# plappa vs ShelfPlayer

The clearest difference is rating: plappa at 4.7 against ShelfPlayer's 4.1. plappa also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (87% vs 55%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. plappa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and ShelfPlayer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

plappa holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 345 and 243 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of plappa's written reviews are positive against 55% of ShelfPlayer's.

plappa ships an update every 5 weeks, ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | plappa | ShelfPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (345 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plappa/id6475201956/reviews)** | [4.1 (243 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **345** | 243 |
| Positive reviews | **86.5% of reviews** | 55.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 47 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Leo Wehrfritz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1663611386) | [AI Tools Apps SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854689122) |

## What reviewers say

### plappa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plappa/id6475201956)

This app is an audiobook player that connects to self-hosted media servers like Jellyfin and AudioBookShelf. It supports various audio formats, reads metadata, and allows for offline listening through optional in-app purchases. Users can sync playback states across devices or their server.

**Highlights:** Connects to Jellyfin, Emby, AudioBookShelf, Supports common audio formats, Purpose-built for audiobooks, Sync playback states, Reads audiobook metadata, Offline listening (via IAP), Podcast and series support

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription (1 Year) | $1.99 | per year |
| Full Version (Lifetime) | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app with all the same features
- 🚀 Excellent, love download to watch
- 🚀 Works great! Just what I needed!
- 👍 Brilliant app
- 👍 Amazing!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Great player. Audiobookshelf support needs work
- 🐛 Small bugs, good app

**Reported bugs**

- Can't login Audiobookshelf
- Podcasts library not listing all podcasts

**Requested features**

- Auto download when start playing book
- Auto delete when finished book
- Option to add multiple servers
- More sorting and filtering options in the library section
- Refresh button for libraries


### ShelfPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163)

This app provides a native iOS experience for managing and listening to audiobooks and podcasts from your self-hosted Audiobookshelf library. It offers robust playback controls, offline access, and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** Unified audiobook and podcast management, Multi-server support, Flexible authentication options, Global and library search, Playback queues and chapter navigation, Configurable playback speed and skip intervals, Offline mode and automatic downloads

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly premium | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly premium | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Runs on all Apple platforms
- 👍 Provides better UI experience
- 💡 Potential for great features
- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Beautiful and intuitive UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Critical bugs preventing usage
- 🐛 Constantly losing book progress
- 🐛 Crashes and instability issues
- 🐛 Offline mode not working
- 🐛 Slow startup and loading times

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to present all books from an author
- Keeps resetting book progress
- Offline mode broken, can't play downloaded books
- Crashes after recent update
- Widgets not updating with last played book

**Requested features**

- Option to load fully downloaded books without server handshake
- Ability to filter library view to only downloaded books
- Add support for ebooks and PDF files
- Customizable playback speed options beyond 2x
- Implement a static reading queue/playlist


## Frequently asked questions

### Is plappa free?

plappa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ShelfPlayer free?

ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, plappa or ShelfPlayer?

plappa is rated higher. plappa averages 4.7 out of 5 from 345 ratings, while ShelfPlayer averages 4.1 from 243 ratings.

### Do plappa or ShelfPlayer have ads?

ShelfPlayer shows ads; plappa does not.

### Which is updated more often, plappa or ShelfPlayer?

plappa ships an update every 5 weeks, and ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. Most recently, plappa was updated on November 8, 2026 and ShelfPlayer on November 8, 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.*