Comparison

StackNow vs Playshelf

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

Head to head
About

StackNow

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StackNow is a free game guide focused on the Japan market. Browse what's currently popular, what released in the last 30 days, and what's launching in the next 30 days across Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch — all updated regularly. Track your own library (wishlist / owned / cleared) per platform, all in one place. * iPhone-only app (iPad is not supported). ▼ Made for you if ・You stack up backlogs across multiple platforms and want a single wishlist ・You want to track owned and completed games per-platform ・You like seeing what's currently popular at a glance ・You want to scan recently released titles in one feed ・You want a clear view of upcoming releases grouped by week ・You like jumping straight to the official site, trailer, or storefront ・You'd rather read titles and synopses in Japanese (auto-translation included) ▼ Key features ・Popular tab: rank-aware ranges based on review counts (top 10 / 11–20 / ...) ・Releases — Out Now: titles released in the last 30 days, ranked ・Releases — Coming Soon: upcoming titles for the next 30 days, grouped by week (sorted by release date, then review count) ・Search: free-text title search with platform / genre / release-year filters ・Library: Wishlist / Owned / Cleared tabs with multi-platform status per game ・Detail pages: cover art, screenshots, YouTube trailer, official site, Steam Store ・Rich metadata: genres, themes, game modes, player perspectives, developer / publisher, franchise, review score, time-to-beat estimates ・Storyline: an optional, deeper story description in addition to the synopsis ・Japanese localization: titles and synopses translated via Google AI (Gemini) ・Theme: light / dark / system ・Layout: grid / list toggle ・Pull to refresh on the Popular and Releases tabs ▼ Notes ・StackNow does not sell or distribute games — it links out to official storefronts ・Game metadata is sourced primarily from IGDB ・No account required; library data lives on your device ・iPhone only — iPad is not supported Spend less time hunting, more time playing.

About

Playshelf

Features
Read full description

Playshelf is your personal video game library, tracker, and discovery companion. BUILD YOUR SHELF Log, rate, and rank every game you've played. Your shelf becomes a living record of your gaming life — and the fuel for smarter recommendations. AI SUGGESTIONS, TUNED TO YOU Get personalized game picks based on what you actually love. Enjoy a free daily pick, regenerate for fresh ideas, fine-tune suggestions by telling us what hit and what missed, or seed recommendations from your own tags. SPEEDSHELF TRIVIA Fast-paced trivia about the games on your shelf. Unlimited play, every day. Clear 1000+ points on a game to prove you really know it. DISCOVER TOGETHER Follow friends, share ratings and reviews, and see what your circle is playing. Trending shows what the community is hyped about right now, enriched with AI insights. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Custom tags with AI-assisted suggestions keep even the biggest library tidy. Playshelf is free to use. Extra AI suggestions are supported by short rewarded ads.

Screenshots

StackNow4 screens
Playshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: StackNow at none against Playshelf's shown. Playshelf's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StackNow ships an update every 2 weeks, Playshelf daily. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
StackNow versus Playshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStackNowPlayshelf
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB61 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperZAWA SYSTEMHyun Jae Moon

In-app purchases

None

StackNow

No in-app purchases

None

Playshelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StackNow free?
StackNow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Playshelf free?
Playshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do StackNow or Playshelf have ads?
Playshelf shows ads; StackNow does not.
Which is updated more often, StackNow or Playshelf?
StackNow ships an update every 2 weeks, and Playshelf daily. Most recently, StackNow was updated on October 2, 2026 and Playshelf on September 17, 2026.

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