Comparison

ShelfPlayer vs Librox

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

Librox

Features
Read full description

Librox is a reading app that stays out of your way. No feeds, no streaks, no badges, no account needed. Just open a book and start reading. THE PAGE Designed for long reading sessions with three themes: E-ink, a warm white that softens glare in bright rooms; Paper, a gentle cream; and Dark, a true black that conserves power on OLED screens. Read in New York, Georgia, Palatino, or the system font — or in OpenDyslexic, optimized for dyslexia-friendly reading. Customize anything you like, and Librox instantly re-paginates, keeping your place. Turn pages by tapping, swiping, using a Bluetooth page-turner, or a hardware keyboard. LISTEN Have any book read aloud on the device. Narration continues in the background while you use Lock Screen and Control Center. Features include a voice selector, adjustable speed, and a sleep timer to help you fall asleep. A GUIDED PACER A silent way to improve your reading speed. A cursor moves through the text based on a clock, from 150 to 900 words per minute, pausing slightly at the end of sentences and longer at paragraph ends—so the rhythm follows the prose rather than fighting it. Pages turn automatically, and the screen stays awake during the session. READING FOCUS While listening, the pacer highlights one word at a time by contrast: the current word appears at full ink, the rest of the sentence lighter, and the other text even lighter. No boxes, underlines, or highlights—nothing altering the page shape. Disable it to see the entire page at full ink. BOOKMARKS, HIGHLIGHTS, AND NOTES Mark passages, highlight text, or add notes. All marks are anchored to the actual text, not page numbers, so they remain accurate regardless of text size, typeface, or theme changes. Increase text size, and highlights stay precisely on the chosen words. FIND FREE BOOKS Search and browse public domain and DRM-free catalogs within the app—such as Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Unglue.it, or any OPDS catalog you add. Download books directly into your library. A SHELF FOR EVERYTHING ELSE Keep track of books you haven't purchased yet. Search Open Library to find almost anything ever published and categorize as Want to read, Reading, or Finished. Once a shelved book arrives in your library, its shelf entry moves to the completed list. YOUR LIBRARY, EVERYWHERE Sync books, reading positions, covers, bookmarks, highlights, and settings through your private iCloud. Import a book on one device and continue on another at the same spot and theme. All features work offline, syncing when reconnecting. BRING YOUR OWN BOOKS Import EPUB and TXT files via Files, Share sheet, AirDrop, or download links. Tap an EPUB link in Safari to add it directly to your library. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No account, no tracking, no ads. Your library is stored securely in your iCloud, and remote images within books are never fetched. Built natively for iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

ShelfPlayer4 screens
Librox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Librox at none against ShelfPlayer's 4. Librox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). On price 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. Librox asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, Librox weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ShelfPlayer versus Librox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfPlayerLibrox
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (134 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings134 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAI Tools Apps SRLSection 9 Labs LLC

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

Librox

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

Librox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShelfPlayer free?
ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Librox free?
Librox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShelfPlayer or Librox have ads?
ShelfPlayer shows ads; Librox does not.
Which is updated more often, ShelfPlayer or Librox?
ShelfPlayer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Librox weekly. Most recently, ShelfPlayer was updated on October 19, 2026 and Librox on October 4, 2026.

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