Comparison

Leaf vs Shelvd

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

Head to head
About

Leaf

This app helps you build a consistent reading habit by tracking your progress page by page and setting daily goals. It offers features like reading streaks, dual goal-setting modes, and visual progress indicators. An AI assistant is available for Pro users to interact with their reading data.

Highlights
  • Daily reading streak counter
  • Flexible and fixed date goal setting
  • Visual progress indicator
  • AI assistant for reading queries (Pro)
  • Home screen widgets
  • Barcode scanning for book entry
  • Goodreads library import
Features
Read full description

Stop starting books you never finish. Leaf turns reading into a daily habit. Without the guilt. Track progress page by page, set a daily goal, and build the streak that keeps you reading. Or set a reading challenge: pick a few books, pick a finish date, and Leaf tells you how many pages to read each day. The first reading tracker connected to your AI assistant (Pro). READING STREAKS Build a consistent reading habit: - Daily streak counter with a weekly reading calendar - 3-hour grace period for late-night reading sessions - Missed a day? One tap to backdate yesterday's reading. No guilt, no penalty - Nine milestone levels from Sprout to Ancient, earned permanently even if your streak resets DUAL GOAL-SETTING MODES Choose the approach that fits your style: - Flexible Mode - set pages per day, Leaf calculates your finish date "I want to read 20 pages daily" - Fixed Date Mode - set a target date, Leaf calculates daily pages "I want to finish by March 15" READING CHALLENGES "5 books in 3 months." Leaf does the math. - Pick your books, pick a finish date - Leaf tells you how many pages to read today - Read extra today, and tomorrow's number goes down - Fall behind, and the number just updates. No penalty - Every week, an email and a notification with how you're doing - Finish, and get a recap you can share Reading challenges come with the Challenge Pass (3 months) or Leaf Pro. It's private. Just you and your books, no leaderboard. VISUAL PROGRESS TRACKING See exactly where you are and how far to go: - Circular progress indicator for each book - Quick-adjust buttons (−5, −1, +1, +5, +10) to log pages in seconds - Updates in one tap, not minutes ASK YOUR AI ASSISTANT (PRO) Your reading data is available via an MCP server: - "What am I reading?" Get your current book and progress - "Log 30 pages of my current book" updates without opening the app - "Add Atomic Habits, 320 pages" adds new books by voice or chat - Works with any MCP-compatible AI assistant Requires Leaf Pro. Set up at readwithleaf.app/integrations. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Your reading at a glance, without opening the app: - Progress ring widget with today's streak and page goal - Book widget showing your current read and progress - Lock screen widget for quick check-ins SMART BOOK MANAGEMENT Add books in seconds: - Scan a barcode for instant lookup - no typing required - Search by title or ISBN - title, author, page count, and cover auto-filled - Import your Goodreads library in one step - bring your reading history with you - Manual entry for any book not in the database - Finish a book in a series? Leaf finds the next volume for you - Share a completion card when you finish a book - Bookshelf organized by currently reading, TBR, finished, and dropped READING JOURNAL Your complete reading history: - Current streak and all-time longest streak - Total pages read and books completed - Full stats for every book you finish: days taken, pages per day, best reading day - Book notes and quotes, saved by page - Export your book list to CSV anytime WHY READERS LOVE LEAF Free to use - tracking, streaks, goals, stats and import, no strings attached Works fully offline - no account required Dark-first design - comfortable for evening reading Available in 16 languages Works on iPhone and iPad LEAF PRO An optional upgrade for readers who want more: - Reading challenges (also sold on their own as a 3-month Challenge Pass) - Cloud sync across all your devices - Automatic backup - never lose your reading data - Ad-free experience - AI assistant integration (MCP server) - Cancel anytime PERFECT FOR - Readers who start more books than they finish - Anyone building a reading habit, one page at a time - Anyone building a reading journal and TBR list - Busy people fitting reading into a packed schedule - Goodreads users looking for a focused, offline-first alternative One page at a time.

About

Shelvd

Effortlessly log your reading progress by simply taking a photo of any page. This app organizes your library visually, tracks detailed reading statistics, and syncs with Goodreads. It also facilitates book club participation and helps manage your to-read list.

Highlights
  • Photo-based page logging
  • Visual book shelves
  • Goodreads synchronization
  • Import entire reading history
  • Detailed reading statistics
  • Book club features
  • Add books via cover photo
Features
Read full description

Log your reading from a photo, not a keyboard. SHELVD is a book tracker that keeps up with how much you read, and keeps your Goodreads library and friends right where they are. FEATURES • Bookmark: Point your camera at any page or Kindle screen and SHELVD marks your place. It reads the page number and updates your progress in about two seconds. No typing. • Visual shelves: Your library lives as real, browsable shelves with spine art, not a list of rows. • Keep your Goodreads updated (Pro): Track everything in SHELVD and your Goodreads profile stays current on its own. Your progress, ratings, and finished books show up there automatically, so the friends you already have keep seeing what you're reading. No other reading app does this. • Bring your whole library: One upload imports your full Goodreads or StoryGraph history: ratings, read dates, and shelves included. • Reading stats: A heatmap of every day you've read, your reading pace, time-to-finish predictions, genre breakdowns, streaks, and progress toward your reading goals. • Book clubs: Read alongside friends, follow live progress on leaderboards, and share what you're into. Create and run your own clubs on Pro. • Snap a cover: Spot a book you want? Photograph the cover and SHELVD adds it to your want-to-read shelf (your TBR). • Hands-free Kindle tracking (Founders): Connect your Amazon account once and your Kindle reading logs itself, no photos needed. Your reading data stays yours. SHELVD never sells or shares your information with third parties. Terms of Use (EULA): https://shelvd.io/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://shelvd.io/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Leaf4 screens
Shelvd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Leaf at 100% against Shelvd's 55%. Leaf also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). Shelvd's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Leaf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Shelvd sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.00 per month. 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 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Leaf's written reviews are positive against 55% of Shelvd's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Leaf ships an update every 2 days, Shelvd every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Leaf versus Shelvd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeafShelvd
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better3.5 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better54.5% of reviews
Number of ratings68 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB37 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperVincent BallutPlatform Thirteen

Customer experience

Leaf

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shelvd

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Leaf

Subscriptions3
  • Leaf Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Leaf Pro Annual1 Year trial$24.991 Year
  • Leaf Pro Annual1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time4
  • Small$1.99
  • Medium$4.99
  • 3-Month Challenge Pass$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Large$9.99
7 purchases

Shelvd

Subscriptions7
  • Plus (Monthly)$6.001 Month
  • Pro (Monthly)$12.001 Month
  • Full Shelfie (Monthly)$18.001 Month
Show 4 more
  • Plus (Annual)$58.001 Year
  • Pro (Annual)$114.991 Year
  • Full Shelfie (Annual)$172.991 Year
  • Founders (Annual)$299.991 Year

Questions

Is Leaf free?
Leaf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shelvd free?
Shelvd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Leaf or Shelvd?
Leaf is rated higher. Leaf averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Shelvd averages 3.5 from 8 ratings.
Do Leaf or Shelvd have ads?
Leaf shows ads; Shelvd does not.
Which is updated more often, Leaf or Shelvd?
Leaf ships an update every 2 days, and Shelvd every 2 weeks. Most recently, Leaf was updated on September 22, 2026 and Shelvd on September 18, 2026.

Other comparisons