Comparison

ReadNotes vs ShelfMark

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

Head to head
About

ReadNotes

This app helps you remember what you read by taking notes while you read, cleaning them with AI, and generating key takeaways. It tracks your reading progress, builds a personal knowledge library, and offers spaced repetition flashcards.

Highlights
  • AI-powered note cleaning
  • Key takeaway generation
  • Reading progress tracking
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Personal knowledge library
  • Reading statistics and streaks
  • Goodreads library import
Features
Read full description

ReadNotes is the reading tracker and AI note-taking app for people who want to remember what they read, not just finish books. Take notes while you read, clean them up instantly with AI, and generate a single key takeaway from each idea. Over time, ReadNotes builds your personal knowledge library from every book you finish. What you can do: • Write or record voice notes while reading • AI cleans up messy notes into clear, concise text • Generate one key takeaway per note — no rewriting needed • Track books across Reading, Finished, and Want to Read • Review what you learned with spaced repetition flashcards • See your reading stats, streaks, and knowledge by genre • Share insights with friends and see what they're reading • Import your Goodreads library in seconds • Export your notes as PDF Free users get limited AI usage per week. Upgrade to ReadNotes+ for Unlimited AI takeaways and PDF export. Got ideas or questions? Reach out to us at readnotesapp@gmail.com. TERMS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ PRIVACY POLICY: https://readnotes.vercel.app/privacy

About

ShelfMark

Features
Read full description

A quiet reading tracker for people who love books more than apps. ShelfMark keeps your reading life in one calm, paper-warm place. Log the page you are on, keep a streak alive, and save the lines worth keeping. No account, no feed, no noise. MADE FOR READERS - Three shelves: to be read, reading, and finished. Move a book with a tap. - Quick page updates with percent complete, pages a day, and time left at your current pace. - A daily page goal beside your grace-day reading streak. - Search your library, filter by genre, and sort by recency, title, author, or progress. - A quote wall with the book, page number, and an optional photo of the page. - A yearly reading goal and Wrapped view with pages, streaks, genres, fastest reads, and monthly activity. - A private Home and Lock Screen widget for your current book, pages today, goal, and streak. - A complete local backup, additive restore, and Delete All My Data control. FREE AND LIFETIME ShelfMark is free for up to 3 books and 5 saved quotes. Reading progress, streaks, daily and yearly goals, search, backup, restore, deletion, and the widget stay useful without paying. A single Lifetime purchase unlocks unlimited books and quotes, the 30-day Reading Pulse, finish-date pace plans, full Wrapped statistics, and the one-page Reading Year PDF. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Existing records always remain readable and editable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your reading library stays locally on your iPhone or iPad. No account, no analytics, and no tracking. Widget content uses Apple's private on-device App Group storage and is marked privacy sensitive.

Screenshots

ReadNotes4 screens
ShelfMark4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ShelfMark at weekly against ReadNotes's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. ReadNotes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and ShelfMark sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReadNotes ships an update monthly, ShelfMark weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
ReadNotes versus ShelfMark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadNotesShelfMark
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAKSHAT ROHELLAInnovaLabWorks

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ReadNotes

Subscriptions2
  • ReadNotes+ Monthly$4.991 Month
  • ReadNotes+ Annual$19.991 Year
1 purchases

ShelfMark

One-time1
  • ShelfMark Lifetime$12.99

Questions

Is ReadNotes free?
ReadNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShelfMark free?
ShelfMark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ReadNotes or ShelfMark have ads?
Neither ReadNotes nor ShelfMark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReadNotes or ShelfMark?
ReadNotes ships an update monthly, and ShelfMark weekly. Most recently, ReadNotes was updated on June 3, 2026 and ShelfMark on September 15, 2026.

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