Comparison

Shelv Player vs Qija

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

Head to head
About

Shelv Player

Stream and download your personal music library from a compatible server. Enjoy features like synced lyrics, smart mixes, and offline listening across multiple Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Stream personal music library
  • Offline downloads
  • Synced lyrics
  • Smart mixes
  • Gapless playback
  • Cross-device queue sync
  • CarPlay and AirPlay support
Features
Read full description

Shelv is a native music player for Navidrome and Subsonic-compatible servers, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Stream your own music library, download it for offline listening, add radio stations, and enjoy smooth playback with gapless, transcoding and smart pre-cache. Shelv is built around albums and artists, with smart mixes, synced lyrics, listening insights and optional Last.fm. Features: - Album and artist focused library - Artist pages with Top Songs, Albums, Singles & EPs and Live albums - Smart Mixes, Instant Mix and Infinity Mix - Random Albums and Shuffle All - Last.fm for mixes and Top Songs (optional) - Offline Downloads - Radio Stations - Listening Insights - Synced Lyrics with LRCLIB - Gapless Playback - Transcoding - ReplayGain - Smart Pre-cache - Queue Sync across devices - Scrobbling - Multiple Servers - CarPlay, Siri and Shortcuts - AirPlay - iCloud Sync Shelv requires your own Navidrome or Subsonic-compatible music server.

About

Qija

Features
Read full description

Music made personal again. Qija is a music player where discovery comes from the people you know — not an algorithm guessing at you. Bring your own music, play it anywhere, and see what the people you actually trust are listening to, right inside the player you're already using. YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR RULES Bring your own music and play it anywhere. • Your own files — on device or from iCloud • Apple Music in-app, on your own subscription • Deezer for previews • Pin and love across every source — one hybrid library • Build mixtapes and send them to friends TODAY, SORTED Everything worth hearing, the moment you open the app. • A daily mix, built from what you actually play • New releases the day they drop • Gigs near you (Netherlands for now) • Every artist, one tap deep • What's trending across Qija DISCOVERY, FROM PEOPLE YOU TRUST The social side is what the people you know are actually listening to. • See what your friends are playing, live • Share a track straight to a friend • Group friends by genre to widen your taste • Spin up artist radios to fuel your discovery • Reply to gig invites from your friends YOU, BY THE NUMBERS • Daily listens, your streak and play counts • Discover new people worth following • Manage who you follow and view their profiles • Keep your top artists and loved tracks close EVERY DEVICE iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Same library, same friends. PRICING Free as a player — your own files, your iCloud library, Apple Music in-app via your existing subscription, and Deezer previews. Qija+ adds the social side for €2.99/month or €24.99/year. Cancel any time: your library, playback and listening history keep working — only the social bits switch off. Qija (pronounced "choir") is made by two people in Amsterdam.

Screenshots

Shelv Player4 screens
Qija4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shelv Player at none against Qija's 2. Shelv Player also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Qija's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Qija sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Shelv Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shelv Player ships an update every 2 weeks, Qija every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Shelv Player versus Qija: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelv PlayerQija
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB65 MB
Age rating+412+
DeveloperVasco KuglerAlisdair Mills

In-app purchases

None

Shelv Player

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Qija

Subscriptions2
  • Qija+ Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Qija+ Yearly$22.991 Year

Questions

Is Shelv Player free?
Shelv Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Qija free?
Qija is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shelv Player or Qija have ads?
Neither Shelv Player nor Qija shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shelv Player or Qija?
Shelv Player ships an update every 2 weeks, and Qija every 2 days. Most recently, Shelv Player was updated on November 5, 2026 and Qija on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons