AuthorAZ vs ShelfSweep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
AuthorAZ
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AuthorAZ is a private, offline workspace for indie authors to organize books, manage publishing information, write, dictate, store manuscript snapshots, collect quotes, and keep the practical side of an author career in one place. If your book business is scattered across folders, spreadsheets, cloud drives, old files, writing apps, and half-remembered notes, AuthorAZ gives every book a clean private home. No AI reading your work. No AuthorAZ cloud. No account needed. No data or user tracking. Everything lives on your device. Your library is encrypted locally, and backups only leave your device when you choose to export them. WRITE WITHOUT SENDING YOUR WORDS ANYWHERE Create and edit writing projects directly inside AuthorAZ. Draft chapters, scenes, notes, or entire books in a focused writing workspace connected to the rest of your book information. Your writing stays on your device. AuthorAZ does not upload your manuscript, analyze your prose, rewrite your sentences, or send your work to an AI service. DICTATE ON YOUR DEVICE Prefer speaking to typing? Use dictation to turn your voice into text inside the writing workspace, using supported on-device speech recognition. Your manuscript stays in your private AuthorAZ library rather than being processed by an AuthorAZ server. BUILT FOR AUTHORS WITH MORE THAN ONE THING TO MANAGE AuthorAZ helps you organize: ⢠Pen names and author identities ⢠Books, series, statuses, and release dates ⢠Writing projects and chapters ⢠ASINs, ISBNs, BISAC categories, prices, keywords, descriptions, and A+ notes ⢠Ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio, and variant cover slots ⢠Store and reader links ⢠Quote banks and quote tags ⢠Manuscript snapshots ⢠Notes and book-specific reference material ONE-TAP COPY FOR DAILY AUTHOR WORK Tap to copy titles, subtitles, identifiers, prices, keywords, descriptions, buy links, and full metadata sheets. AuthorAZ is designed for repetitive publishing tasks, whether you manage one book or an entire catalogue across multiple pen names. IMPORT MANUSCRIPT SNAPSHOTS Import a .txt, .docx, or .epub file as a read-only manuscript snapshot. Your original file is never edited. Once imported, you can: ⢠Search across your manuscript text ⢠Listen with on-device text-to-speech ⢠Scan for quotable lines ⢠Save quotes to your quote bank ⢠Check manuscript health stats ⢠Bookmark and flag lines for review ⢠Re-import a newer snapshot when your manuscript changes HEAR YOUR BOOK BEFORE READERS DO Use on-device text-to-speech to listen sentence by sentence. Adjust speed, choose a system voice, jump between chapters, bookmark your place, or flag lines that need attention. No audio is uploaded by AuthorAZ. No manuscript is sent to an AuthorAZ server. FIND QUOTES WITHOUT AI AuthorAZ uses deterministic, on-device filters to help surface potential quote lines. Search for punchy lines, dialogue, questions, emotional lines, chapter endings, or character mentions. You stay in control. AuthorAZ does not write for you, rewrite your work, generate passages, or train on your manuscript. CREATE QUOTE CARDS Save your favorite lines and turn them into clean quote cards for social media. Choose the format, background, and display elements, then export a full-resolution PNG with no watermark. LIGHT OR DARK. YOUR WORKSPACE. Use AuthorAZ in light mode or dark mode and choose the workspace that feels right for the way you work. PRIVATE BACKUPS YOU CONTROL AuthorAZ creates encrypted backup files that you export yourself. Save them wherever you choose and restore them later with your password. AuthorAZ does not keep a copy. TRY EVERYTHING FREE Start with a full 14-day trial. Then unlock lifetime access with one payment. No recurring subscription. AuthorAZ is for indie authors who want to write, organize, search, listen to, and manage their books without handing their creative work to another cloud platform. Your books. Your words. Your device.
ShelfSweep
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Turn a bookshelf photo into a private catalog you can actually use. Scan book spines or ISBN barcodes with the camera, or choose a shelf photo. Apple Vision recognizes text on your iPhone or iPad. Every result stays editable: review titles, authors, ISBNs, categories, and shelves before saving. CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY Search by title, author, or ISBN to see whether a book is already in your library or currently on loan. Avoid buying the same book twice. KEEP LOANS VISIBLE Record a borrower label and optional due date. Optional reminders are scheduled on your device. ShelfSweep never reads Contacts. EXPORT A RESULT YOU OWN Free users can create complete JSON backups and add up to 30 books. Restoring an existing ShelfSweep backup is never truncated; if a restored library exceeds 30 books, Pro is required before adding more. ShelfSweep Pro Lifetime unlocks unlimited additions and shelf scans, plus CSV, readable PDF, and ZIP exports. FREE TIER ⢠Add up to 30 books ⢠3 shelf scans ⢠Manual entry ⢠Duplicate checking ⢠Loan tracking ⢠JSON backup PRO LIFETIME ⢠Unlimited books ⢠Unlimited shelf scans ⢠CSV, PDF, and ZIP exports ⢠One-time purchase, no subscription PRIVACY No account, ads, analytics, tracking, developer backend, cloud AI, or cloud library. Shelf photos are processed on device and are not uploaded to the developer. Exported files go only to the destination you choose in the iOS share sheet. Recognition quality depends on lighting, angle, and spine design. Review results before saving.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ShelfSweep at every 9 days against AuthorAZ's every 3 weeks. AuthorAZ's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. AuthorAZ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ShelfSweep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AuthorAZ ships an update every 3 weeks, ShelfSweep every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AuthorAZ | ShelfSweep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 ā better | 18.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alex Filip | Hainan Weixia Software Development Co., Ltd. |
In-app purchases
AuthorAZ
- English$29.99
ShelfSweep
- ShelfSweep Pro Lifetime$7.99









