# The Shelf vs Aleph

The clearest difference is price: Aleph at Free against The Shelf's $4.99. The Shelf's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On rating, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Aleph is free to download; The Shelf costs $4.99 up front. Aleph sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. The Shelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Shelf against 5.0 for Aleph. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

The Shelf ships an update every 3 days, Aleph every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Shelf | Aleph |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-shelf-reading-tracker/id6790276638/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aleph-reading-tracker/id6799605752/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 20 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Antonio Gordillo Toledo](https://appshunter.io/developer/6790276640) | [Blake Hunsicker](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540440353) |

## 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, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Aleph

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aleph-reading-tracker/id6799605752)

This app allows you to meticulously track your reading progress, log sessions, and rate books. It features a unique 3D bookshelf visualization that dynamically arranges your finished books based on their physical attributes.

**Highlights:** 3D bookshelf visualization, Log reading sessions (pages/minutes), Rate and take notes on books, Search reading history, Sync across devices, No habit tracking features

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual | $44.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $159.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Shelf free?

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

### Is Aleph free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Shelf or Aleph?

The Shelf and Aleph are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do The Shelf or Aleph have ads?

Neither The Shelf nor Aleph shows ads.

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

The Shelf ships an update every 3 days, and Aleph every 2 days. Most recently, The Shelf was updated on October 19, 2026 and Aleph on October 24, 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.*