Comparison

BookShelf Reader vs Focus Reader

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

Head to head
About

BookShelf Reader

Features
Read full description

BookShelf is a clean, distraction-free PDF reader built for people who love books. Import your files, track your reading, and organize your library exactly the way you want — with no ads, no subscriptions, and no accounts required. READ YOUR WAY Scroll vertically or flip pages horizontally like a real book. Adjust brightness and switch between clean white and warm sepia mode. Every reading preference, covered. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR RULES View your books as a grid or a list. Sort by title, last read, or progress. Build custom reading lists — To Read, Reading, Finished — and organize everything with categories and favorites. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS See how many pages you've read, time spent reading, your current streak, and your 30-day reading chart. Stats that keep you motivated without getting in the way. BOOKMARKS & ANNOTATIONS Mark any page with a bookmark and write notes as you read. All your annotations are organized and easy to find when you need them. WORKS OFFLINE. ALWAYS. BookShelf works 100% offline. No internet connection required to read, organize, or track your progress. OPTIONAL CLOUD SYNC Sign in with Google to optionally sync your library, progress, bookmarks, and notes across all your devices. Your PDFs are backed up securely. Turn it off anytime — your data stays on your device. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No trackers. No analytics SDKs. No behavioral data collection of any kind. If you never sign in, absolutely nothing leaves your device. AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH Full app interface in both languages. Switch anytime from Settings. WHAT YOU GET • Grid and list library views • Horizontal page-flip and vertical scroll reading modes • Warm sepia and brightness controls • Bookmarks and text annotations • Custom reading lists and categories • Reading statistics and daily streaks • 30-day reading progress chart • Optional cloud sync across devices • PDF file backup and restore • Dark mode support • English and Spanish interface • No ads, no subscriptions, no tracking BookShelf is made for readers who want a simple, beautiful app that respects their time and privacy.

About

Focus Reader

Features
Read full description

Lose your place in long documents? Focus Reader reflows PDF and EPUB books to fit your screen and keeps only the part you're reading in sharp focus. Open the books you already have and adjust text size, font, line spacing, and column width to suit your eyes. No more fighting cramped PDF columns or tiny print. Features - PDF & EPUB reflow: the current page or chapter is re-typeset into one comfortable column. - Focus band: a clear reading band with the rest of the page dimmed, so your eyes stay on the line. Adjust the band's height, dim level, and position. - Typography: serif and sans-serif fonts for Latin and Korean, with size, line height, and UI scale controls. - Reading themes: paper, sepia, green, solar, night, and dim. - Dictionary lookup: long-press a word for an offline definition in the bundled English-Korean and Korean dictionaries. - Library: saved books with reading progress. - Korean and English interface. Free and Pro The core reading features and dictionary lookup are free. Focus band fine-tuning, all reading themes, and column width are unlocked with Focus Reader Pro — a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The Korean App Store price is ā‚©4,000; prices in other regions are set by Apple. Supported formats: PDF, EPUB

Screenshots

BookShelf Reader4 screens
Focus Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookShelf Reader at none against Focus Reader's 1. BookShelf Reader also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Focus Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BookShelf Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
BookShelf Reader versus Focus Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBookShelf ReaderFocus Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeyson BetancourtDaejin hyun

In-app purchases

None

BookShelf Reader

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Focus Reader

One-time1
  • Focus Reader Pro$1.99

Questions

Is BookShelf Reader free?
BookShelf Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Focus Reader free?
Focus Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BookShelf Reader or Focus Reader have ads?
Neither BookShelf Reader nor Focus Reader shows ads.

Other comparisons