Comparison

MapleRead CE vs ShelfPlayer

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

Head to head
About

MapleRead CE

This app offers an immersive EPUB reading experience with customizable audio-visual features. It allows users to personalize book styles, generate audiobooks, and sync progress across devices. It also functions as a powerful library management tool for organizing and accessing your book collection.

Highlights
  • Customizable EPUB reader
  • Pseudo audiobook generation
  • Immersion reading (sync audio/text)
  • Library management and organization
  • Cross-device sync
  • User-defined customization options
Currently charting
Read full description

MapleRead is dedicated to enable unique audio-visual reading experience for everyone. ------------ Our MapleRead app family has 3 members, namely SE, CE and CX. - SE is our flagship product with all features. - CE is SE without PDF reader and built-in Library Server. - CX is CE with some limitation. Free to try. - No recurring subscription fees. No ads. Just buy it once. Gratuity optional. - Moreover, SE and CE can be run side-by-side via split-view multitasking. - Recommend SE for use on multiple devices with easy and fast book sharing via Library Server. - Recommend the SE-CE bundle for the best value. ------------ MapleRead includes a superb audio-visual EPUB e-book reader. - It lets you easily modify publisher's original book style to better suit your aesthetic taste. - It lets you instantly generate pseudo audiobooks with a choice of narrator voices over 40 languages. - It enables immersion reading so that you may read and listen to the same book in sync. - Background listening works well too. Compatible with Lock Screen Music Player and CarPlay. MapleRead UI is friendly to users of all ages. - Books can be read in regular and large print. - A choice of UI text sizes makes reading in non-book views much more comfortable. MapleRead is a great learning tool. - It lets you look up words, translate sentences, search text, highlight text and write notes. - It helps you collect vocabulary and organize notes with various priorities. - It provides hooks to user-defined dictionaries, translators, and other tools. - Immersion reading improves your comprehension, especially of foreign-language books. MapleRead is an effective and fast library management tool. - It is designed for you, a book lover, who may own a huge and/or growing book collection. - It lets you keep all your books in one place and well-organized automatically. - It lets you display your books elegantly in style. - It lets you easily repair individual book metadata. - If supports multiple book sets and multiple tags. - It offers multiple ways to import and export books, and works well with Calibre. MapleRead supports secure sync across devices via MapleRead Cloud and iCloud. - It syncs reading positions, notes, vocab, bookmarks, and book set membership (but not the books). - It syncs reading positions additionally via iCloud for even better user experience. - It enables web access to synced data via web browsers from desktop and mobile devices. MapleRead offers unprecedented user-defined customization options. - They include unlimited user-defined fonts, book themes, cover images and library scenes. - Each book theme includes various types of user-defined highlight colors. - Each book can have its own theme, and each EPUB book can have its own style. [For more technical details, screenshots, FAQ and reviews, please visit our website.]

About

ShelfPlayer

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
Read full description

ShelfPlayer is a powerful iOS app for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, built for people who run their own self-hosted Audiobookshelf libraries. Written in Swift 6 for iOS 18+, it's fast, privacy-respecting, and deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem. ShelfPlayer does not include any media content. A running Audiobookshelf instance is required to use the app. Why Choose ShelfPlayer? - One app for everything: A single native experience for audiobooks, podcasts, episodes, authors, narrators, series, collections, and playlists - Connect your own libraries: Works with multiple Audiobookshelf servers and libraries at the same time - Flexible sign-in: Supports both username/password and OpenID, plus custom HTTP headers for advanced setups - Find anything fast: Global and per-library search across books, podcasts, people, series, and episodes - Stay in sync: Listening progress and sessions stay synchronized with your Audiobookshelf server - Made for Apple devices: Native iPhone and iPad layouts, CarPlay, Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Home Screen widgets, Live Activities, and Dynamic Island Features at a glance: - Listen Now to continue and discover content across connected libraries - Chapter navigation with quick-access controls in playback - Configurable skip intervals for forward and backward jumps - AirPlay and native Apple media controls - Bookmarks with optional notes to save key moments - Detailed, item-level listening history and daily listening goals - Offline mode with manual and automatic background downloads - Built-in tools to create, edit, and organize collections and playlists - In-app PDF viewer for attached documents - Customizable tabs, sorting, and filters Premium features ShelfPlayer subscription unlocks the following: - Offline listening: Download audiobooks and episodes and keep listening without a connection - Custom playback speed: Adjust the rate beyond the default 1× - Flexible sleep timer: Choose any duration or a chapter-based timer, beyond the default 5 minutes - Bookmarks: Save and revisit key moments with notes - Add to queue: Build your own listening order with the main and Up Next queues - Statistics: Track your listening time, streaks, and finished titles Download ShelfPlayer today and get the most out of your Audiobookshelf library! Subscribe to access premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your Apple Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/Shelf-Player-Terms-Conditions-39ccf6557a0880139826d06e6b87f4eb Privacy Policy: https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/Shelf-Player-Privacy-Policy-39ccf6557a088010979bc16876532f5c If you have any questions, please contact us at aitools@gmail.com

Screenshots

MapleRead CE4 screens
ShelfPlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ShelfPlayer at Free against MapleRead CE's $6.99. ShelfPlayer also leads on ratings volume (210 vs 13). MapleRead CE's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.5 vs 4.0). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

ShelfPlayer is free to download; MapleRead CE costs $6.99 up front. MapleRead CE 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MapleRead CE holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShelfPlayer has 210 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of MapleRead CE's written reviews are positive against 55% of ShelfPlayer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapleRead CE ships an update every 6 weeks, ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
MapleRead CE versus ShelfPlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapleRead CEShelfPlayer
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (13 ratings) — better4.0 (210 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better55.2% of reviews
Number of ratings13210 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#110 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB62 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaplepop LLCAI Tools Apps SRL

Customer experience

MapleRead CE

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative7.1%

ShelfPlayer

All ratings134 ratings
Positive69.4%
Neutral6.7%
Negative23.9%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral14.4%
Negative30.5%

Bugs and requests

MapleRead CE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ShelfPlayer

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Login issues and app getting stuck in offline mode

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Add Apple Watch support for offline listening

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MapleRead CE

One-time3
  • Small Gratuity$0.99
  • Gratuity Level 2$1.99
  • Gratuity Level 5$4.99
4 purchases

ShelfPlayer

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly premium$2.997 Days
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly premium$29.991 Year

Questions

Is MapleRead CE free?
MapleRead CE costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ShelfPlayer free?
ShelfPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MapleRead CE or ShelfPlayer?
MapleRead CE is rated higher. MapleRead CE averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while ShelfPlayer averages 4.0 from 210 ratings.
Do MapleRead CE or ShelfPlayer have ads?
ShelfPlayer shows ads; MapleRead CE does not.
Which is updated more often, MapleRead CE or ShelfPlayer?
MapleRead CE ships an update every 6 weeks, and ShelfPlayer every 4 weeks. Most recently, MapleRead CE was updated on October 8, 2026 and ShelfPlayer on October 21, 2026.

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