BackupFlow vs ShelfPulse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BackupFlow
Automate backups of your iPhone photos, videos, and files directly to your own NAS or personal cloud server. This privacy-focused utility supports SFTP, WebDAV, and FTP, offering smart syncing and secure storage without recurring subscriptions.
- Automated backups to NAS/personal cloud
- Supports SFTP, WebDAV, FTP/FTPS
- Quick server presets for popular NAS
- Automatic year/month photo folder sorting
- Preserves original file formats (HEIC, ProRAW)
- Smart incremental sync with verification
- Background automation with Wi-Fi/charging limits
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Tired of recurring cloud storage subscriptions? Back up your iPhone photos, videos, and files directly to your own NAS, home server, or personal cloud. BackupFlow is a privacy-first, automated backup utility built for SFTP (SSH), WebDAV (HTTPS), and FTP/FTPS servers. Download for free and test it with your setup today! KEY FEATURES • Free to Try: Connect your server, test your credentials, and back up your first photos for free. Verify everything works before upgrading. • Quick Server Presets: One-tap templates for Synology NAS (SFTP & WebDAV), Nextcloud, ownCloud, TrueNAS, and QNAP. • Year/Month Photo Folders: Keep your archive tidy on your NAS by automatically sorting photos and videos into YYYY/MM (e.g. 2026/10) or YYYY-MM subfolders. • Preserve Original Formats: Upload original HEIC, ProRAW, and MOV camera files without recompression. • Smart Incremental Sync & SHA-256 Verification: Only new or modified files are uploaded. Bit-perfect transfers with SHA-256 integrity checks. • Safe Dry-Run Preview: Preview the exact list of files to be uploaded or cleaned up before running a live backup. • Intelligent Background Automation (Pro): Schedule daily, weekly, or monthly backups limited to Wi-Fi, charging state, battery threshold, or quiet hours. • Local-First Security: Credentials and SSH keys are stored strictly in the iOS Keychain with TOFU host-key and TLS certificate pinning. Zero third-party servers. • No Forced Subscriptions: Unlock BackupFlow Pro with a single one-time Lifetime purchase. No recurring fees, no ads.
ShelfPulse
Monitor your Audiobookshelf server with real-time dashboards, deep listening analytics, and library insights. Manage users, view beautiful home screen widgets, and gain personal or administrative perspectives on your audiobook collection. Enjoy a privacy-first experience with direct server connection.
- Real-time session monitoring
- Deep listening analytics
- Library and server insights
- User management
- Home screen widgets
- Direct server connection
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Real-Time Dashboard: Monitor active sessions, playback progress, and device details instantly. Deep Analytics: Track listening time, streaks, favorite genres, and full history. Library Insights: Explore detailed server trends and collection statistics. Admin Functionality: Manage Users: Create, Edit, Delete and reset passwords for users of your server. Beautiful Widgets: Keep your listening stats visible right on your home screen. For Everyone: Full server monitoring for Admins and personal insights for standard users. Privacy First: Direct connection to your server with no cloud services or data collection. 3-Day Free Trial: Experience full functionality risk-free. Requires an Audiobookshelf server. https://www.audrabooks.app/shelfpulse/terms https://www.audrabooks.app/shelfpulse/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
BackupFlow and ShelfPulse both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of ShelfPulse's written reviews are positive against 33% of BackupFlow's. ShelfPulse also leads on monetization model (freemium vs paid) and ratings volume (9 vs 2). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. BackupFlow sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ShelfPulse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BackupFlow against 4.9 for ShelfPulse. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 9 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of BackupFlow's written reviews are positive against 80% of ShelfPulse's.
BackupFlow ships an update every 6 days, ShelfPulse weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | BackupFlow | ShelfPulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.9 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 9 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tamer Savasci | Eric Randall |
Customer experience
BackupFlow
ShelfPulse
In-app purchases
BackupFlow
- BackupFlow Pro$9.99
ShelfPulse
- ShelfPulse Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Full Access$9.99
