23 Devs Library vs Own Shelf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
23 Devs Library
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Using this app, users can view books from 23 Devs Library, make a reservation for a book, cancel their reservation, return books to the library, search for books, see what books they have reserved, in hands or returned to library.
Own Shelf
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Welcome to your Own Shelf. Import any EPUB you own and press play. The text rolls like a teleprompter or the credits at the end of a film, so you can sit back and read hands free. SET YOUR OWN PACE Set the roll anywhere from 60 to 450 words per minute. Tap to pause, tap to resume. A floating HUD shows your progress, time remaining, and words per minute, then tucks away so you can focus. YOUR LIBRARY, ORGANISED Import EPUBs you own, including public-domain books from libraries such as Project Gutenberg, and they appear in a clean grid with real cover art extracted from each file. Press and hold to remove a title. Pull down to refresh. Every book remembers exactly where you left off. CHAPTER NAVIGATION Open the chapter sheet to see the full table of contents, grouped into Front Matter and Story. Tap any chapter to jump straight there. A "Skip to start of book" button appears automatically when you're in a preface or copyright page. BOOKMARKS Tap the bookmark icon to save your spot. View all bookmarks with percentage and age, jump back instantly, or delete ones you no longer need. Bookmarks are stored by character offset so they survive changes to font size. READING STREAKS Build a daily reading habit. Own Shelf tracks your streak with milestone badges at 3, 7, 14, 30, 100, and 365 days. A weekly chart shows your reading activity at a glance, and a warning style nudges you when your streak is about to break. MAKE IT YOURS Choose from Light, Sepia, or Dark themes. Pick Sans, Serif, or Mono fonts. Step text size from 14 to 56 px. All preferences persist across your entire library. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything stays on your device. EPUBs are opened and parsed entirely on your iPhone. Own Shelf has no server and makes no network requests, so your files and reading never leave your device. Your library, bookmarks, reading position, and preferences are all stored locally. No accounts, no cloud sync, no tracking. Your reading is your own.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: 23 Devs Library at 12.0 against Own Shelf's 15.1. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | 23 Devs Library | Own Shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | โ | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 โ better | 15.1 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NINA SAVELJEVA | DANIELLA TOPPLE |
In-app purchases
23 Devs Library
No in-app purchases
Own Shelf
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 23 Devs Library free?
Is Own Shelf free?
Do 23 Devs Library or Own Shelf have ads?
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