# Crate for Plex vs ShelfPod

The clearest difference is price: ShelfPod at Free against Crate for Plex's $3.99. ShelfPod also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Crate for Plex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

ShelfPod is free to download; Crate for Plex costs $3.99 up front. ShelfPod sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Crate for Plex asks for nothing beyond the download.

Crate for Plex ships an update every 2 months, ShelfPod every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crate for Plex | ShelfPod |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crate-for-plex/id6767005738/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 28 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.4 | **26.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Darren Ebbing](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896345622) | [睿智 吴](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779031775) |

## What reviewers say

### Crate for Plex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crate-for-plex/id6767005738)

A native, unofficial music player for your Plex Media Server, designed for iPhone and Apple Watch. Enjoy your owned music library with features like offline listening, crossfade, and queue management without subscriptions or ads.

**Highlights:** Plex music library browsing, Offline listening, Apple Watch app, Crossfade playback, Queue management, Smart caching

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ShelfPod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfpod-for-audiobookshelf/id6781744751)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Unlock | $0.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Unlock | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crate for Plex free?

Crate for Plex costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ShelfPod free?

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

### Do Crate for Plex or ShelfPod have ads?

Neither Crate for Plex nor ShelfPod shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crate for Plex or ShelfPod?

Crate for Plex ships an update every 2 months, and ShelfPod every 3 days. Most recently, Crate for Plex was updated on November 5, 2026 and ShelfPod on October 28, 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.*