Comparison

Shelvd vs Orbil

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

Head to head
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

About

Orbil

Features
Read full description

Orbil is a personal book library, reading tracker, and reading journal designed to keep your reading life organized. Catalog the books you own, follow your reading progress, record reading sessions, and remember more from every book. Whether you read physical books, eBooks, or audiobooks, Orbil gives you one private place for your collection and reading journey. With Orbil, you can: • Organize and search your personal book library • Track pages, progress, and reading sessions • Manage your reading queue and wishlist • Save thoughts, memorable quotes, and new vocabulary • Record book locations and track lent or borrowed books • Review reading habits, streaks, and statistics • Personalize your visual bookshelf, with optional premium styles and decors • Look back on your reading through monthly recaps Orbil focuses on your books—not social activity, public reviews, or popularity. It is a calm and practical reading companion for readers who want to track what they read, remember what they learned, and keep their collection organized. Build a library that feels truly yours with Orbil. Orbil is free to use for up to 50 books. Orbil Plus is an optional one-time in-app purchase that unlocks: unlimited books, cloud sync & backup across devices, advanced reading stats and Reading Personality insights, premium shelf styles and decors, and expanded custom tags. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Shelvd4 screens
Orbil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Shelvd at 16.0 against Orbil's 18.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Shelvd sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $6.00 per month and Orbil sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelvd ships an update fortnightly, Orbil every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Shelvd versus Orbil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelvdOrbil
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (11 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB21 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPlatform ThirteenPrometeuz

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Shelvd

Subscriptions7
  • Plus (Monthly)1 Month trial$6.001 Month
  • Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$12.001 Month
  • Full Shelfie (Monthly)$18.001 Month
Show 4 more
  • Plus (Annual)1 Month trial$58.001 Year
  • Pro (Annual)1 Month trial$114.991 Year
  • Full Shelfie (Annual)$172.991 Year
  • Founders (Annual)$299.991 Year
1 purchases

Orbil

One-time1
  • Orbil Plus$39.99

Questions

Is Shelvd free?
Shelvd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orbil free?
Orbil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shelvd or Orbil have ads?
Neither Shelvd nor Orbil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelvd or Orbil?
Shelvd ships an update fortnightly, and Orbil every 9 days. Most recently, Shelvd was updated on October 22, 2026 and Orbil on October 10, 2026.

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