Comparison

Vellum Reader vs BookShelf Reader

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

Head to head
About

Vellum Reader

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Vellum is a minimalistic and elegant book reader designed for readers who appreciate a classy, distraction-free reading experience on iPhone and iPad. Your Personal Library Import your favorite books and documents with ease. Vellum supports PDF, EPUB, TXT, and RTF files. Smart metadata extraction automatically pulls titles, authors, and cover images from your PDFs. Organize Your Way • Create custom collections to group your reading • Mark favorites for quick access • Search and sort your library effortlessly • Track your reading progress across all documents A Beautiful Reading Experience • Choose from 8 elegant fonts including Georgia, Palatino, and Baskerville • 4 page themes: Light, Sepia, Dark, and Black (OLED) • Adjustable font size, line spacing, margins, and text alignment • Tap edges to turn pages or swipe naturally Thoughtful Features • Search Public Domains like "Project Gutenberg" and "StandardEbooks" for thousands of classics to import to your library • Automatic progress saving — pick up right where you left off • Bookmarks to mark important pages • Keep Screen Awake mode for uninterrupted reading • Visual progress bar and page numbers • Continue Reading section for quick access to current books • Utilize the AI recommendation feature to get book suggestions based on the current works in your library Five Beautiful App Themes Personalize Vellum with Sepia, Midnight, Ocean, Forest, or Lavender accent themes. Privacy First Vellum respects your privacy completely. All your books and reading data stay on your device. No accounts required. No data collection. Just you and your books. Download Vellum and rediscover the joy of reading.

About

BookShelf Reader

Features
Read full description

BookShelf is a clean, distraction-free PDF reader built for people who love books. Import your files, track your reading, and organize your library exactly the way you want — with no ads, no subscriptions, and no accounts required. READ YOUR WAY Scroll vertically or flip pages horizontally like a real book. Adjust brightness and switch between clean white and warm sepia mode. Every reading preference, covered. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR RULES View your books as a grid or a list. Sort by title, last read, or progress. Build custom reading lists — To Read, Reading, Finished — and organize everything with categories and favorites. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS See how many pages you've read, time spent reading, your current streak, and your 30-day reading chart. Stats that keep you motivated without getting in the way. BOOKMARKS & ANNOTATIONS Mark any page with a bookmark and write notes as you read. All your annotations are organized and easy to find when you need them. WORKS OFFLINE. ALWAYS. BookShelf works 100% offline. No internet connection required to read, organize, or track your progress. OPTIONAL CLOUD SYNC Sign in with Google to optionally sync your library, progress, bookmarks, and notes across all your devices. Your PDFs are backed up securely. Turn it off anytime — your data stays on your device. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No trackers. No analytics SDKs. No behavioral data collection of any kind. If you never sign in, absolutely nothing leaves your device. AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH Full app interface in both languages. Switch anytime from Settings. WHAT YOU GET • Grid and list library views • Horizontal page-flip and vertical scroll reading modes • Warm sepia and brightness controls • Bookmarks and text annotations • Custom reading lists and categories • Reading statistics and daily streaks • 30-day reading progress chart • Optional cloud sync across devices • PDF file backup and restore • Dark mode support • English and Spanish interface • No ads, no subscriptions, no tracking BookShelf is made for readers who want a simple, beautiful app that respects their time and privacy.

Screenshots

Vellum Reader4 screens
BookShelf Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: BookShelf Reader at 13.0 against Vellum Reader's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 4 level
Vellum Reader versus BookShelf Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVellum ReaderBookShelf Reader
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSUZETTE RENEE COPLEY DE SCHRYVERHeyson Betancourt

In-app purchases

None

Vellum Reader

No in-app purchases

None

BookShelf Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vellum Reader free?
Vellum Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BookShelf Reader free?
BookShelf Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Vellum Reader or BookShelf Reader have ads?
Neither Vellum Reader nor BookShelf Reader shows ads.

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