Comparison

Old Buddies vs High Shelf

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

Head to head
About

Old Buddies

Rediscover forgotten screen names and online identities from your contacts. Relive the nostalgia of the early internet era with an authentic Windows XP-inspired design and classic features.

Highlights
  • Rediscover forgotten screen names
  • See old buddies from contacts
  • Recreate buddy lists
  • Windows XP era design
  • Authentic nostalgia
  • Privacy focused
Features
Read full description

Remember when your screen name was everything? CoolKid2003. sk8rgirl94. luv2chat. These weren't just usernames—they were who you were. Your digital identity. Your after-school persona. The name that appeared when you logged on, and everyone knew you were there. That feeling when your crush came online. The door slam when your best friend logged off. The carefully crafted away message that said everything without saying anything. Those days are gone. But what if they weren't completely lost? Old Buddies helps you rediscover the screen names you thought were gone forever. Hidden in your contacts—buried in old email addresses, nicknames, and notes—are pieces of your digital past. The screen names of friends you talked to for hours. The buddies who shaped your teenage years. The online identities that defined an entire generation. WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE • Rediscover forgotten screen names from your contacts • See who your old buddies were before they became "just contacts" • Recreate your buddy list exactly as you remember it • Relive the Windows XP era with authentic design • Feel that rush of nostalgia you've been missing This isn't just an app. It's a time machine back to when life was simpler. When your biggest worry was updating your away message. When waiting for someone to log on felt like waiting for the world. AUTHENTIC NOSTALGIA Every detail recreated with love—the Windows XP interface, the classic smileys, the sounds, the feeling of opening your buddy list and seeing who's online. YOUR PRIVACY MATTERS Everything stays on your device. Your contacts, your memories, your past—all private and secure. Reclaim something you once thought was lost forever. Some things shouldn't stay in the past. Download Old Buddies and bring back the screen names, the memories, and the feeling of a time when being online meant something different. Your buddy list is waiting.

About

High Shelf

Features
Read full description

High Shelf is one home for everything you love: films, TV shows, books, games and music, tracked together on one beautiful shelf. LOG IT IN SECONDS Rate with half stars, write a review, mark spoilers and keep a dated diary of every watch, read, play and listen. Mark anything as want to, in progress, finished or did not finish. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF The Continue strip at the top of your Library shows what you're in the middle of. Log the next episode, chapter or session with one tap. KNOW IF IT'S WORTH IT Every title has IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores, trailers, cast and crew, community ratings and where to stream, rent or buy it in your country. SEE WHAT'S TRENDING Discover the top 10 across High Shelf for every format. Swipe through quick yes-or-no picks, get a For You feed tuned to your taste and browse lists and reviews from the community. KNOW YOUR TASTE Stats show your media mix, an activity heatmap, how you rate, your top genres and favourite decades. Set yearly goals and watch your progress. YOUR YEAR, WRAPPED Wrapped turns your year into a story you can tap through. Share cards for reviews, your profile, your goals and your year look great in any story or chat. SHOW OFF YOUR SHELF Pin your all-time favourites to The High Shelf on your profile, earn levels as you log, follow friends, like and comment on their reviews and build lists together. BRING YOUR WHOLE HISTORY Import from Letterboxd, Goodreads, Trakt, TV Time, IMDb, Simkl and Serializd in a couple of minutes, with your ratings, reviews and dates. High Shelf is free to use. High Shelf Pro removes ads and adds advanced stats, 14 colour themes, the shiny Pro level badge, taste compatibility with friends, unlimited lists, and more. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://highshelf.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Old Buddies3 screens
High Shelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Old Buddies at none against High Shelf's shown. Old Buddies also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Old Buddies sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and High Shelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Old Buddies ships an update every 2 days, High Shelf every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Old Buddies versus High Shelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOld BuddiesHigh Shelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKevin KleinATLE RICHTER SCHIE

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Old Buddies

One-time2
  • Unlock your old buddy list.$2.99
  • Premium Unlimited$2.99
2 purchases

High Shelf

Subscriptions2
  • High Shelf Pro$2.991 Month
  • High Shelf Pro - Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Old Buddies free?
Old Buddies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is High Shelf free?
High Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Old Buddies or High Shelf have ads?
High Shelf shows ads; Old Buddies does not.
Which is updated more often, Old Buddies or High Shelf?
Old Buddies ships an update every 2 days, and High Shelf every 4 weeks. Most recently, Old Buddies was updated on October 24, 2026 and High Shelf on October 16, 2026.

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