ARC Bookshelf vs Acorn Catalog
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!
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.
- Search library catalog
- Place holds on items
- Review checked-out items
- Renew borrowed materials
- Access 63 public libraries
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | ARC Bookshelf | Acorn Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (38 ratings) — better | 3.4 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.0% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | American Reading Company | Bibliomation, Inc. |
Customer experience
ARC Bookshelf
Acorn Catalog
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
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Allow resizing for full pages
Acorn Catalog
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ARC Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
Acorn Catalog
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ARC Bookshelf free?
Is Acorn Catalog free?
Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog?
Do ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or Acorn Catalog?
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