Comparison

BookShelves eBook Reader vs Liberotus

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

Head to head
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/Kobo/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.

About

Liberotus

Access and read your self-hosted ebook collection from your Grimmory server. Enjoy a private, elegant reading experience with offline access and seamless progress syncing across devices.

Highlights
  • Connect to self-hosted Grimmory server
  • Browse entire ebook collection
  • Sync reading progress
  • Download books for offline reading
  • Fast metadata browsing and search
  • Support for large libraries
  • Privacy-first design
Read full description

Your library, everywhere. Liberotus is a beautifully designed, privacy-first ebook reader and library app built specifically for Grimmory. Connect directly to your self-hosted Grimmory server and access your entire ebook collection anywhere, with a fast, elegant experience designed for serious readers and collectors. Built for Grimmory Liberotus is a dedicated companion app for Grimmory, giving you a native mobile experience for browsing, organising, and reading your self-hosted ebook library. * Connect securely to your own Grimmory server * Browse your complete ebook collection * Sync reading progress across devices * Continue reading exactly where you left off * Download books for offline reading * Fast metadata browsing and search * Support for large personal libraries A modern ebook experience Designed with rich typography, fluid navigation, and a clean interface that keeps the focus on your books. * Beautiful library browsing * Custom collections and organisation * Powerful search across titles, authors, and series * Responsive performance optimised for large libraries * Comfortable reading experience built for long sessions Privacy first by design Your library should belong to you — not advertisers or analytics platforms. Liberotus is built around a privacy-focused philosophy: * No advertising * No invasive analytics * No third-party tracking SDKs * Optional user-generated diagnostics only * Apple-native crash reporting support * Your data stays under your control Because your books, reading habits, and library are personal. Self-hosted freedom Liberotus works with your own Grimmory installation, giving you full ownership of your ebook ecosystem while providing a polished native app experience on iPhone. Your library, everywhere. Privacy Policy: https://broadlyfine.com/liberotus/privacy/ Terns of Usde: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BookShelves eBook Reader4 screens
Liberotus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BookShelves eBook Reader at 3.9 against Liberotus's 2.5. BookShelves eBook Reader also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 50%) and ratings volume (15 vs 2). Liberotus's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Liberotus sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BookShelves eBook Reader holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BookShelves eBook Reader has 15 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of BookShelves eBook Reader's written reviews are positive against 50% of Liberotus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update weekly, Liberotus every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BookShelves eBook Reader versus Liberotus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookShelves eBook ReaderLiberotus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (15 ratings) — better2.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better2
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCPE Verm. GmbHSteve James

Customer experience

BookShelves eBook Reader

All ratings15 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive65.6%
Neutral12.5%
Negative21.9%

Liberotus

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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
1 purchases

Liberotus

Subscriptions1
  • Liberotus Annual$7.991 Year

Questions

Is BookShelves eBook Reader free?
BookShelves eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Liberotus free?
Liberotus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BookShelves eBook Reader or Liberotus?
BookShelves eBook Reader is rated higher. BookShelves eBook Reader averages 3.9 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Liberotus averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.
Do BookShelves eBook Reader or Liberotus have ads?
Neither BookShelves eBook Reader nor Liberotus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookShelves eBook Reader or Liberotus?
BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update weekly, and Liberotus every 9 days. Most recently, BookShelves eBook Reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and Liberotus on October 10, 2026.

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