Comparison

chapterly vs BookShelves eBook Reader

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

Head to head
About

chapterly

Organize and personalize your digital book collection. Enjoy a focused reading environment with robust features for book enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Organize digital library
  • Personalize book collection
  • Distraction-free reading
  • Powerful reading tools
Features
Read full description

Read, organize, and personalize your digital library with ease. Enjoy a distraction-free reading experience with powerful tools for every book lover.

About

BookShelves eBook Reader

This app allows you to read EPUB, PDF, and comic books with access to over 1.5 million free public domain books. Organize your library, customize your reading experience with multiple themes and fonts, and sync your progress across devices.

Highlights
  • 1.5 million+ free books
  • EPUB, PDF, and comic reader
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Smart library management
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Export highlights
Features
Read full description

BookShelves is an EPUB, PDF, and comic book reader with a built-in catalog of 1.5 million free books. Discover public domain classics, organize your digital library, and sync seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud (Pro). WHAT READERS SAY "Phenomenal book reading and management app, 'just works'." "My everlasting search for the perfect ePub reader might be coming to an end." "Among the best and actively developed." DISCOVER 1.5 MILLION+ FREE BOOKS • 1.5 million+ classic works — Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, more • 1,100+ premium editions from Standard Ebooks • Internet Archive — millions of historical texts and rare books • 1,200+ Spanish classics from the Biblioteca Nacional de España • 16,000+ Japanese classics from Aozora Bunko • Browse OPDS catalogs from external libraries and servers One tap to download. No account required. POWERFUL READING EXPERIENCE • Paginated or continuous scroll — read your way • 10 themes including Sepia, Dark Academia, Night Sky, and more • 10 bundled fonts including OpenDyslexic for accessible reading • Adjustable line spacing, margins, text justification, and font weight • Highlight in 5 colors and add notes to any passage • Export highlights to Markdown, JSON, or CSV • Dictionary look-up with language detection • Full-text search across chapters • Nested table of contents navigation • Bookmarks (iCloud sync with Pro) • Vertical text (tategaki) for Japanese and CJK books • Right-to-left reading for Arabic, Hebrew, and CJK texts • Full keyboard and trackpad support • Multi-window reading on Mac COMIC BOOKS AND MANGA • CBZ, CBR, and CB7 format support • Two-page spreads for landscape reading • Right-to-left mode for manga with reversed tap zones and swipes • Auto-detected from metadata or toggled manually SEAMLESS ICLOUD SYNC (Pro) • Books and cover images • Reading progress and current page • Shelves, tags, and ratings • Highlights, notes, and bookmarks • Reader preferences (font, theme, layout) Start reading on your iPhone, continue on your iPad, finish on your Mac. SMART LIBRARY MANAGEMENT • Edit metadata -- title, author, series, publisher, ISBN, and cover image • Automatic metadata and cover art fetching • System shelves: All Books, Recently Added, Reading, Finished, Favorites • Custom shelves for any collection • Color-coded tags for categorization • Search and filter by title, author, or tag • Grid and list views • 5-star ratings • Drag-and-drop import, Files app sharing, or OPDS catalogs • EPUB repair — auto-fixes broken navigation and missing metadata • Import from Calibre libraries with best-format selection FORMAT SUPPORT • EPUB — professional rendering with beautiful typography • PDF — native viewer with smooth scrolling and search • CBZ / CBR / CB7 — comic book archives • FB2 — FictionBook 2 format (auto-converts to EPUB) • MOBI / AZW3 / KF8 / KEPUB — auto-converts to EPUB for reading • TXT / Markdown — plain text and Markdown files (auto-converts to EPUB) MAC EXTRAS • Calibre wireless sync — connect KOReader or other devices over Wi-Fi • OPDS server — share your library on your local network PRIVACY FIRST • Your data stays on your devices • No personal data collected • No ads — clean, distraction-free reading • iCloud keeps your library private and secure FREE AND PRO Free: 10 books with all reading features. Pro unlocks unlimited books, iCloud sync, email to Kindle/reMarkable, highlight export, and OPDS server. Pro is available as a one-time purchase or subscription (monthly/annual, select regions). Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://getbookshelves.app/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://getbookshelves.app/terms/ All books from discovery sources are public domain or openly licensed.

Screenshots

chapterly4 screens
BookShelves eBook Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: chapterly at 5.0 against BookShelves eBook Reader's 3.8. chapterly also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.4). BookShelves eBook Reader's advantage is ratings volume (19 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. BookShelves eBook Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. chapterly asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

chapterly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookShelves eBook Reader has 19 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

chapterly ships an update every 2 weeks, BookShelves eBook Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
chapterly versus BookShelves eBook Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterchapterlyBookShelves eBook Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.8 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews—63.6% of reviews
Number of ratings119 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNishant GautamCPE Verm. GmbH

In-app purchases

None

chapterly

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

BookShelves eBook Reader

One-time4
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$3.99
  • Large Tip$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Pro$9.99

Questions

Is chapterly free?
chapterly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookShelves eBook Reader free?
BookShelves eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, chapterly or BookShelves eBook Reader?
chapterly is rated higher. chapterly averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while BookShelves eBook Reader averages 3.8 from 19 ratings.
Do chapterly or BookShelves eBook Reader have ads?
Neither chapterly nor BookShelves eBook Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, chapterly or BookShelves eBook Reader?
chapterly ships an update every 2 weeks, and BookShelves eBook Reader weekly. Most recently, chapterly was updated on October 21, 2026 and BookShelves eBook Reader on October 25, 2026.

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