Comparison

PocketShelf vs Vellumark

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

Head to head
About

PocketShelf

Easily organize your book collection and track your reading progress. Save notes, get session recaps, and start reading directly from your home screen.

Highlights
  • Organize book library
  • Track reading sessions
  • Add notes and summaries
  • Home screen widget
  • Accessibility features
  • AI-powered recaps
Features
Read full description

Track your reading. Remember what matters. Meet PocketShelf, the easiest way to keep track of your books and your reading journey. No matter what kind of reader you are, PocketShelf helps you stay organised and makes coming back to your books feel effortless. What you can do with PocketShelf: - Your Library: Add books in seconds and keep your collection neat - Track your reading sessions: See how much time you spend reading and celebrate your progress - Notes & Summaries: Write down notes while reading. PocketShelf gives you recaps of you last reading session to help you jump right back in again - Widget: Start your reading session right from the Home Screen with our widget - Accessibility: Support for VoiceOver, dynamic type and accessible fonts. Plus, you can get those recaps also in plain language - Beautifully designed: Crafted by an Apple Design Award Winner We have so much more planned for the future. To keep up to date, follow us at the following platforms: - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pocketshelf.app - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PocketShelf - X: https://x.com/PocketShelfApp —— Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pocketshelf.app/privacy

About

Vellumark

Features
Read full description

Vellumark — Scan Book Highlights to Markdown Notes Vellumark turns your physical book highlights and handwritten notes into structured, searchable Markdown. Built for readers who annotate with highlighters, pencils, and margin notes, and want to bring those insights into Obsidian, Notion, or Apple Notes. --- Capture Your Thinking — Not Just the Text • Handwritten Note Recognition Automatically transcribe marginalia, pencil notes, and annotations. • Smart Highlight Linking AI connects handwritten thoughts to highlighted passages using spatial context. • Clean Markdown Export Convert scanned pages into structured, editable Markdown files. --- Fast, Private, Offline-storage • Batch Page Scanning Capture multiple pages quickly. Processing runs in the background. • On-Device Privacy No account required. All data stays on your device using native storage. • One-Tap Share Export a complete Markdown “book” to Obsidian, Notion, Apple Notes, or any app via Share Sheet. --- Designed for Serious Readers • Works with highlights, underlines, and margin notes • Preserves reading context and structure • Built for knowledge management workflows • Offline-first AI processing • Clean, portable Markdown output --- Contact qiuyuexp@gmail.com Privacy Policy qiuyuexp.github.io/public/vellumark/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use qiuyuexp.github.io/public/vellumark/terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

PocketShelf4 screens
Vellumark4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Vellumark at 17.0 against PocketShelf's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. PocketShelf sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Vellumark sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketShelf ships an update every 2 weeks, Vellumark every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
PocketShelf versus Vellumark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketShelfVellumark
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size159 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKlemens StrasserYue Qiu

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PocketShelf

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • One Extra Book Slot$4.99
  • Lifetime$49.99
3 purchases

Vellumark

Subscriptions3
  • Vellumark Pro Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Vellumark Pro for 3 months$14.993 Months
  • Vellumark Pro Yearly$39.991 Year

Questions

Is PocketShelf free?
PocketShelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vellumark free?
Vellumark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PocketShelf or Vellumark have ads?
Neither PocketShelf nor Vellumark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketShelf or Vellumark?
PocketShelf ships an update every 2 weeks, and Vellumark every 3 weeks. Most recently, PocketShelf was updated on November 5, 2026 and Vellumark on October 31, 2026.

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