A home library with a memory.
Some books are more than their pages — the one from a street market, the one your mother gave you, the one you have read three times. Shelflife is a book tracker and reading journal for paper books: scan an ISBN, set the book on its shelf, and keep everything it means to you.
iPhone and Android · Works offline · No account
What it does
Built for paper books and for rereading
ISBN barcode scanner
Add books in seconds by scanning the barcode, or by hand.
Where the book really lives
Shelve every book by room, shelf or box, and find it again with search.
What makes the copy yours
Edition, condition, receipt, what you paid and what it is worth.
Lending tracker
Mark a book as loaned and always know who has it.
Every reading is its own entry
Reread a book years later and both readings stand side by side. Log sessions with pages and minutes.
Notes, quotes and moments
Keep notes and quotes by page, turn a favorite line into a quote card, and attach photos and moments to any book.
How it works
A reading log that becomes an album
Scan and shelve
Point at the barcode, pick the shelf.
Read and note
Want to read, reading, finished, did not finish — with sessions, pages and quotes.
Look back
A timeline of your reading life and yearbook stats: books read, pages turned, top authors.
Your data
Quiet by design
- No account. No feed, no one reading over your shoulder.
- Your whole library lives on your phone and works offline.
- Export a ZIP backup whenever you want.
Questions
Before you download
Is Shelflife for paper books or ebooks?
It is built for paper books: where each copy lives, its edition and condition, who borrowed it.
Can I add books by scanning the barcode?
Yes. Scan the ISBN barcode to add a book in seconds, or enter it by hand.
Can I track rereads?
Yes. Every reading is its own journal entry, so a reread years later stands beside the first one.
Is there a social feed?
No. There is no account and no feed. Your library is private and lives on your phone.
Can I back up my library?
Yes. Export everything to a ZIP backup whenever you want.
Which devices and languages does Shelflife support?
iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Android. The app is available in 12 languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese.
- Made for
- Readers who own paper books and want a home library catalog and a reading journal
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 17 or later) · Android
- Languages
- 12, including English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi
- Category
- Book
- Developer
- Ho Van Dai
- Page updated