Comparison

Purplecast vs Playshelf

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

Head to head
About

Purplecast

This app helps you track TV shows, movies, video games, and podcasts in one place. Organize your media, discover new content with personalized recommendations, and engage with a community of fellow entertainment enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Track TV shows by season and episode
  • Organize video game playlists
  • Follow podcasts and track episodes
  • Discover personalized recommendations
  • Rate, review, and discuss content
  • Sync library across devices
  • Import and export entertainment data
Features
Read full description

Bring your watchlist, gaming backlog, and podcast queue together. Purplecast is your ad-free entertainment tracker for TV shows, movies, anime, video games, and podcasts. Remember where you left off, discover your next favorite, and join the conversation along the way. KEEP YOUR PLACE • Track TV shows and anime by season and episode. • Save movies, organize your game backlog, and follow podcasts. • Log rewatches, game replays, and podcast relistens with lifetime counts. • Pause shows when you need a break and return when you're ready. • Catch up quickly by marking a season watched or existing podcast episodes listened. FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE • Get personalized recommendations based on what you watch, play, listen to, rate, and favorite. • Explore trending, popular, top-rated, and upcoming titles, with dedicated anime discovery. • Find where TV shows and movies are available to stream in your region. • See upcoming TV episodes, movies, and game releases, and choose the release alerts you want. RATE, REACT, AND REMEMBER • Give titles and episodes a Purple Rating and write reviews. • Capture how a movie, episode, or game made you feel with emotion reactions. • Vote for your favorite characters in TV episodes and movies, and see the community's picks. • Revisit your history, favorites, ratings, and statistics across watching, playing, and listening. FIND YOUR PEOPLE • Discuss titles and individual episodes, reply to comments, and mention other members. • Bring conversations to life with images and GIFs. • Explore shared TV episode and movie discussions across participating apps through Commsuni.tv. • Use spoiler controls to choose what you reveal, and translate comments and reviews when you want. • Create a community profile, choose which sections are visible, and use reporting and blocking tools when needed. MAKE IT YOURS • Choose alternate posters and backdrops for saved shows, movies, and games. • Share entertainment cards for the titles you love. • Add iOS Home Screen widgets for your next TV episode, unwatched movies, and upcoming releases. • Choose light or dark mode and use Purplecast in English, Spanish, or French. • Keep your library and progress synced across your iPhone, iPad, and desktop browser. BRING YOUR HISTORY WITH YOU • Import supported data from TV Time, Trakt, Simkl, IMDb, Bingers, and Watchlog. • Preview file imports before adding matched data to your library. • Export your library, history, ratings, reviews, and other account data. AD-FREE FOR EVERYONE Purplecast has no advertising. Core tracking, discovery, ratings, community, notifications, imports, and exports are available for free. Purplecast Plus is an optional lifetime supporter membership with a one-time purchase. Help fund servers, data updates, notifications, and continued development while getting early access to selected features and a distinctive Plus member badge. Less time keeping track. More time enjoying what you love. This app is governed by Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement, available at: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Purplecast4 screens
Playshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Playshelf at none against Purplecast's 2. Playshelf also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Purplecast's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Purplecast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Playshelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Purplecast ships an update weekly, Playshelf every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Purplecast versus Playshelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPurplecastPlayshelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB61 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPurple Hat Ventures, LLCHyun Jae Moon

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Purplecast

Subscriptions1
  • Purplecast Plus$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Purplecast Plus Lifetime$12.99
None

Playshelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Purplecast free?
Purplecast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Playshelf free?
Playshelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Purplecast or Playshelf have ads?
Playshelf shows ads; Purplecast does not.
Which is updated more often, Purplecast or Playshelf?
Purplecast ships an update weekly, and Playshelf every 4 days. Most recently, Purplecast was updated on October 24, 2026 and Playshelf on October 21, 2026.

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