Comparison

ARC Bookshelf vs WLS Mobile

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

WLS Mobile

Discover new and favorite books, movies, and games from your library. Search the full catalog, place holds, and manage your checkouts remotely. Renew eligible items and track due dates with ease.

Highlights
  • Explore library catalog
  • Search for books, movies, games
  • Include eContent in searches
  • Place holds on items
  • Check due dates
  • Renew eligible titles
Features
Read full description

WLS Mobile allows you to explore your library on the go to find new books, movies, games, or your old favorites! Quickly search the entire catalog - including eContent - place holds, check due dates, and renew eligible titles.

Screenshots

ARC Bookshelf3 screens
WLS Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ARC Bookshelf at 3.6 against WLS Mobile's 1.6. ARC Bookshelf also leads on review sentiment (34% vs 5%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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

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 1.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 65 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of ARC Bookshelf's written reviews are positive against 5% of WLS Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, WLS Mobile every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ARC Bookshelf versus WLS Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARC BookshelfWLS Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (36 ratings) — better1.6 (65 ratings)
Positive reviews34.0% of reviews — better5.4% of reviews
Number of ratings3665 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAmerican Reading CompanyByWater Solutions

Customer experience

ARC Bookshelf

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

WLS Mobile

All ratings62 ratings
Positive12.9%
Neutral1.6%
Negative85.5%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive5.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative94.6%

User reviews

ARC Bookshelf

From 36 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

WLS Mobile

From 65 App Store ratings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔑 Constant logging out
  • ⏱️ Slow loading and performance
  • 🔍 Poor search functionality
  • 🤖 Buggy and not ready for release

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

WLS Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on opening
  • Doesn't stay logged in
  • Server errors preventing access

Requested features

2 requests
  • Bring back the older app
  • Allow login without library card

In-app purchases

None

ARC Bookshelf

No in-app purchases

None

WLS Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARC Bookshelf free?
ARC Bookshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WLS Mobile free?
WLS Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile?
ARC Bookshelf is rated higher. ARC Bookshelf averages 3.6 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while WLS Mobile averages 1.6 from 65 ratings.
Do ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile have ads?
Neither ARC Bookshelf nor WLS Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile?
ARC Bookshelf ships an update every 2 months, and WLS Mobile every 5 weeks. Most recently, ARC Bookshelf was updated on October 16, 2026 and WLS Mobile on October 20, 2026.

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