# ShelfPlayer vs Apogee Reader

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | ShelfPlayer | Apogee Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (210 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163/reviews) | **[4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apogee-reader/id6779567734/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **210** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **55.2% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 62 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [AI Tools Apps SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854689122) | [Brian Banuag](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779567738) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Apogee Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apogee-reader/id6779567734)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*