ARC Bookshelf vs Dolphin EasyReader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARC Bookshelf
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.
- Access to American Reading at Home books
- Designed for Kindergarten and first-grade levels
- Gradual removal of reading support
- Builds reading confidence
- Independent learning
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This easy-to-use app gives children the ability to read books from American Reading at Home, the award-winning, school-based program that has been teacher-vetted, parent-approved, and kid-tested in thousands of schools and homes across America. PLEASE NOTE: Requires an American Reading at Home account (for individuals) or SchoolPace subscription (for schools). Our books are specially designed for children learning to read at the Kindergarten and first-grade reading levels. The books work just like training wheels on a bicycle. A child will gain confidence by using books at the “just right” level of challenge; as he/she develops new skills, the “training wheels” are gradually removed. Because so much of the reading support is provided by the actual books, children can do much of the learning on their own. This provides the child with tremendous confidence and a sense of ownership of their own learning. It also makes learning to read fun and enjoyable!
Dolphin EasyReader
This app provides accessible reading for individuals with print disabilities like dyslexia and vision impairments. It connects to global libraries and talking newspaper services, offering customizable text, audio playback, and support for various formats.
- Accessible book libraries
- Talking newspaper access
- Customizable fonts and colors
- Adjustable text size and contrast
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) audio
- Braille display support
- Multiple document format support
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Open a World of Accessible Books EasyReader removes barriers to reading, enabling anyone with a print disability to read independently. Global links to over 50 libraries connects you to millions of titles and empowers you to read in ways that work best for you. EasyReader offers a customisable reading experience and supports a wide range of accessibility needs including dyslexia and vision impairment. Download and read classic literature and bestselling fiction, textbooks and non-fiction, picture books and children’s stories and more. Access magazines, newspapers and periodicals or import files and read clipboard text. It’s easy to customise your reading experience so it suits your own reading needs and preferences. Easy Navigation Browse, download and navigate books easily, whether you read visually, audibly or with braille. You’ll move intuitively through content with EasyReader: skip pages, jump to chapters, add bookmarks and search keywords to find information instantly. Empowering Dyslexic readers: - Choose dyslexia-friendly fonts - Adjust text and background colours - Highlight words and sentences, read along to audio - Modify letter and line spacing, adjust lines visible to reduce distractions - Explore Tools are available to boost study and revision Blind and Partially Sighted readers: EasyReader offers an exceptional experience for readers with vision impairments: - Adjust text size with touchscreen gestures - Choose custom colour contrasts - Read using braille displays - Switch to linear reading mode for screen readers and braille - Access to premium image descriptions available Audio Books & Text-to-Speech (TTS) Listen to narrated audio books and use Text to Speech (TTS) to read books, newspapers and more. Speech synchronises perfectly with on-screen highlights for a perfect read-along experience. - Choose from a selection of reading voices - Adjust reading speed, volume and pronunciation - Adjust sentence and word highlights Read a Range of Formats Choose from the widest range of book and document formats. including DAISY 2 and 3, ePub, MathML, Microsoft Word (DOCX), PDF, HTML and text files. Help & Support The 'Ask a Question’ feature in EasyReader Help offers instant guidance. It uses built-in AI to search user guides, the Knowledge Base and training materials. Step-by-step help is also available on the Dolphin website. Share feedback or report a bug directly in the app to help Dolphin continue improving EasyReader. EasyReader Libraries List Global ABC Global Book Service Bookshare Project Gutenberg Bookshare Google Classroom Google Drive Microsoft Education Microsoft OneDrive UK: Calibre Audio RNIB Bookshare RNIB Newsagent RNIB Reading Services USA & Canada: Bookshare CELA NFB Newsline NLS Bard SQLA Sweden: Inläsningstjänst AB Legimus MTM Taltidningar Europe: Anderslezen (Belgium) ATZ (Germany) Bibliothèque Sonore Romande (Switzerland) Bookshare Ireland (Ireland) Buchknacker (Switzerland) CBB (Netherlands) DZB Lesen (Germany) DZDN (Poland) Eole (France) Getem (Turkey) KDD (Czech Republic) Libro Parlato (Italy) Luetus (Finland) NBH Hamburg (Germany) NCBI Overdrive (Ireland) NLB (Norway) Nota (Denmark) Oogvereniging (Netherlands) Passend Lezen (Netherlands) Pratsam Demo (Finland) SBS (Switzerland) TiBi (Norway) UICI (Italy) Unitas (Switzerland) Vereniging Onbeperkt Lezen (Netherlands) WBH (Germany) Rest of World: av3715 (Russia) Blind Low Vision NZ (New Zealand) ChildVision Online Bookshelf (Ireland) LKF (Russia) NSBS (Suriname) SAPIE (Japan) Sugamya Pustakalaya (India) Vision Australia (Australia) Please note: Library memberships can be set up on their websites, links are provided in-app. Terms of Service (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ARC Bookshelf at none against Dolphin EasyReader's 2. ARC Bookshelf also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Dolphin EasyReader's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (128 vs 38). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Dolphin EasyReader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ARC Bookshelf asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dolphin EasyReader holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 128 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of ARC Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 36% of Dolphin EasyReader's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARC Bookshelf | Dolphin EasyReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (38 ratings) | 4.0 (128 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.0% of reviews | 35.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 128 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | American Reading Company | Dolphin Computer Access Ltd |
Customer experience
ARC Bookshelf
Dolphin EasyReader
Bugs and requests
ARC Bookshelf
Reported bugs
14 issues- Cannot make an account
- Keeps asking to log in
- Page stuck in two-page model
- Books do not load
- App closes and goes home
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- Login problems occur frequently
- Server is always down
- Crashes after first use
- Keeps crashing
- Crashing after first use
- Cannot resize to display full pages
- Cannot log in
- Incorrect password messages
- Cannot contact servers
Requested features
6 requests- Add more books
- Add more reading levels
- Add option to zoom
- Add themes
- Add bookmarks
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- Allow resizing for full pages
Dolphin EasyReader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ARC Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
Dolphin EasyReader
- Premium Personal Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Personal Annual$49.991 Year
Questions
Is ARC Bookshelf free?
Is Dolphin EasyReader free?
Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or Dolphin EasyReader?
Do ARC Bookshelf or Dolphin EasyReader have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or Dolphin EasyReader?
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