# Thorium Reader vs BookShelves eBook Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thorium Reader at none against BookShelves eBook Reader's 4. BookShelves eBook Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (69% vs 60%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BookShelves eBook Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Thorium Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for Thorium Reader against 3.9 for BookShelves eBook Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 15 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Thorium Reader's written reviews are positive against 69% of BookShelves eBook Reader's.

Thorium Reader ships an update every 2 months, BookShelves eBook Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thorium Reader | BookShelves eBook Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thorium-reader/id6745025189/reviews) | [3.9 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelves-ebook-reader/id6756848973/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **15** |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | **69.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **17.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readium](https://appshunter.io/developer/1232183924) | [CPE Verm. GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1863249600) |

## What reviewers say

### Thorium Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thorium-reader/id6745025189)

Organize all your ebooks, comics, and manga in a single app. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, fonts, and themes. Listen to audiobooks and zoom into visual content with ease.

**Highlights:** Unified bookshelf for all content, Adjustable text size and spacing, Multiple font options, Text-to-speech audio playback, Zoom for comics and manga, Offline dictionary and translation, Import EPUB, PDF, CBZ files

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### BookShelves eBook Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelves-ebook-reader/id6756848973)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $8.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thorium Reader free?

Thorium Reader 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, Thorium Reader or BookShelves eBook Reader?

Thorium Reader and BookShelves eBook Reader are both rated 3.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 15 ratings respectively.

### Do Thorium Reader or BookShelves eBook Reader have ads?

Neither Thorium Reader nor BookShelves eBook Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thorium Reader or BookShelves eBook Reader?

Thorium Reader ships an update every 2 months, and BookShelves eBook Reader weekly. Most recently, Thorium Reader was updated on September 10, 2026 and BookShelves eBook Reader on September 23, 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.*