# Spine vs Shelfd

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Spine at 100% against Shelfd's 50%. Spine also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Shelfd's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shelfd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Spine asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spine has 86 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Spine's written reviews are positive against 50% of Shelfd's.

Spine ships an update weekly, Shelfd daily. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spine | Shelfd |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (86 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-book-tracker/id6759875368/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfd-reading-tracker/id6792915143/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **86** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 42 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tanner Flake](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810308106) | [Zachary Selburg](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792915145) |

## What reviewers say

### Spine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-book-tracker/id6759875368)

Organize your reading life by creating tiered lists of books you've finished. Track your reading progress, see what friends are reading, and discover personalized recommendations.

**Highlights:** Create book tier lists, Track reading progress, Follow friends' reading habits, Discover personalized recommendations, Import Goodreads library, Log start and finish dates

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 Spine free?

Spine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shelfd free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Spine or Shelfd?

Spine is rated higher. Spine averages 5.0 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Shelfd averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do Spine or Shelfd have ads?

Neither Spine nor Shelfd shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spine or Shelfd?

Spine ships an update weekly, and Shelfd daily. Most recently, Spine was updated on November 9, 2026 and Shelfd on November 10, 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.*