# Cape Mobile vs Shelf

The clearest difference is price: Cape Mobile at Free against Shelf's $1.99. Cape Mobile also leads on iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Cape Mobile is free to download; Shelf costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cape Mobile ships an update weekly, Shelf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cape Mobile | Shelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cape-mobile/id6476564038/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **81** | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 175 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.4** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Private Tech, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727148022) | [James Milillo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1735155852) |

## What reviewers say

### Cape Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cape-mobile/id6476564038)

This carrier offers unlimited talk, text, and data with a strong focus on user privacy and security. It includes features like identifier rotation, secondary numbers, and encrypted communications to protect your personal information.

**Highlights:** Unlimited domestic calls and texts, Unlimited 5G and 4G data, Minimal data collection, Identifier rotation, Secondary private numbers, SIM swap protection, Encrypted texting and voicemail

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelf-control/id6758061316)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cape Mobile free?

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

### Is Shelf free?

Shelf costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Cape Mobile or Shelf have ads?

Neither Cape Mobile nor Shelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cape Mobile or Shelf?

Cape Mobile ships an update weekly, and Shelf every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cape Mobile was updated on October 16, 2026 and Shelf on October 10, 2026.

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