Comparison

BookShelves eBook Reader vs Leaf

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/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

Leaf

Organize and read your DRM-free EPUB books with customizable reading settings and smart library management. Sync your progress across devices using iCloud and discover new titles through integrated sources.

Highlights
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Smart library organization
  • iCloud sync for progress and settings
  • Offline reading support
  • Import from various sources
  • Public domain classics included
Read full description

Give your books a home of their own. Leaf brings beautiful EPUB reading and thoughtful library management together on iPhone and iPad. Import the DRM-free books you already own, make yourself comfortable, and pick up where you left off. READ YOUR WAY Choose from carefully selected fonts, including accessibility-friendly options. Adjust your reading theme and font size, or use Leaf Pro to import your own fonts and fine-tune typography and book formatting. Give individual books their own settings. On iPad, choose one column, two columns, or an automatic layout that adapts to the space available. Customize the reader's header and footer to keep the book and progress details you care about in view. KEEP THE PLACES THAT MATTER Save bookmarks as you read and return to them from the book's contents. See the surrounding text to remind yourself why you saved a place. With Leaf Pro, add personal notes to your bookmarks. A LIBRARY THAT FEELS LIKE YOURS Browse by author, series, and genre; search and sort your collection; and edit titles, authors, covers, descriptions, and more. Smart Shelves gather books by reading status and download availability. Leaf Pro adds custom shelves for your own collections. Rate books, mark favorites, and write down your thoughts when you finish. Leaf remembers reading time, completion dates, and the books you have finished this year, then helps you choose what comes next. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Optional iCloud sync keeps your books, library details, and reading progress available across your iPhone and iPad using your own Apple Account. Keep a local library if you prefer. No Leaf account is required to import and read your books. Download books for offline reading, remove local copies when you need space, and return to your current book from the Home Screen widget. Read on an e-ink device too? With Leaf Pro, exchange reading positions for matching EPUBs with a compatible KOReader Sync server. Compare chapter titles and text previews before choosing a position. FIND YOUR NEXT BOOK Import EPUBs from Files or send them to Leaf from another app's share sheet. Browse and download public-domain books from the built-in Project Gutenberg Source, or start with the included classics from Standard Ebooks. Connect your own OPDS, Grimmory, or BookOrbit Sources and browse your libraries in Leaf. Downloading from your own Sources requires Leaf Pro. START READING FOR FREE Import and read your DRM-free EPUBs, save bookmarks, and use iCloud sync without a subscription. Leaf Pro adds bookmark note creation, custom shelves, downloads from your own Sources, KOReader progress sync, premium themes, custom font imports, and advanced reading controls. Leaf Pro is an optional annual subscription. Leaf currently supports DRM-free EPUB books. TERMS OF USE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BookShelves eBook Reader4 screens
Leaf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Leaf at 5.0 against BookShelves eBook Reader's 3.8. Leaf also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 62%). BookShelves eBook Reader's advantage is ratings volume (20 vs 6) and iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.1). 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 Leaf sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Leaf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of BookShelves eBook Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Leaf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BookShelves eBook Reader versus Leaf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookShelves eBook ReaderLeaf
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (20 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.4 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB55 MB
Age rating+412+
DeveloperCPE Verm. GmbHDeadpan, LLC

Customer experience

BookShelves eBook Reader

All ratings19 ratings
Positive57.9%
Neutral21.1%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive61.8%
Neutral11.8%
Negative26.5%

Leaf

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Leaf

Subscriptions1
  • Leaf Pro Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year

Questions

Is BookShelves eBook Reader free?
BookShelves eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Leaf free?
Leaf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BookShelves eBook Reader or Leaf?
Leaf is rated higher. BookShelves eBook Reader averages 3.8 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Leaf averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do BookShelves eBook Reader or Leaf have ads?
Neither BookShelves eBook Reader nor Leaf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BookShelves eBook Reader or Leaf?
BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update every 8 days, and Leaf every 8 days. Most recently, BookShelves eBook Reader was updated on November 5, 2026 and Leaf on November 5, 2026.

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