Comparison

Chapters vs Shelfd

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

Head to head
About

Chapters

Features
Read full description

Chapters is a thoughtful reading companion for readers who want their library, reading time, and next great book in one calm place. MAKE YOUR LIBRARY YOURS Create a visual bookshelf for every part of your reading life. Search for books, scan a barcode, arrange titles across shelves, and make each space feel personal with custom styles and decor. Filter and sort to find exactly what you’re looking for. FIND WHAT TO READ NEXT Browse a swipeable discovery feed, save promising titles to your library, and keep track of what you want to read, are reading, and have finished. CREATE A BETTER READING RITUAL Start a reading session for a book—or simply read freely. Use a stopwatch or countdown timer, choose ambient sound, and pause or minimize a session whenever you need to. With Screen Time authorization, Bookshelf can help reduce distractions by blocking the apps you select while you read. SEE YOUR PROGRESS Log where you stopped by page or percentage, set a daily reading goal, and watch your reading time, pages, activity, and streak develop over time. Schedule reminders for the nudge you need to pick up your book. KEEP READING WITH YOU See your shelves and reading activity at a glance with widgets and a Live Activity on supported devices. Chapters comes with weekly and yearly offer weekly at $6.99 billed weekly yearly at $39.99 billed yearly Chapters is made for the quiet satisfaction of a growing library and a consistent reading habit. terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ privacy: https://www.kissanheggadey.com/privacy

About

Shelfd

Organize your reading life with a charming book tracker. Log what you're reading, discover your next book with a spin of a wheel, and visualize your reading habits with personalized stats and achievements. Enjoy a cozy, ad-free experience with optional premium features for advanced tracking.

Highlights
  • Track current, finished, and to-be-read books
  • Spin a wheel to pick your next read
  • Organize books by genre with custom colors
  • Set reading goals and view yearly stats
  • Earn achievements narrated by an Archivist
  • Import libraries from other apps (CSV)
  • Backup and restore your library
Features
Read full description

A warm, unhurried home for your reading life. Shelfd keeps a quiet record of everything you've read and everything still waiting — without turning your hobby into a job. No leaderboards. No guilt for the week you didn't finish anything. HOWEVER YOU READ IT Paper, ebook, or audiobook — track them side by side on the same shelf. Audiobooks count down in hours and minutes remaining, the way your listening app shows them, so there's no maths to do when you log your progress. YOUR SHELF, ACTUALLY SHELVED Finished books stand as real spines, coloured from their own covers. Browse them as a shelf or a list, and build your own collections for classics, comfort rereads, or whatever you're hoarding this month. SPIN THE WHEEL Too many books, not enough decisions. Load up your TBR, give it a spin, and let fate choose your next read. A GOAL WORTH HITTING Set a books-per-year target and watch the arrow move toward the bullseye. Miss it and nothing bad happens. Hit it and something rather nice does. THE SHAPE OF YOUR TASTE See which genres you actually gravitate to, how you read — paper, screen, or headphones — and the quiet trends across your year. ACHIEVEMENTS, STAMPED Every finished book earns a mark from the Archivist, who keeps your records in impeccable order and is quietly more invested than he lets on. BRING YOUR LIBRARY Coming from Goodreads or StoryGraph? Import your whole history from a single file and pick up where you left off. Back up your shelf whenever you like — your library is yours, and it stays on your device. SCAN AND GO Point the camera at a barcode and the book is on your shelf, page count and cover included. SHELFD PREMIUM Read up to three books at once, unlock the Ratings Card with half-stars and emoji vibes for how a book actually felt, get the deeper genre breakdown, and build unlimited shelves and lists. "Keep reading. That's all I ask." — The Archivist SHELFD PREMIUM — SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Shelfd Premium is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time Founders Group purchase. A 7-day free trial is included with the subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://joinshelfd.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Chapters4 screens
Shelfd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shelfd at daily against Chapters's every 2 weeks. Chapters's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Chapters sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Shelfd sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chapters ships an update every 2 weeks, Shelfd daily. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Chapters versus Shelfd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChaptersShelfd
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKissan Tejas heggadeyZachary Selburg

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Chapters

Subscriptions3
  • Chapters - Book Tracker & TBR$7.997 Days
  • Chapters - Book Tracker & TBR$24.991 Year
  • Chapters - Book Tracker & TBR$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Shelfd

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Shelfd Founders Group$59.99

Questions

Is Chapters free?
Chapters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shelfd free?
Shelfd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chapters or Shelfd have ads?
Neither Chapters nor Shelfd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chapters or Shelfd?
Chapters ships an update every 2 weeks, and Shelfd daily. Most recently, Chapters was updated on October 25, 2026 and Shelfd on October 31, 2026.

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