Comparison

BookShelves eBook Reader vs Moon+ Reader

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

Moon+ Reader

Immerse yourself in a vast library of novels with a beautiful, distraction-free reading experience. Discover trending stories, follow your favorites, and enjoy personalized features like dark mode and smart notifications for new chapters.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free reading experience
  • Curated home feed with trending novels
  • Discover books by mood and category
  • Live rankings for popular reads
  • Personalized library and reading progress
  • Customizable themes and notifications
Features
Read full description

Moon+ Reader is a premium home for readers who love getting lost in a great story. Discover trending novels, follow your favorites, and enjoy a reading experience crafted down to the last detail. Whether you're into epic Fantasy, swoon-worthy Romance, mind-bending Sci-Fi, or edge-of-your-seat Thrillers, there's always something new to read. WHY YOU'LL LOVE KAKUYOMU • Beautiful, distraction-free reader Immerse yourself in clean typography designed for long reading sessions, with light and dark themes that are easy on the eyes day or night. • A curated home feed See what's trending now, what the community loves, and the freshest chapters the moment they drop — all on one elegant home screen. • Discover by mood Browse by category across Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Horror, Adventure, Comedy, Action, Thriller, and Slice of Life. Search any title or author in seconds. • Live rankings Find the hottest reads with Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and All-Time rankings — never miss a breakout hit. • Your personal library Save the novels you love and pick up exactly where you left off with Continue Reading. • Made for you Personalize your experience with dark mode, smart notifications for new chapters, and preferences that put you in control. Build your library, chase your next favorite series, and read your way. Download Kakuyomu and start your next chapter today.

Screenshots

BookShelves eBook Reader4 screens
Moon+ Reader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BookShelves eBook Reader at 3.9 against Moon+ Reader's 3.0. BookShelves eBook Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (66% vs 33%). Moon+ Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BookShelves eBook Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Moon+ Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BookShelves eBook Reader holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. 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 33% of Moon+ Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update weekly, Moon+ Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
BookShelves eBook Reader versus Moon+ Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookShelves eBook ReaderMoon+ Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (15 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better2
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCPE Verm. GmbHAhmed Yakoubi

Customer experience

BookShelves eBook Reader

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

Moon+ Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

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
None

Moon+ Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BookShelves eBook Reader free?
BookShelves eBook Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Moon+ Reader free?
Moon+ Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BookShelves eBook Reader or Moon+ Reader?
BookShelves eBook Reader is rated higher. BookShelves eBook Reader averages 3.9 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Moon+ Reader averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do BookShelves eBook Reader or Moon+ Reader have ads?
Moon+ Reader shows ads; BookShelves eBook Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, BookShelves eBook Reader or Moon+ Reader?
BookShelves eBook Reader ships an update weekly, and Moon+ Reader monthly. Most recently, BookShelves eBook Reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and Moon+ Reader on October 11, 2026.

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