# ARC Bookshelf vs MackinVIA

ARC Bookshelf and MackinVIA both sit at 3.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 56% of MackinVIA's written reviews are positive against 34% of ARC Bookshelf's. MackinVIA also leads on ratings volume (160 vs 38). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for ARC Bookshelf against 3.4 for MackinVIA. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 160 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of ARC Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 56% of MackinVIA's.

ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, MackinVIA every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ARC Bookshelf | MackinVIA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arc-bookshelf/id537997638/reviews)** | [3.4 (160 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mackinvia/id558020762/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 38 | **160** |
| Positive reviews | 34.0% of reviews | **55.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 30 MB | 727 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American Reading Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/537997641) | [Mackin Book Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/558020765) |

## What reviewers say

### ARC Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arc-bookshelf/id537997638)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for early readers
- 👍 Helps with reading skills
- 👍 Engaging for children
- 👍 Realistic page turning effect
- 👍 Useful for sight words

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Login issues frequent
- 🐛 Server always down
- 🐛 Crashing after first use
- 🐛 App crashes on iPhone 5S
- 🐛 Crashing after first use

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot make an account
- Keeps asking to log in
- Page stuck in two-page model
- Books do not load
- App closes and goes home

**Requested features**

- Add more books
- Add more reading levels
- Add option to zoom
- Add themes
- Add bookmarks


### MackinVIA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mackinvia/id558020762)

Access your school's digital library, including eBooks and audiobooks. This reader app provides instant access to your checked-out materials, notes, and favorites, with powerful tools for annotation and offline reading.

**Highlights:** Offline access to downloaded resources, Bookmarking and note-taking, Highlighting and search within books, Customizable text and audio controls, Integrated dictionary and citation tools, Table of Contents and page view options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good for audiobooks
- 👍 Useful for school
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Great for teachers and students
- 👍 Good selection of books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 App crashes
- 🐛 Slow loading times
- 🐛 Content not accessible on multiple devices
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance

**Reported bugs**

- Not logging in
- Sent back to App Store during sign-in
- App not loading
- School not appearing in sign-in options
- App immediately says user doesn't have it after getting off

**Requested features**

- Add more book series
- Add graphic novels/manga
- Make books unlimited
- Add voiceover support
- Improve turning pages motion


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ARC Bookshelf free?

ARC Bookshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MackinVIA free?

MackinVIA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or MackinVIA?

ARC Bookshelf is rated higher. ARC Bookshelf averages 3.6 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while MackinVIA averages 3.4 from 160 ratings.

### Do ARC Bookshelf or MackinVIA have ads?

Neither ARC Bookshelf nor MackinVIA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or MackinVIA?

ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, and MackinVIA every 3 months. Most recently, ARC Bookshelf was updated on November 1, 2026 and MackinVIA on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*