Comparison

Films Shelf vs DearBella

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

Head to head
About

Films Shelf

Easily save and organize movies you want to watch, with details like poster and runtime. Choose your next film with a browsing or shuffle option. Watched films create a personal viewing history.

Highlights
  • Save movies with poster and details
  • Organize a personal film shelf
  • Browse or shuffle film suggestions
  • Track watched films and dates
  • Ad-free experience with Premium
  • Partner sharing for shared watchlists
Features
Read full description

Films Shelf is a personal films shelf — a warm, low-friction place to put the movies you keep meaning to watch, and a calm way to choose one when Friday night comes around. THE FOUR JOBS • Save — A film catches your attention. Tap, add. The shelf builds itself over weeks and months. • Remember — Each entry holds onto what the film is: poster, description, year, runtime. Your shelf never decays into a wall of forgotten titles. • Choose — Browse the shelf or, with Premium, tap Shuffle for a one-at-a-time proposal. Reroll until something feels right. • Reminisce — Watched films stay on the shelf as a quiet record of what you've seen and when. A SHELF, NOT A DATABASE Films Shelf is built around a single guiding test: does this feel more like a shelf than a database? Warmth over completeness. Context over metadata. Earned archive over managed catalog. PREMIUM Premium adds: • Ad-free experience • Partner sharing — invite one partner to share your shelf. Both of you can add, mark watched, and remove films. The shelf updates on both phones. • In-app trailer playback • Shuffle — surface a one-at-a-time film suggestion from your shelf Premium is $4.99/month or $29.99/year. New users get 30 days of Premium free. Cancel anytime. PRIVACY Films Shelf has no first-party servers. Your shelf lives in your iCloud, not on our infrastructure. Film metadata is provided by The Movie Database (TMDB). This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Terms of Use: https://bbmaxwell.dev/legal/films-shelf/terms Privacy Policy: https://bbmaxwell.dev/legal/films-shelf/privacy EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DearBella

This app acts as your personal movie companion, understanding your mood and preferences to suggest the perfect film. It learns your taste over time, offering personalized recommendations and a shareable watchlist.

Highlights
  • Mood-based movie suggestions
  • Personalized taste learning
  • Swipe to discover films
  • Daily unique picks
  • Shareable watchlist recaps
  • Distraction-free design
Features
Read full description

Never spend another night scrolling instead of watching. DearBella is your personal movie companion—a friend who actually knows cinema, and gets to know you. Tell her what you're in the mood for, and she'll find the perfect film. Not a generic list. Not an algorithm's best guess. The right movie, picked just for you. HOW IT WORKS Just tell Bella the vibe. In the mood for something cozy and a little sad? A mind-bending sci-fi for your blanket era? Say it in your own words and Bella finds the film that fits—with a witty reason why it's right for you. Recommendations that learn your taste. The more you tell Bella, the better she knows you. Every suggestion is shaped by what you love, what you skip, and the mood you're in. No two people get the same picks. Swipe to discover. Like it or skip it. Every swipe teaches Bella more about your taste, and builds your watchlist as you go. Your film for tonight. Get a fresh, personal pick every day—chosen for your taste, not the trending charts. Build your list. Share your month. Save the films you love, then turn your watchlist into a beautiful, shareable recap worth posting. WHY DEARBELLA - Personalized to you—suggestions you won't find anywhere else - A real personality, not a sterile list of titles - Quick mood-based picks when you don't have time to decide - Beautiful, distraction-free design - Discover hidden gems and films you'd never have found Movie night, finally solved. Download DearBella and let your taste do the talking. — This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Screenshots

Films Shelf4 screens
DearBella4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DearBella at none against Films Shelf's 2. Films Shelf's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Films Shelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. DearBella asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Films Shelf against 5.0 for DearBella. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Films Shelf versus DearBella: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilms ShelfDearBella
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMax McGregorKaley Morgan

Customer experience

Films Shelf

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DearBella

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Films Shelf

Subscriptions2
  • Films Shelf Premium (Monthly)1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Films Shelf Premium (Annual)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
None

DearBella

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Films Shelf free?
Films Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DearBella free?
DearBella is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Films Shelf or DearBella?
Films Shelf and DearBella are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Films Shelf or DearBella have ads?
Neither Films Shelf nor DearBella shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Films Shelf or DearBella?
Films Shelf ships an update every 6 weeks, and DearBella every 6 weeks. Most recently, Films Shelf was updated on October 4, 2026 and DearBella on October 13, 2026.

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