Pricing, platforms, importing, AI recommendations, day-to-day use. Pick a category, or scroll. Questions with longer answers link out to their own page.
Shellf is a book tracking app with AI-powered recommendations, per-trait rating tags, and a dark-first design. Built for readers who devour 30+ books a year and want recommendations that actually learn their taste. Available on Android today, iOS May 2026.
I did — Jayson Robinson, sole creator. I started Shellf because my wife couldn't find a book tracking app that did what she wanted (and she'd tried most of them, including StoryGraph). It's a one-person operation today.
No. The recommendation engine and core app are closed source. Schema patterns and public infrastructure on shellf.app itself are visible to anyone who wants to inspect them.
Yes. Export your StoryGraph library as CSV (Account → Manage Account → Export StoryGraph Library) and upload it in Shellf's import screen.
Yes. Shellf's generic CSV import lets you map your spreadsheet columns to Shellf fields (title, author, ISBN, rating, dates, shelves). Useful if you're moving from a personal Notion or Airtable system.
Not as a direct integration. Shellf doesn't sync with your Kindle library. If Kindle integration is essential, Goodreads is the only app with that — it's part of Amazon's ecosystem.
Mostly. Library browsing, ratings, and notes work offline. AI recommendations and search require a connection.
Three ways: title search, ISBN barcode scan, or manual entry. Tap the + button on the home screen, search or scan, then pick which shelf you want it on.
Open the book and tap the stars near the top of its detail page. Half-star ratings (0.5 increments) work — tap once for half, twice for full. You can change a rating any time.
Library → Shelves → New shelf. Give it a name and an icon. Optionally add tag rules so books auto-tag onto it (any/all matching). No limit on how many shelves you can have.
On the book's detail page, scroll to the Traits section and tap any trait (plot, dialogue, characters, pacing) to mark it as loved or hated. Optional — your star rating still works on its own.
From the book's detail page, tap the status button and pick DNF. You can add a reason (paced badly, didn't connect, etc.) — it helps the recommendation engine avoid similar misses.
On the book's detail page, tap the Notes section. Notes are private, support voice dictation, and stay attached to the book through any later import or export.
Tap the Stats tab in the bottom nav. You'll see books read this year, pace projection, genre and format breakdowns, and your taste fingerprint. Plus adds taste evolution and reader archetype.
At the top of any shelf, tap the filter icon. Sort by title, author, date added, date read, rating, or shelf. Filter by format (print, ebook, audiobook), shelf membership, or rating range.
Yes. Re-read a book and you'll get a new entry on its timeline with its own dates and rating. Each reading shows up separately in your stats.
Tap the bookmark icon on any recommendation to add it to your Want to Read shelf. Or tap Show similar to refine the recommendations in the same direction without leaving the screen.
Open the book, tap the menu, and pick Remove from library. The book and its ratings, notes, and tags are deleted from your account. Nothing is sent back to Goodreads or anywhere else.
Only the ones you opt into. Defaults are off. You can enable a weekly stats summary, recommendation drops, and import or export completion alerts. No marketing pushes, ever.
No, by design. Shellf is a private tool for personal reading and discovery — no public profiles, no followers, no social feed. If community is what you want, Goodreads is still the platform for that.
Not yet. Annual reading goals are on the roadmap. Shellf's stats already show pacing and projection, but a Goodreads-style challenge tile isn't built today.
No. Habit-forming isn't Shellf's focus — it's built for discovery and taste analysis, not session tracking. Apps like Bookly are better if a timer matters to you.
Not yet. Content warnings are on the roadmap. StoryGraph is the strongest in the category for this today.
The catalogue is sourced from Open Library and Google Books and covers virtually every book with an ISBN. Edge cases (self-published, indie, older imports without ISBNs) may need manual entry — search by title and author works for those.
Yes — unlimited custom shelves, with optional rule-based auto-tagging (any/all matching). Free tier and Plus tier both have unlimited shelves.
Yes. Half-star ratings (0.5 increments from 0.5 to 5) are supported on the free tier. Goodreads only allows whole stars; Shellf doesn't.
No ads, ever. Shellf is funded by the Plus subscription and (in time) affiliate book purchases through Bookshop.org and Amazon.
Shellf is built and operated by a UK Limited company. Servers are in the EU (Supabase). UK data protection law applies.
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Free tier with 100 AI recommendation credits. Import your library from Goodreads in two minutes. Android today, iOS May 2026.
