ARC Bookshelf vs WLS Mobile
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!
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.
- Explore library catalog
- Search for books, movies, games
- Include eContent in searches
- Place holds on items
- Check due dates
- Renew eligible titles
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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
Verdict
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
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 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.
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.
| Parameter | ARC Bookshelf | WLS Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (36 ratings) — better | 1.6 (65 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.0% of reviews — better | 5.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 36 | 65 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | American Reading Company | ByWater Solutions |
Customer experience
ARC Bookshelf
WLS Mobile
User reviews
ARC Bookshelf
From 36 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsRoom 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
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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
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
ARC Bookshelf
No in-app purchases
WLS Mobile
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ARC Bookshelf free?
Is WLS Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile?
Do ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, ARC Bookshelf or WLS Mobile?
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