# MapleRead CE vs ShelfPlayer

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | MapleRead CE | ShelfPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-ce/id860180350/reviews)** | [4.0 (210 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shelfplayer-audio-book-shelf/id6475221163/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **210** |
| Positive reviews | **78.6% 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 |
| Best chart rank | **#110** | — |
| Size | 26 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 CE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapleread-ce/id860180350)

**Currently charting:** #110 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

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


### 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 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*