# ShelfPulse vs Grim Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grim Reader at none against ShelfPulse's 2. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShelfPulse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Grim Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ShelfPulse against 5.0 for Grim Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 4 respectively.

ShelfPulse ships an update weekly, Grim Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShelfPulse | Grim Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfpulse/id6754263899/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-reader/id6782366876/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eric Randall](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807554805) | [Maarten de Kreij](https://appshunter.io/developer/6774006735) |

## What reviewers say

### ShelfPulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfpulse/id6754263899)

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.

**Highlights:** Real-time session monitoring, Deep listening analytics, Library and server insights, User management, Home screen widgets, Direct server connection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ShelfPulse Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


### Grim Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-reader/id6782366876)

Organize and enrich your personal library of e-books, comics, and audiobooks. This app allows you to manage your collection locally or via your own servers, adding details like covers and author information. Enjoy a seamless reading and listening experience across all your content.

**Highlights:** Library management for e-books, comics, and audiobooks, Enrich library with online book and author data, Supports local files and personal servers (WebDAV, OPDS), Cross-device reading and listening progress tracking, Organize by author, series, and genre, Mark favorites

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShelfPulse free?

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

### Is Grim Reader free?

Grim Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShelfPulse or Grim Reader?

Grim Reader is rated higher. ShelfPulse averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Grim Reader averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do ShelfPulse or Grim Reader have ads?

Neither ShelfPulse nor Grim Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShelfPulse or Grim Reader?

ShelfPulse ships an update weekly, and Grim Reader every 2 weeks. Most recently, ShelfPulse was updated on October 7, 2026 and Grim Reader on October 10, 2026.

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