Comparison

Openreads vs BookShelves eBook Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Openreads

Organize your reading life with this app. Track books you've finished, are currently reading, or want to read later. Add books by searching, scanning barcodes, or manual entry, and view insightful statistics.

Highlights
  • Organize reading lists
  • Track finished books
  • Track current reads
  • Track future reads
  • Add books via search
  • Add books via barcode scan
  • Manual book entry
  • Reading statistics
Features
Read full description

Openreads is a reading list app that will help you organize your library with three lists provided: - books you finished, - books you are currently reading, - books you want to read later. You can add the books by searching them up in Open Library, scanning their barcode or by entering the book's details manually. You can also see come cool statistics!

About

BookShelves eBook Reader

This app allows you to read EPUB, PDF, and comic books with access to over 1.5 million free public domain books. Organize your library, customize your reading experience with multiple themes and fonts, and sync your progress across devices.

Highlights
  • 1.5 million+ free books
  • EPUB, PDF, and comic reader
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Smart library management
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Export highlights
Features
Read full description

BookShelves is an EPUB, PDF, and comic book reader with a built-in catalog of 1.5 million free books. Discover public domain classics, organize your digital library, and sync seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud (Pro). WHAT READERS SAY "Phenomenal book reading and management app, 'just works'." "My everlasting search for the perfect ePub reader might be coming to an end." "Among the best and actively developed." DISCOVER 1.5 MILLION+ FREE BOOKS • 1.5 million+ classic works — Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, more • 1,100+ premium editions from Standard Ebooks • Internet Archive — millions of historical texts and rare books • 1,200+ Spanish classics from the Biblioteca Nacional de España • 16,000+ Japanese classics from Aozora Bunko • Browse OPDS catalogs from external libraries and servers One tap to download. No account required. POWERFUL READING EXPERIENCE • Paginated or continuous scroll — read your way • 10 themes including Sepia, Dark Academia, Night Sky, and more • 10 bundled fonts including OpenDyslexic for accessible reading • Adjustable line spacing, margins, text justification, and font weight • Highlight in 5 colors and add notes to any passage • Export highlights to Markdown, JSON, or CSV • Dictionary look-up with language detection • Full-text search across chapters • Nested table of contents navigation • Bookmarks (iCloud sync with Pro) • Vertical text (tategaki) for Japanese and CJK books • Right-to-left reading for Arabic, Hebrew, and CJK texts • Full keyboard and trackpad support • Multi-window reading on Mac COMIC BOOKS AND MANGA • CBZ, CBR, and CB7 format support • Two-page spreads for landscape reading • Right-to-left mode for manga with reversed tap zones and swipes • Auto-detected from metadata or toggled manually SEAMLESS ICLOUD SYNC (Pro) • Books and cover images • Reading progress and current page • Shelves, tags, and ratings • Highlights, notes, and bookmarks • Reader preferences (font, theme, layout) SMART LIBRARY MANAGEMENT • Edit metadata -- title, author, publisher, ISBN, and cover image • Automatic metadata and cover art fetching • System shelves: All Books, Recently Added, Reading, Finished, Favorites • Custom shelves for any collection • Color-coded tags for categorization • Search and filter by title, author, or tag • Grid and list views • 5-star ratings • Drag-and-drop import, Files app sharing, or OPDS catalogs • EPUB repair — auto-fixes broken navigation and missing metadata • Import from Calibre libraries with best-format selection FORMAT SUPPORT • EPUB — professional rendering with beautiful typography • PDF — native viewer with smooth scrolling and search • CBZ / CBR / CB7 — comic book archives • FB2 — FictionBook 2 format (auto-converts to EPUB) • MOBI / AZW3 / KF8 / KEPUB — auto-converts to EPUB for reading • TXT / Markdown — plain text and Markdown files (auto-converts to EPUB) MAC EXTRAS • Calibre wireless sync — connect KOReader or other devices over Wi-Fi • OPDS server — share your library on your local network PRIVACY FIRST • Your books stay on your devices and in your own iCloud • No data linked to you, and no tracking • No ads — clean, distraction-free reading • iCloud keeps your library private and secure FREE AND PRO Free: 10 books with the core reading features. Pro unlocks unlimited books, all 10 themes, iCloud sync, email to Kindle/PocketBook, highlight export, and OPDS server. Pro is available as a one-time purchase or subscription (monthly/annual, select regions). Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://getbookshelves.app/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://getbookshelves.app/terms/ All books from discovery sources are public domain or openly licensed.

Screenshots

Openreads4 screens
BookShelves eBook Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Openreads at 4.8 against BookShelves eBook Reader's 3.8. Openreads also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). BookShelves eBook Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. BookShelves eBook Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Openreads asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Openreads holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Openreads's written reviews are positive against 60% of BookShelves eBook Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Openreads ships an update every 3 weeks, BookShelves eBook Reader every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Openreads versus BookShelves eBook Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenreadsBookShelves eBook Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (20 ratings) — better3.8 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2021 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMATEUSZ JAN BAKCPE Verm. GmbH

Customer experience

Openreads

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BookShelves eBook Reader

All ratings21 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral23.8%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral14.3%
Negative25.7%

In-app purchases

None

Openreads

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

BookShelves eBook Reader

One-time4
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$3.99
  • Large Tip$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Openreads free?
Openreads is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookShelves eBook Reader free?
BookShelves eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Openreads or BookShelves eBook Reader?
Openreads is rated higher. Openreads averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while BookShelves eBook Reader averages 3.8 from 21 ratings.
Do Openreads or BookShelves eBook Reader have ads?
Neither Openreads nor BookShelves eBook Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Openreads or BookShelves eBook Reader?
Openreads ships an update every 3 weeks, and BookShelves eBook Reader every 8 days. Most recently, Openreads was updated on November 4, 2026 and BookShelves eBook Reader on November 9, 2026.

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