# Bindery Books vs ShelfBee

The clearest difference is price: Bindery Books at Free against ShelfBee's $1.99. Bindery Books also leads on ratings volume (34 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Bindery Books is free to download; ShelfBee costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bindery Books against 5.0 for ShelfBee. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bindery Books has 34 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Bindery Books ships an update every 2 weeks, ShelfBee fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bindery Books | ShelfBee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bindery-books/id6747425349/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfbee/id6787127118/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 33 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bindery Books, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1821413317) | [SCOTT TIMOTHY DENNIS](https://appshunter.io/developer/6787127120) |

## What reviewers say

### Bindery Books

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bindery-books/id6747425349)

Discover new books and connect with fellow readers through curated content and community features. Explore recommendations from trusted tastemakers and participate in the creation of new literary voices.

**Highlights:** Bookish content and commentary, Personalized reading recommendations, Thematic book collections, Join book communities and clubs, Participate in new author publishing

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ShelfBee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfbee/id6787127118)

Instantly check ebook and audiobook availability in your local libraries directly from book pages on popular retail and review sites. Save desired titles to a list and get notified when they become available. Includes barcode scanning for quick lookups.

**Highlights:** Check availability on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, etc., See wait times and number of holds, Filter by ebook or audiobook, Save books to a Buzz List, Barcode scanning for book lookups, Syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac

**Features:** Safari Extension

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bindery Books free?

Bindery Books is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ShelfBee free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bindery Books or ShelfBee?

Bindery Books and ShelfBee are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 34 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Bindery Books or ShelfBee have ads?

Neither Bindery Books nor ShelfBee shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bindery Books or ShelfBee?

Bindery Books ships an update every 2 weeks, and ShelfBee fortnightly. Most recently, Bindery Books was updated on October 24, 2026 and ShelfBee on October 24, 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.*