Comparison

HydraShelf vs Rex

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

Head to head
About

HydraShelf

Features
Read full description

HydraShelf è un client iPhone per Audiobookshelf pensato per accedere in modo rapido alla tua libreria audio personale. Collega il tuo server con la tua API key e ritrova subito librerie, contenuti recenti, statistiche di ascolto e progresso reale del tuo account. Puoi esplorare la libreria, cercare nuovi podcast, aggiungerli al server e scaricare episodi direttamente sul telefono.

About

Rex

Organize your TV shows and movies, track viewing history, and never miss an episode. Discover new content and play your own media library from various sources.

Highlights
  • Episode tracking and reminders
  • Viewing history and playback position
  • Watch time and genre statistics
  • Connect with Trakt
  • Explore TMDB movie/TV info
  • Play personal media libraries
  • Support for Dolby Vision, HDR, Atmos
Features
Read full description

Your shows. Ready when you are. When does the next episode air? Where did you leave off? How much did you watch this month? Rex keeps your shows and viewing history organized, so you can pick up where you left off. NEVER MISS A NEW EPISODE • See upcoming episodes for shows you're watching or planning to watch in your calendar. • Set reminders before or after air time, or at a fixed time, for each show or episode. • Browse the full schedule for a season and see which episodes have aired. YOUR WATCH HISTORY, ORGANIZED • Continue Watching remembers your episode and playback position. • Add titles to your watchlist, favorites or subscriptions from their details page. • Browse your viewing history by date or genre. Hiding a show or removing it from your watchlist keeps its history intact. SEE YOUR VIEWING HABITS • Track watch time, movies and episodes over the last seven days or this month. • Explore a daily viewing calendar, genre breakdowns and trends. • Display your collection as a poster wall, DVD shelf or movie tickets. CONNECT WITH TRAKT • Sync your viewing history, watchlist and favorites. • Combine Trakt and local statistics, choosing which sources to include without double counting. FIND YOUR NEXT WATCH • Explore TMDB movie and TV information: posters, stills, synopses, cast, crew and trailers. • Arrange your home screen to build your own discovery page. PLAY YOUR OWN LIBRARY • Connect to Emby, Jellyfin, Plex, WebDAV, SMB, FTP and local videos. • Bring multiple sources and versions of the same title together. • Enjoy Dolby Vision, HDR and Dolby Atmos, dual subtitles, on-screen comments and intro or credits skipping. • Save playback progress to your viewing history and Trakt. DESIGNED FOR IPHONE AND IPAD A native interface with light and dark appearances and iCloud sync across your devices. Rex does not provide movies or TV content. Playback accesses content on your own servers and devices. Privacy Policy: https://rexnow.tv/privacy Terms of Use: https://rexnow.tv/terms

Screenshots

HydraShelf4 screens
Rex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HydraShelf at none against Rex's 8. HydraShelf also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 days). Rex's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and iOS requirement 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. Rex sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. HydraShelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HydraShelf ships an update daily, Rex every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HydraShelf versus Rex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHydraShelfRex
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—73.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—26 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 6 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS1717.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB265 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFederico Sebastiani菲 方

In-app purchases

None

HydraShelf

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Rex

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annual Plan, Paid Monthly$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Lifetime License - 50% Off$19.99
  • Lifetime License - 40% Off$24.99
  • Lifetime License - 30% Off$29.99
Show 2 more
  • Lifetime License - 20% Off$34.99
  • Lifetime License$39.99

Questions

Is HydraShelf free?
HydraShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rex free?
Rex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HydraShelf or Rex have ads?
HydraShelf shows ads; Rex does not.
Which is updated more often, HydraShelf or Rex?
HydraShelf ships an update daily, and Rex every 6 days. Most recently, HydraShelf was updated on October 25, 2026 and Rex on November 1, 2026.

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