# Calibre View vs Bookshelf

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Bookshelf at 17.0 against Calibre View's 26.1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calibre View sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Bookshelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Calibre View ships an update every 6 weeks, Bookshelf monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calibre View | Bookshelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calibre-view/id6756579355/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 38 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DANIEL EDWARD LAMSON](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861529617) | [Jorge Marco](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875562870) |

## What reviewers say

### Calibre View

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calibre-view/id6756579355)

Browse and manage your Calibre ebook library on iOS devices. Connect to cloud storage or local files for fast searching, sorting, and filtering. Optimized for large collections and works offline once downloaded.

**Highlights:** Connect to cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, WebDAV), Browse library with metadata only, Optimized for large libraries (15,000+ books), Customizable book list columns and sorting, Fast search and filtering by tags, authors, series, Download books locally for offline reading, Supports multiple libraries and quick switching

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


### Bookshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshelf-book-tracker/id6758891350)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bookshelf Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Bookshelf Yearly | $34.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calibre View free?

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

### Is Bookshelf free?

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

### Do Calibre View or Bookshelf have ads?

Neither Calibre View nor Bookshelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calibre View or Bookshelf?

Calibre View ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bookshelf monthly. Most recently, Calibre View was updated on October 30, 2026 and Bookshelf 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.*