Comparison

ARC Bookshelf vs Acorn Catalog

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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!

About

Acorn Catalog

Access public library resources across Connecticut. Search the catalog, place holds, manage checked-out items, and renew borrowed materials. Requires a library card from a Bibliomation member library.

Highlights
  • Search library catalog
  • Place holds on items
  • Review checked-out items
  • Renew borrowed materials
  • Access 63 public libraries
Features
Read full description

With Acorn Catalog, you have access to sixty-three public libraries across Connecticut. To use this app, you must have a library card with a Bibliomation member library and know your password. If you do not know your password, please contact your local library. Acorn Catalog lets you: * Search the catalog * Place a hold * Review the items you have checked out * Renew items Problem? Send email to acornapp@biblio.org. Crash? Report it. This software is open source! If you have the means and the interest to contribute, visit https://github.com/kenstir/hemlock

Screenshots

ARC Bookshelf3 screens
Acorn Catalog4 screens

Verdict

The call

ARC Bookshelf and Acorn Catalog both sit at 3.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Acorn Catalog's written reviews are positive against 34% of ARC Bookshelf's. ARC Bookshelf's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ARC Bookshelf holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 15 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of ARC Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 67% of Acorn Catalog's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, Acorn Catalog every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ARC Bookshelf versus Acorn Catalog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARC BookshelfAcorn Catalog
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (38 ratings) — better3.4 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews34.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings38 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAmerican Reading CompanyBibliomation, Inc.

Customer experience

ARC Bookshelf

All ratings36 ratings
Positive63.9%
Neutral8.3%
Negative27.8%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive34.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative56.0%

Acorn Catalog

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 9 more
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Allow resizing for full pages

Acorn Catalog

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ARC Bookshelf

No in-app purchases

None

Acorn Catalog

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARC Bookshelf free?
ARC Bookshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Acorn Catalog free?
Acorn Catalog is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog?
ARC Bookshelf is rated higher. ARC Bookshelf averages 3.6 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Acorn Catalog averages 3.4 from 15 ratings.
Do ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog have ads?
Neither ARC Bookshelf nor Acorn Catalog shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog?
ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, and Acorn Catalog every 5 months. Most recently, ARC Bookshelf was updated on October 23, 2026 and Acorn Catalog on October 24, 2026.

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