# The Shelf vs Lumi

The clearest difference is price: Lumi at Free against The Shelf's $4.99. Lumi also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). The Shelf's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Lumi is free to download; The Shelf costs $4.99 up front. Lumi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. The Shelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

The Shelf ships an update every 3 days, Lumi daily. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Shelf | Lumi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-shelf-reading-tracker/id6790276638/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 59 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Antonio Gordillo Toledo](https://appshunter.io/developer/6790276640) | [Ivan Trajanovski](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718049049) |

## What reviewers say

### The Shelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-shelf-reading-tracker/id6790276638)

Organize your entire book collection, track reading progress, and capture notes and quotes. This app offers a private, customizable space to manage your reading life, from adding new books to reviewing past sessions.

**Highlights:** Build and organize your book library, Track reading progress and focus sessions, Save notes, quotes, and journal entries, View detailed reading statistics, Customize app appearance, Sync and export library data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lumi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumi-book-tracker/id6791566415)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lumi Pro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Lumi Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Shelf free?

The Shelf costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lumi free?

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

### Do The Shelf or Lumi have ads?

Neither The Shelf nor Lumi shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Shelf or Lumi?

The Shelf ships an update every 3 days, and Lumi daily. Most recently, The Shelf was updated on October 31, 2026 and Lumi on October 31, 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.*