you turn them (not available for vertical reading or scrolling) • Save display settings per book and series ("Apply to Series" for batch setup) • Set the fit method separately for portrait/landscape, plus a landscape layout option ■ Extensive Format Support • ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR, PDF, 7z compatible • Image files (JPEG, PNG, WebP) ■ Easy Library Management • Organize by series • Bookmarks and reading history (reading position is stored on this device) • Intuitive library controls • Works on iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo ■ Pricing • Free: local file reading, all 7 reading styles, series management, bookmarks • ShelfStream Premium: cloud and NAS connections with streaming  Monthly plan (1 month, auto-renewing) US$0.49 / Yearly plan (1 year, auto-renewing) US$5.99  Both include a 7-day free trial • No ads, including on the free plan Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. The ultimate viewer for digital comic collectors. Start free today. --- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shelfstream.remosia.biz/privacy/

Screenshots

ShelfStream4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Animal Giga Scroll at none against ShelfStream's 2. Animal Giga Scroll also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). ShelfStream's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 20 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. ShelfStream sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Animal Giga Scroll asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShelfStream holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Animal Giga Scroll's written reviews are positive against 100% of ShelfStream's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Animal Giga Scroll ships an update every 20 months, ShelfStream weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Animal Giga Scroll versus ShelfStream: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnimal Giga ScrollShelfStream
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB22 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJUGEND LLC.株式会社リモシア

Customer experience

Animal Giga Scroll

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

ShelfStream

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Animal Giga Scroll

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ShelfStream

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$0.491 Month
  • Yearly Plan7 Days trial$5.991 Year

Questions

Is Animal Giga Scroll free?
Animal Giga Scroll is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShelfStream free?
ShelfStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Animal Giga Scroll or ShelfStream?
ShelfStream is rated higher. Animal Giga Scroll averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ShelfStream averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Animal Giga Scroll or ShelfStream have ads?
Neither Animal Giga Scroll nor ShelfStream shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Animal Giga Scroll or ShelfStream?
Animal Giga Scroll ships an update every 20 months, and ShelfStream weekly. Most recently, Animal Giga Scroll was updated on October 23, 2026 and ShelfStream on October 25, 2026.

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