Comparison

ChapterPals vs Unshelved

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

Head to head
About

ChapterPals

This app helps you track your reading progress and manage your book club. Organize your reading lists, log progress, and discover new books. It also facilitates book club discussions, voting on the next read, and tracking member progress.

Highlights
  • Track reading progress by page or percent
  • Organize books into custom shelves
  • Set and track reading goals
  • Create and manage book clubs
  • Vote on next book selections
  • Chapter-based discussion threads
  • Daily 'Guess the Book' puzzle
Features
Read full description

Track every book you read, and keep your book club actually running. ChapterPals does both in one calm, friendly place. Most reading apps track books alone. Most club tools are a group text that slowly goes quiet. ChapterPals puts the two together, so the book you are reading and the people you are reading it with live side by side. TRACK YOUR READING Shelves for what you are reading, what you finished, and what you want to read next, plus custom shelves for anything else you want to keep. Log your progress by page or percent, rate books when you finish, and write reviews you will actually want to reread later. Set a reading goal and watch it fill in over the year. Already have a list somewhere else? Import it and pick up where you left off. Point your camera at a real bookshelf and ChapterPals will read the spines and find the titles, or scan a barcode to add a single book fast. Browse by genre, follow an author, or see a whole series in order. RUN YOUR BOOK CLUB Start a club in under a minute, or join one with an invite code from a friend. You can also browse public clubs by city, filter for in person or virtual, and search by the vibes you are after. Pick the next book together with a vote, so nobody has to be the one who decides. Set the night and the place, let everyone RSVP going, maybe or cannot make it, and add it to your calendar in a tap. See how far along everyone is, so nobody arrives half a book behind. Discussion threads stay organized by chapter, so you can talk about what you have read without spoiling what you have not. Stuck for something to say? Starter questions are ready when you need them. Every book your club has read together is kept as a history you can look back on. READ WITH FRIENDS Add pals and see what they are reading right now. Share a shelf, recommend a book straight to someone, and get a nudge when a friend finishes something you have been eyeing. AND A LITTLE FUN Guess the Book is a new puzzle every day. A blurred cover, five tries, and a fresh clue with every guess. Build a streak and compare notes with your club. Tier boards let you rank everything you have read exactly how you want, then share the result. ChapterPals is free to use, works on your phone and in your browser, and never sells your reading history. Reading is better with friends.

About

Unshelved

This app transforms your reading journey into visually appealing Home Screen widgets and a charming book stack. Easily track your progress, curate your library using photos, and manage your reading queue. It's designed for readers who love to showcase their books.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Shabby-chic book stack display
  • Page tracking
  • Library building from photos/screenshots
  • Reading queue management
Features
Read full description

Unshelved turns your reading into beautiful Home Screen widgets and a shabby-chic stack of books in the app. Track pages read through the seasons, build your library from photos or screenshots, and queue up your next reads. It’s a reading tracker for people who want their books on display, not stuck in a grid.

Screenshots

ChapterPals4 screens
Unshelved4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChapterPals at none against Unshelved's 3. ChapterPals also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 26.0). Unshelved's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Unshelved sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ChapterPals 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 ChapterPals against 5.0 for Unshelved. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChapterPals ships an update every 2 days, Unshelved daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ChapterPals versus Unshelved: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChapterPalsUnshelved
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings27 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.5 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB36 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperEdward BuchholzAbhilash Kuduvalli

Customer experience

ChapterPals

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Unshelved

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ChapterPals

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Unshelved

One-time3
  • eBook Patron$0.99
  • Paperback Patron$2.99
  • Hardcover Patron$4.99

Questions

Is ChapterPals free?
ChapterPals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Unshelved free?
Unshelved is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChapterPals or Unshelved?
ChapterPals and Unshelved are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do ChapterPals or Unshelved have ads?
Neither ChapterPals nor Unshelved shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChapterPals or Unshelved?
ChapterPals ships an update every 2 days, and Unshelved daily. Most recently, ChapterPals was updated on October 9, 2026 and Unshelved on October 16, 2026.

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