Comparison

ShelfIt vs Forward

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

Head to head
About

ShelfIt

Manages subscriptions and bills with reminders and spending history. Offers privacy-first design with no bank linking or email scanning. Integrates with iOS Calendar and provides Home Screen widgets for at-a-glance updates.

Highlights
  • Manual subscription entry
  • Renewal reminders
  • Spending history and charts
  • Home Screen widgets
  • iOS Calendar sync
  • iCloud sync
  • Multi-currency support
Features
Read full description

A cleaner way to manage subscriptions. Renewals, reminders, and spending history — plus Home Screen widgets for what's next. Privacy-first: no bank linking, no email scanning. You add subscriptions manually — ShelfIt keeps things organized with reminders and spending history. Billing Review: even if you haven't opened the app in a while, ShelfIt can generate charges based on your billing cycle. When you're back, review and remove cancelled items to keep your spending stats accurate. Track subscriptions, bills, and memberships — your way • Add App Store subscriptions fast with search • Or create anything manually: streaming, gym, rent, utilities, insurance, SaaS, cloud storage, and more Home Screen Widgets • See what’s next at a glance • Pin subscriptions to your widget for faster access (pinning only affects the widget display) Calendar sync • Sync renewal dates to the iOS Calendar • Each billing date appears as a normal calendar event • Use Calendar app features like alerts, search, and views to stay on top of renewals Spending history • See your full spending history with charts and a simple timeline • Understand where your money goes over time iCloud Sync • Sync across your Apple devices with iCloud Multi-currency • Track subscriptions in different currencies with automatic exchange rate conversion Privacy-first by design • No bank linking • No email scanning • Your data stays in your control Perfect for subscription management, bill tracking, recurring payment reminders, free trial reminders, budgeting, and personal finance. ------ Legal: • This application is licensed under Apple’s standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://shelfit-static.withyoufriends.com/privacy-policy • Terms of Service: https://shelfit-static.withyoufriends.com/terms-of-service

About

Forward

Features
Read full description

Forward helps you finish things. Choose a goal. Work on it for 15 minutes. Watch yourself move one step forward on a 3D path. Repeat tomorrow. Your progress is permanent. Miss a day and you may lose your streak, but your steps never disappear. They're proof you did the work. Visual 3D paths (forests, deserts, candy lanes) show your journey. Journals capture your progress. Camps protect your streak when life happens. Eleanor Steps reward you for facing fears. Earn badges, unlock hidden 80s games, build a Library of Achievement. What makes Forward different: It includes optional project management tools, session timers, idea generators, and quick lists—everything in one place. Hit a 10-day streak, play the fruit machine. Hit 20 days, unlock a secret retro game. Forward looks like nothing else because it treats your goals like games worth playing. No tracking. No ads. No premium upsells. Actually free. Built by someone who spent 25 years stuck on goals and needed this to exist - not a company trying to monetize you.

Screenshots

ShelfIt4 screens
Forward4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Forward at none against ShelfIt's 1. Forward also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). ShelfIt's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, 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. ShelfIt sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfIt ships an update weekly, Forward fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ShelfIt versus Forward: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfItForward
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer皓文 郑Adrian Bentley

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ShelfIt

One-time1
  • Shelfit Pro - Lifetime Access$5.99
None

Forward

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShelfIt free?
ShelfIt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forward free?
Forward is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShelfIt or Forward have ads?
Neither ShelfIt nor Forward shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShelfIt or Forward?
ShelfIt ships an update weekly, and Forward fortnightly. Most recently, ShelfIt was updated on November 4, 2026 and Forward on November 5, 2026.

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