Comparison

ShelfPlayer vs Liberotus

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

Liberotus

Access and read your self-hosted ebook collection from your Grimmory server. Enjoy a private, elegant reading experience with offline access and seamless progress syncing across devices.

Highlights
  • Connect to self-hosted Grimmory server
  • Browse entire ebook collection
  • Sync reading progress
  • Download books for offline reading
  • Fast metadata browsing and search
  • Support for large libraries
  • Privacy-first design
Read full description

Your library, everywhere. Liberotus is a beautifully designed, privacy-first ebook reader and library app built specifically for Grimmory. Connect directly to your self-hosted Grimmory server and access your entire ebook collection anywhere, with a fast, elegant experience designed for serious readers and collectors. Built for Grimmory Liberotus is a dedicated companion app for Grimmory, giving you a native mobile experience for browsing, organising, and reading your self-hosted ebook library. * Connect securely to your own Grimmory server * Browse your complete ebook collection * Sync reading progress across devices * Continue reading exactly where you left off * Download books for offline reading * Fast metadata browsing and search * Support for large personal libraries A modern ebook experience Designed with rich typography, fluid navigation, and a clean interface that keeps the focus on your books. * Beautiful library browsing * Custom collections and organisation * Powerful search across titles, authors, and series * Responsive performance optimised for large libraries * Comfortable reading experience built for long sessions Privacy first by design Your library should belong to you — not advertisers or analytics platforms. Liberotus is built around a privacy-focused philosophy: * No advertising * No invasive analytics * No third-party tracking SDKs * Optional user-generated diagnostics only * Apple-native crash reporting support * Your data stays under your control Because your books, reading habits, and library are personal. Self-hosted freedom Liberotus works with your own Grimmory installation, giving you full ownership of your ebook ecosystem while providing a polished native app experience on iPhone. Your library, everywhere. Privacy Policy: https://broadlyfine.com/liberotus/privacy/ Terns of Usde: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ShelfPlayer4 screens
Liberotus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ShelfPlayer at 3.8 against Liberotus's 2.5. ShelfPlayer also leads on ratings volume (134 vs 2). Liberotus's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, 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 Liberotus sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShelfPlayer holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShelfPlayer has 134 ratings behind it against 2, 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 50% of Liberotus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, Liberotus every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ShelfPlayer versus Liberotus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfPlayerLiberotus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (134 ratings) — better2.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings134 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAI Tools Apps SRLSteve James

Customer experience

ShelfPlayer

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

Liberotus

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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

Liberotus

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

Liberotus

Subscriptions1
  • Liberotus Annual$7.991 Year

Questions

Is ShelfPlayer free?
ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Liberotus free?
Liberotus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ShelfPlayer or Liberotus?
ShelfPlayer is rated higher. ShelfPlayer averages 3.8 out of 5 from 134 ratings, while Liberotus averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.
Do ShelfPlayer or Liberotus have ads?
ShelfPlayer shows ads; Liberotus does not.
Which is updated more often, ShelfPlayer or Liberotus?
ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Liberotus every 9 days. Most recently, ShelfPlayer was updated on October 16, 2026 and Liberotus on October 10, 2026.

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