# Reading Journal vs Shelfd

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shelfd at daily against Reading Journal's every 3 weeks. Reading Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reading Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Shelfd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Reading Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, Shelfd daily. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Reading Journal | Shelfd |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfd-reading-tracker/id6792915143/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 36 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Razvan Popa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864711739) | [Zachary Selburg](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792915145) |

## What reviewers say

### Reading Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-journal-bookbinge/id6757395245)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| BookBinge Pro | $29.99 | one-time |


### Shelfd

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfd-reading-tracker/id6792915143)

Organize your reading life with a charming book tracker. Log what you're reading, discover your next book with a spin of a wheel, and visualize your reading habits with personalized stats and achievements. Enjoy a cozy, ad-free experience with optional premium features for advanced tracking.

**Highlights:** Track current, finished, and to-be-read books, Spin a wheel to pick your next read, Organize books by genre with custom colors, Set reading goals and view yearly stats, Earn achievements narrated by an Archivist, Import libraries from other apps (CSV), Backup and restore your library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Shelfd Founders Group | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Reading Journal free?

Reading Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shelfd free?

Shelfd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Reading Journal or Shelfd have ads?

Neither Reading Journal nor Shelfd shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Reading Journal or Shelfd?

Reading Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shelfd daily. Most recently, Reading Journal was updated on October 20, 2026 and Shelfd on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*