Comparison

ShelfPlayer vs Apogee Reader

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

Apogee Reader

This native iOS reader connects to your self-hosted BookOrbit server, keeping your books private. It supports various ebook, audiobook, comic, and PDF formats, with features like synchronized progress, highlights, and offline access.

Highlights
  • Supports EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, CBR, CB7, and PDF formats
  • Audiobook playback with sleep timer and speed control
  • Comic reading in paged or webtoon mode
  • Synchronized reading progress across devices
  • Highlights and notes with server sync
  • Offline reading capabilities
  • Fanfic updates from Archive of Our Own
Features
Read full description

Apogee is a native iOS reader for a BookOrbit server you run yourself. Your books stay on your own machine, and there's no account to make beyond the one on your own server. It reads what your library holds: • Ebooks. EPUB and MOBI, with your choice of font, theme, margins and page flow. You can add your own font files from the Files app. • Audiobooks. Chapters, a sleep timer, playback speed, CarPlay and Lock Screen controls. • Comics. CBZ, CBR and CB7, in paged or webtoon mode. • PDFs, cropped to the text so the margins don't waste your screen. Read & Listen joins a book to its audiobook. Read a chapter on the train, then play the audiobook in the car and it starts where you stopped reading. While it plays, the sentence being read shows on screen. Your place is kept for every book and sent back to your server, so you can put the phone down and pick up on another device. It uses the same progress format as KOReader, so a Kindle running KOReader and this app stay in step. Your reading time goes to your server's reading log too, and on BookOrbit 3.0 and later it's marked as reading, listening or Read Aloud. Download a book and it works with no network at all. Your library, your place, your notes and your highlights are all there offline. It also does: • Highlights and notes, searchable, and synced to your server. • Sign in with your password, or with the sign-in provider your server uses. • Send a book from the Files app to your server's library. • Send books to a CrossPoint e-ink reader on your Wi-Fi. • Reading Stats, from your server's reading log. • Spotlight, so your books turn up in search from the home screen. • A widget for whatever you're part way through. • Read Aloud, using the voices already on your phone. • Series grouping, collections, and a filing rule for right-to-left manga. • Fanfic Updates, if you want it: sign in to Archive of Our Own and Apogee checks the works you follow and brings new chapters into your library. Apogee is an unofficial app, not made or endorsed by AO3 or the Organization for Transformative Works. • iPad layouts, not a stretched phone app. • Guides for every feature at apogeereader.app. Apogee talks to your server. It talks to AO3 only if you sign in to Fanfic Updates, and your audiobook notes sync through your own iCloud account. Nothing comes to me unless you choose to send it. Apogee needs a BookOrbit server to be useful. It isn't a shop. It doesn't sell, supply or recommend books. It reads the library you already have. Apogee is built by one person. It's free, with no ads, no in-app purchases and no tracking.

Screenshots

ShelfPlayer4 screens
Apogee Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Apogee Reader at none against ShelfPlayer's 4. Apogee Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). ShelfPlayer's advantage is ratings volume (210 vs 5). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Apogee Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Apogee Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShelfPlayer has 210 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of ShelfPlayer's written reviews are positive against 50% of Apogee Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, Apogee Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ShelfPlayer versus Apogee Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfPlayerApogee Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (210 ratings)4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings210 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB43 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAI Tools Apps SRLBrian Banuag

Customer experience

ShelfPlayer

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

Apogee Reader

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
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

Apogee Reader

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
None

Apogee Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShelfPlayer free?
ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Apogee Reader free?
Apogee Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ShelfPlayer or Apogee Reader?
Apogee Reader is rated higher. ShelfPlayer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 210 ratings, while Apogee Reader averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do ShelfPlayer or Apogee Reader have ads?
ShelfPlayer shows ads; Apogee Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, ShelfPlayer or Apogee Reader?
ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Apogee Reader weekly. Most recently, ShelfPlayer was updated on October 21, 2026 and Apogee Reader on October 18, 2026.

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