BookShelves eBook Reader vs Klibri
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Klibri
Access and read your personal digital library of comics, manga, and ebooks from your self-hosted server. Enjoy offline reading, customizable viewing options, and seamless progress syncing across devices.
- Reads manga, comics (CBZ, CBR), ebooks (EPUB), and PDFs
- Offline reading of downloaded content
- Syncs reading progress with Kavita server
- Customizable ebook reader with themes and fonts
- Supports multiple Kavita servers
- Webtoon continuous scroll mode
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Klibri reads your own library from your Kavita or Komga server — manga, comics and books, on your iPhone and iPad. Your library stays on your server. Klibri just reads it. Klibri needs a Kavita or Komga server you already use (Komga 1.20 or later). It doesn't host or sell content of its own. KAVITA OR KOMGA Enter your server's address and sign in. Klibri recognizes Kavita or Komga on its own: there is nothing to choose. READ EVERY FORMAT Manga and comics (CBZ, CBR), e-books (EPUB) and documents (PDF) — one app for your entire library. BUILT FOR COMICS AND MANGA Pinch to zoom, double-tap, swipe or tap the edges to turn pages. Read left-to-right or right-to-left, two pages side by side, or long strips in continuous webtoon mode. Klibri keeps your reading brightness for each account. A REAL BOOK READER The EPUB reader gives you four themes (including a true-black mode for OLED), six fonts, and fine control over size, spacing and margins. Read in scrolling or column mode, and search the full text of any book. READ OFFLINE Download chapters and read them anywhere — no connection needed. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Your reading progress goes back to your server, EPUB included. Move from iPhone to iPad, or to your server's web reader, and carry on. YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY Browse series, collections and reading lists. Keep a Want to Read list and bookmarks. Search your entire library, even a large one. Mark chapters or whole series as read. ALL YOUR SERVERS Add several servers, Kavita and Komga alike, and switch between them in a tap. Each server keeps its own libraries and its own reading progress. Your logins sync across your Apple devices through iCloud Keychain, so you set up once. Free. In English and French. iPhone and iPad, iOS 16 and later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Klibri at 4.8 against BookShelves eBook Reader's 3.8. Klibri also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). BookShelves eBook Reader's advantage is ratings volume (19 vs 5). 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
Both are free to download. BookShelves eBook Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Klibri asks for nothing beyond the download.
Klibri holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of BookShelves eBook Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Klibri's.
BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update weekly, Klibri every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BookShelves eBook Reader | Klibri |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (19 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CPE Verm. GmbH | Benjamin Chianese |
Customer experience
BookShelves eBook Reader
Klibri
In-app purchases
BookShelves eBook Reader
- Small Tip$2.99
- Medium Tip$3.99
- Large Tip$8.99
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- Unlock Pro$9.99
Klibri
No in-app purchases








