Comparison

Reading Tracker Pro vs The Shelf

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

Head to head
About

Reading Tracker Pro

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Some people read. Others know how they read. They know their best reading days, their fastest genres, how many pages they average in a session, and exactly which books shaped their year. They don’t guess — they know. That’s what Reading Tracker Pro gives you. Track every session. Start the timer when you open your book. Stop it when you put it down. Over time, a picture of your reading life emerges — one you’ve never seen before. Your entire library, beautifully organized. Every book you’ve read, every book you’re reading, every book you want to read — all in one place. Rate them, review them, remember them. Analytics that actually mean something. Pages read. Time spent. Streaks maintained. Books completed. Charts that show you not just what you’ve read, but how you read. Your next favourite book, waiting. AI-powered recommendations based on what you’ve loved. No more staring at a to-be-read list wondering where to start. Supports everything you read. Physical books, ebooks, audiobooks — all tracked together. Try every premium feature free for 14 days. No credit card required. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

The Shelf

Organize your entire book collection, track reading progress, and capture notes and quotes. This app offers a private, customizable space to manage your reading life, from adding new books to reviewing past sessions.

Highlights
  • Build and organize your book library
  • Track reading progress and focus sessions
  • Save notes, quotes, and journal entries
  • View detailed reading statistics
  • Customize app appearance
  • Sync and export library data
Features
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The Shelf is a private reading tracker for books you study, stories you love, and everything in between. Build a library that feels like yours, then track only what feels useful. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY • Search by title, author, or ISBN and choose the edition that matches yours. • Scan book barcodes on supported iPhone and iPad devices, or add books manually on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. • Keep each edition or physical copy separate, with its own progress, sessions, and reading history. • Save books as Owned, Wishlist, or Track. Organize them with your own Lists, Subjects, and shelf locations. • Keep track of borrowing and lending without changing your reading history. • Import Goodreads or StoryGraph CSV files, or import and export a complete JSON backup. MAKE TIME FOR READING • Start a Reading, Listening, or Studying Focus session with no time limit or a planned duration. • Browse your covers, choose a book, and settle into a book-centered Focus view. • Pause and resume the count-in or the session itself. Keep notes without ending your session. • Update pages, percentage, audiobook position, chapters, or study problems. • Record starting and ending pages, revisit past sessions, and keep rereads separate. • Follow an active session through Live Activities on supported iPhone and iPad devices. Choose a System or Clear Lock Screen background. REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ • Keep a book note, dated notes, quotes, page references, and photographs together in Notebook. • Capture text with the camera on supported iPhone and iPad devices, or add writing and images yourself. • Search your library and return to the books and annotations that matter. SEE YOUR READING LIFE • Explore activity, finished books, session totals, streaks, and reading history. • Set optional yearly goals without turning reading into a deadline. • Revisit your reading calendar and compare progress across Subjects. AT HOME ON YOUR APPLE DEVICES • Browse, edit, annotate, review your Dashboard, and use Focus on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. • Enjoy Mac menus, keyboard commands, pointer support, and file import and export. • On a paired Apple Watch, see current and recent books and progress, start and control Focus, or log a short past session. The companion works with your iPhone app. • On iPhone Duo, keep your place as you open, close, rotate, or partially fold the display. The closed outer display stays in portrait; the open inner display supports landscape. • Turn on optional private iCloud sync to keep your library across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. MAKE IT FEEL LIKE YOURS • Choose an included Look or your own background and two accent colors. • Customize the app's cards and appearance, including the new Deep Sea & Gold Look. • Invite Dewey into supported book and Focus views, with your choice of outfit and colors. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, ads, tracking, analytics, subscriptions, or third-party SDKs. Optional book lookup sends a title, author, or ISBN only when you ask the app to search or fetch. Camera images, notes, and reading history stay on your device or in your own optional private iCloud library. Turn Online Lookup off for a fully offline library. Pay once, own it forever.

Screenshots

Reading Tracker Pro4 screens
The Shelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reading Tracker Pro at Free against The Shelf's $4.99. Reading Tracker Pro also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). The Shelf's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 days). On 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

Reading Tracker Pro is free to download; The Shelf costs $4.99 up front. Reading Tracker Pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. The Shelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reading Tracker Pro ships an update every 8 days, The Shelf every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Reading Tracker Pro versus The Shelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReading Tracker ProThe Shelf
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJOSEPH G HORACKIAntonio Gordillo Toledo

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Reading Tracker Pro

Subscriptions2
  • Reading Tracker Pro$3.991 Month
  • Book Tracker Pro Subscription$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Reading Tracker Pro Lifetime$149.00
None

The Shelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Reading Tracker Pro free?
Reading Tracker Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Shelf free?
The Shelf costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Reading Tracker Pro or The Shelf have ads?
Neither Reading Tracker Pro nor The Shelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reading Tracker Pro or The Shelf?
Reading Tracker Pro ships an update every 8 days, and The Shelf every 3 days. Most recently, Reading Tracker Pro was updated on September 15, 2026 and The Shelf on October 28, 2026.

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