Comparison

ReadMe vs Shelfd

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

Head to head
About

ReadMe

This app helps you meticulously track your reading progress, visualize your habits with a calendar heatmap, and build consistent reading streaks. Organize your library, discover reading patterns, and enjoy a beautiful, ad-free experience designed for iOS.

Highlights
  • Log reading sessions by pages and time
  • Visual calendar heatmap for activity
  • Build and track reading streaks
  • Automatic reading speed calculation
  • Detailed reading statistics and charts
  • Organize books into custom shelves
  • Search and add books from external libraries
Features
Read full description

Your Reading Journey, Beautifully Tracked ReadMe is the elegant book tracking app designed exclusively for iOS readers who want more from their reading life. Whether you're a casual reader or racing through your TBR pile, ReadMe turns every page into progress you can see. TRACK EVERY PAGE - Log reading sessions with pages read and time spent - Visual calendar heatmap shows your reading activity at a glance - Build reading streaks and watch your consistency grow - Calculate your reading speed automatically BEAUTIFUL STATISTICS - Year-over-year comparisons to see your growth - Monthly breakdowns with cumulative progress charts - Discover your most productive reading days - Track top genres and reading patterns - See your ratings distribution across all books ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY - Manage books across Reading, To Read, and Completed shelves - Create a Wish List for future purchases - Search and add books from Google Books and Open Library - Rate and review finished books - Add any book, even without page counts DESIGNED FOR iOS - Liquid glass aesthetic matches iOS 26 design standards - Beautiful dark mode support - Smooth animations and haptic feedback - Comfortable one-handed use - Native performance with offline support YOUR DATA, YOUR PRIVACY - All your reading data synced across devices - No ads, no tracking, no distractions Whether you're tracking a single book or managing hundreds, ReadMe makes every reading session count. Join readers who've discovered the joy of seeing their progress visualized beautifully. Start your reading journey today.

About

Shelfd

Organize your reading life with a charming book tracker. Log what you're reading, discover your next book with a spin of a wheel, and visualize your reading habits with personalized stats and achievements. Enjoy a cozy, ad-free experience with optional premium features for advanced tracking.

Highlights
  • Track current, finished, and to-be-read books
  • Spin a wheel to pick your next read
  • Organize books by genre with custom colors
  • Set reading goals and view yearly stats
  • Earn achievements narrated by an Archivist
  • Import libraries from other apps (CSV)
  • Backup and restore your library
Features
Read full description

A warm, unhurried home for your reading life. Shelfd keeps a quiet record of everything you've read and everything still waiting — without turning your hobby into a job. No leaderboards. No guilt for the week you didn't finish anything. HOWEVER YOU READ IT Paper, ebook, or audiobook — track them side by side on the same shelf. Audiobooks count down in hours and minutes remaining, the way your listening app shows them, so there's no maths to do when you log your progress. YOUR SHELF, ACTUALLY SHELVED Finished books stand as real spines, coloured from their own covers. Browse them as a shelf or a list, and build your own collections for classics, comfort rereads, or whatever you're hoarding this month. SPIN THE WHEEL Too many books, not enough decisions. Load up your TBR, give it a spin, and let fate choose your next read. A GOAL WORTH HITTING Set a books-per-year target and watch the arrow move toward the bullseye. Miss it and nothing bad happens. Hit it and something rather nice does. THE SHAPE OF YOUR TASTE See which genres you actually gravitate to, how you read — paper, screen, or headphones — and the quiet trends across your year. ACHIEVEMENTS, STAMPED Every finished book earns a mark from the Archivist, who keeps your records in impeccable order and is quietly more invested than he lets on. BRING YOUR LIBRARY Coming from Goodreads or StoryGraph? Import your whole history from a single file and pick up where you left off. Back up your shelf whenever you like — your library is yours, and it stays on your device. SCAN AND GO Point the camera at a barcode and the book is on your shelf, page count and cover included. SHELFD PREMIUM Read up to three books at once, unlock the Ratings Card with half-stars and emoji vibes for how a book actually felt, get the deeper genre breakdown, and build unlimited shelves and lists. "Keep reading. That's all I ask." — The Archivist SHELFD PREMIUM — SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Shelfd Premium is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time Founders Group purchase. A 7-day free trial is included with the subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://joinshelfd.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

ReadMe4 screens
Shelfd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ReadMe at 5.0 against Shelfd's 4.0. ReadMe also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). Shelfd's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). 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. Shelfd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ReadMe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ReadMe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadMe ships an update every 6 weeks, Shelfd daily. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ReadMe versus Shelfd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadMeShelfd
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosh EngelsZachary Selburg

Customer experience

ReadMe

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shelfd

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

ReadMe

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Shelfd

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Shelfd Founders Group$59.99

Questions

Is ReadMe free?
ReadMe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shelfd free?
Shelfd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ReadMe or Shelfd?
ReadMe is rated higher. ReadMe averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Shelfd averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do ReadMe or Shelfd have ads?
Neither ReadMe nor Shelfd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadMe or Shelfd?
ReadMe ships an update every 6 weeks, and Shelfd daily. Most recently, ReadMe was updated on October 15, 2026 and Shelfd on October 9, 2026.

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