# Philo vs ShotShelf

The clearest difference is ads: Philo at none against ShotShelf's shown. Philo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). ShotShelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Philo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and ShotShelf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Philo ships an update weekly, ShotShelf every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Philo | ShotShelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shotshelf-sort-screenshots/id6775463842/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Qendrim Beka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846214375) | [Shahryar Khan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1702502534) |

## What reviewers say

### Philo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philo-a-thinking-journal/id6753999155)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Philo Scholar Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Philo Scholar Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


### ShotShelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shotshelf-sort-screenshots/id6775463842)

Organize, search, and clean up your screenshot library with on-device OCR. Find specific information within images, group duplicates, and manage your collection efficiently. Prioritizes privacy with local processing and no account required.

**Highlights:** On-device OCR text search, Duplicate screenshot grouping, Smart categorization, Bulk actions for organization, AI-powered natural language search, Privacy-first design

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Philo free?

Philo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ShotShelf free?

ShotShelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Philo or ShotShelf have ads?

ShotShelf shows ads; Philo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Philo or ShotShelf?

Philo ships an update weekly, and ShotShelf every 3 weeks. Most recently, Philo was updated on October 30, 2026 and ShotShelf on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*