Comparison

ShelfPlayer vs Tonspur

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ShelfPlayer

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
Read full description

ShelfPlayer is a powerful iOS app for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, built for people who run their own self-hosted Audiobookshelf libraries. Written in Swift 6 for iOS 18+, it's fast, privacy-respecting, and deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem. ShelfPlayer does not include any media content. A running Audiobookshelf instance is required to use the app. Why Choose ShelfPlayer? - One app for everything: A single native experience for audiobooks, podcasts, episodes, authors, narrators, series, collections, and playlists - Connect your own libraries: Works with multiple Audiobookshelf servers and libraries at the same time - Flexible sign-in: Supports both username/password and OpenID, plus custom HTTP headers for advanced setups - Find anything fast: Global and per-library search across books, podcasts, people, series, and episodes - Stay in sync: Listening progress and sessions stay synchronized with your Audiobookshelf server - Made for Apple devices: Native iPhone and iPad layouts, CarPlay, Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Home Screen widgets, Live Activities, and Dynamic Island Features at a glance: - Listen Now to continue and discover content across connected libraries - Chapter navigation with quick-access controls in playback - Configurable skip intervals for forward and backward jumps - AirPlay and native Apple media controls - Bookmarks with optional notes to save key moments - Detailed, item-level listening history and daily listening goals - Offline mode with manual and automatic background downloads - Built-in tools to create, edit, and organize collections and playlists - In-app PDF viewer for attached documents - Customizable tabs, sorting, and filters Premium features ShelfPlayer subscription unlocks the following: - Offline listening: Download audiobooks and episodes and keep listening without a connection - Custom playback speed: Adjust the rate beyond the default 1× - Flexible sleep timer: Choose any duration or a chapter-based timer, beyond the default 5 minutes - Bookmarks: Save and revisit key moments with notes - Add to queue: Build your own listening order with the main and Up Next queues - Statistics: Track your listening time, streaks, and finished titles Download ShelfPlayer today and get the most out of your Audiobookshelf library! Subscribe to access premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your Apple Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/Shelf-Player-Terms-Conditions-39ccf6557a0880139826d06e6b87f4eb Privacy Policy: https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/Shelf-Player-Privacy-Policy-39ccf6557a088010979bc16876532f5c If you have any questions, please contact us at aitools@gmail.com

About

Tonspur

Listen to your personal audiobook collection with this companion app. Enjoy features like adjustable playback speed, a sleep timer, and easy chapter navigation. Download books for offline listening and sync your progress across devices.

Highlights
  • Variable playback speed
  • Sleep timer
  • Offline listening
  • Chapter navigation
  • Progress syncing
  • CarPlay support
  • Multi-library support
Features
Read full description

Listen to your personal audiobook collection with Tonspur, the companion app for Audiobookshelf. Tonspur makes it easy to enjoy the audiobooks you own. Adjust playback speed to match your preference, set a sleep timer for bedtime listening, and jump between chapters with a simple tap. Download books to listen offline, and sync your progress across all your devices including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and CarPlay. Connect to multiple libraries and switch between them effortlessly. Whether you're at home, in the car with CarPlay, or on the go, your audiobooks are always ready when you are. FEATURES: * Support for podcasts and eBooks * Variable playback speed and automatic sleep timer * Download books for offline listening * Easy chapter navigation * Multi-User Support * Easily switch between libraries * CarPlay support * Automatic progress syncing * Statistics * Widgets * Pinned Genres and Playlists * Integrated Equalizer

Screenshots

ShelfPlayer4 screens
Tonspur4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tonspur at 4.7 against ShelfPlayer's 4.1. Tonspur also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (83% vs 55%). ShelfPlayer's advantage is ratings volume (234 vs 6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ShelfPlayer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Tonspur sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tonspur holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShelfPlayer has 234 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of ShelfPlayer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Tonspur's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, Tonspur every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ShelfPlayer versus Tonspur: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfPlayerTonspur
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (234 ratings)4.7 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings234 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAI Tools Apps SRLTim Olbrich

Customer experience

ShelfPlayer

All ratings134 ratings
Positive69.4%
Neutral6.7%
Negative23.9%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral14.4%
Negative30.5%

Tonspur

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

ShelfPlayer

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Login issues and app getting stuck in offline mode

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Add Apple Watch support for offline listening

Tonspur

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ShelfPlayer

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly premium$2.997 Days
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly premium$29.991 Year
1 purchases

Tonspur

One-time1
  • Downloads$8.99

Questions

Is ShelfPlayer free?
ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tonspur free?
Tonspur is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ShelfPlayer or Tonspur?
Tonspur is rated higher. ShelfPlayer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 234 ratings, while Tonspur averages 4.7 from 6 ratings.
Do ShelfPlayer or Tonspur have ads?
ShelfPlayer shows ads; Tonspur does not.
Which is updated more often, ShelfPlayer or Tonspur?
ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Tonspur every 3 weeks. Most recently, ShelfPlayer was updated on November 4, 2026 and Tonspur on November 4, 2026.

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