# MapleRead SE vs ShelfPlayer

The clearest difference is price: ShelfPlayer at Free against MapleRead SE's $8.99. MapleRead SE's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (68% vs 55%). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

ShelfPlayer is free to download; MapleRead SE costs $8.99 up front. MapleRead SE sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and ShelfPlayer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for MapleRead SE against 4.1 for ShelfPlayer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 131 and 225 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of MapleRead SE's written reviews are positive against 55% of ShelfPlayer's.

MapleRead SE ships an update every 6 weeks, ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MapleRead SE | ShelfPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (131 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-se/id860169741/reviews)** | [4.1 (225 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 131 | **225** |
| Positive reviews | **67.9% of reviews** | 55.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 30 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Maplepop LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/798017700) | [AI Tools Apps SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854689122) |

## What reviewers say

### MapleRead SE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-se/id860169741)

This app offers a unique audio-visual reading experience for EPUB and PDF files. It allows for extensive customization of book styles, instant audiobook generation, and immersive reading that syncs audio and text. It also functions as an effective library management tool with cross-device syncing.

**Highlights:** Audio-visual reading experience, EPUB and PDF reader, Pseudo audiobook generation, Immersion reading (audio/text sync), Library management and organization, Cross-device syncing, User-defined customization

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gratuity Level 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gratuity Level 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gratuity Level 5 | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly customizable reading experience
- 🔒 Robust library management features
- 👍 Seamless integration with Calibre
- 👍 Excellent organization and tagging options
- 👍 Wide range of font and layout customization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance problems
- 🔍 Complicated interface and setup process
- 🔍 Difficult to import large book libraries
- 🔍 Limited annotation and highlighting options

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and crashing issues, especially on iOS 14
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
- Unreliable OPDS server integration and book downloads

**Requested features**

- Automatic reading progress sync across devices
- Improved PDF handling and annotation support
- Expanded highlighting and note-taking capabilities
- Streamlined library import and management
- Cleaner and more intuitive user interface


### ShelfPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163)

This app provides a native iOS experience for managing and listening to audiobooks and podcasts from your self-hosted Audiobookshelf library. It offers robust playback controls, offline access, and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** Unified audiobook and podcast management, Multi-server support, Flexible authentication options, Global and library search, Playback queues and chapter navigation, Configurable playback speed and skip intervals, Offline mode and automatic downloads

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly premium | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly premium | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Runs on all Apple platforms
- 👍 Provides better UI experience
- 💡 Potential for great features
- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Beautiful and intuitive UI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Critical bugs preventing usage
- 🐛 Constantly losing book progress
- 🐛 Crashes and instability issues
- 🐛 Offline mode not working
- 🐛 Slow startup and loading times

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to present all books from an author
- Keeps resetting book progress
- Offline mode broken, can't play downloaded books
- Crashes after recent update
- Widgets not updating with last played book

**Requested features**

- Option to load fully downloaded books without server handshake
- Ability to filter library view to only downloaded books
- Add support for ebooks and PDF files
- Customizable playback speed options beyond 2x
- Implement a static reading queue/playlist


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MapleRead SE free?

MapleRead SE costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is ShelfPlayer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MapleRead SE or ShelfPlayer?

MapleRead SE is rated higher. MapleRead SE averages 4.2 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while ShelfPlayer averages 4.1 from 225 ratings.

### Do MapleRead SE or ShelfPlayer have ads?

ShelfPlayer shows ads; MapleRead SE does not.

### Which is updated more often, MapleRead SE or ShelfPlayer?

MapleRead SE ships an update every 6 weeks, and ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. Most recently, MapleRead SE was updated on November 1, 2026 and ShelfPlayer on October 30, 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.*