# ShelfPlayer vs Volume.

ShelfPlayer and Volume. both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Volume.'s written reviews are positive against 55% of ShelfPlayer's. Volume. also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). ShelfPlayer's advantage is ratings volume (234 vs 2). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Volume. asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for ShelfPlayer against 4.0 for Volume.. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShelfPlayer has 234 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of ShelfPlayer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Volume.'s.

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, Volume. every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShelfPlayer | Volume. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (234 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163/reviews)** | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/volume/id6782785495/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **234** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 62 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AI Tools Apps SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854689122) | [Morgan Archer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860108202) |

## 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


### Volume.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/volume/id6782785495)

This app provides a personalized audiobook listening experience for self-hosted libraries. It offers chapter-first playback, offline listening, and customizable controls, all while prioritizing user privacy and a beautiful interface.

**Highlights:** Multi-server and multi-account support, Chapter-first playback with M4B support, Undo last skip functionality, CarPlay and AirPlay integration, iCloud sync across Apple devices, Offline listening with download management, Advanced playback controls (speed, skip, sleep timer), Bookmarks and notes with export options

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShelfPlayer free?

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

### Is Volume. free?

Volume. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShelfPlayer or Volume.?

ShelfPlayer is rated higher. ShelfPlayer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 234 ratings, while Volume. averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do ShelfPlayer or Volume. have ads?

ShelfPlayer shows ads; Volume. does not.

### Which is updated more often, ShelfPlayer or Volume.?

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Volume. every 3 weeks. Most recently, ShelfPlayer was updated on November 4, 2026 and Volume. on November 5, 2026.

---

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