BorrowBox vs Sheels
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BorrowBox
Access a vast collection of eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers from your local library. Browse, borrow, and enjoy digital content seamlessly across all your devices with features like language browsing and automatic new issue downloads.
- Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers
- Read or listen directly in the app
- Curated collections and themes
- Multi-language browsing
- Automatic new issue downloads for subscriptions
- Cross-device sync for reading/listening progress
- Adjustable playback speed and sleep timer
Read full descriptionHide full description
Discover the Ultimate Library Experience – Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – All in One Place. With BorrowBox, browsing, borrowing, reading, or listening has never been simpler. Take your library with you, wherever you go, whenever you want. If your local library offers BorrowBox, simply sign in with your membership details to unlock a world of digital reading and listening. ALL YOUR LIBRARY FAVOURITES, ONE APP Explore eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – all the formats your library offers, all in one place. EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE Read or listen to your borrowed titles directly in the app. No extra downloads, no extra steps. MADE FOR YOU Enjoy curated collections and themes that make discovering your next read and listen a breeze. BROWSE IN ANY LANGUAGE Our Language Browsing feature makes it simple to find content in multiple languages, tailored for different audiences. NEVER MISS A RELEASE Subscribe to your favourite eMagazines or eNewspapers, and they’ll be borrowed and downloaded automatically as new issues arrive. STAY IN SYNC Your reading and listening progress seamlessly follows you across all your devices. TAILORED TO YOU Set a sleep timer for your eAudiobooks, add your favourites to your reading lists, and adjust playback speed to suit your listening style.
Sheels
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Sheels Banding App, an e-resource for banded books in schools. Using our banding system and that of publishers we have compiled a database of books with the appropriate book band levels. Search for real books and scheme, if it's not there contact us and we can add it on.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BorrowBox at none against Sheels's 2. BorrowBox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 8 months). Sheels's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. Sheels sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $45.99 per month. BorrowBox asks for nothing beyond the download.
BorrowBox ships an update every 6 days, Sheels every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BorrowBox | Sheels |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (879 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 879 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #91 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bolinda digital | Sheels Educational Ltd |
Bugs and requests
BorrowBox
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes after recent update
- Loses reading progress when switching devices
- Night mode issues with invisible text
- Audiobook controls not working with Bluetooth
- Inconsistent behavior when using sleep timer
Requested features
5 requests- Add a wishlist or reading list feature
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement bookmark/progress tracking for audiobooks
- Integrate with Apple CarPlay for safer driving
- Add user reviews and ratings for books
Sheels
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BorrowBox
No in-app purchases
Sheels
- Monthly Membership$45.991 Month
- Yearly Membership$449.991 Year









