# Bookstacks vs Shelv

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bookstacks at none against Shelv's 3. Bookstacks also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly). Shelv's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Bookstacks ships an update daily, Shelv monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bookstacks | Shelv |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Monthly |
| Size | 25 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kenta Takeuchi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1879746418) | [Joshua Aideloje](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840741133) |

## What reviewers say

### Bookstacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookstacks/id6760252143)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shelv

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelv/id6761499389)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shelv Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Shelv Premium (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Shelv Pro Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bookstacks free?

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

### Is Shelv free?

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

### Do Bookstacks or Shelv have ads?

Bookstacks shows ads; Shelv does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bookstacks or Shelv?

Bookstacks ships an update daily, and Shelv monthly. Most recently, Bookstacks was updated on October 6, 2026 and Shelv on October 15, 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.*