The CLZ Comics alternative for collections that live as files
Your folders, not a cloud database. No migration, no subscription, no spreadsheet.
CLZ is the veteran. Its strength is a massive issue database, barcode scanning and price tracking for physical comics. But if your collection lives as CBR, CBZ and PDF files on disk, CLZ asks you to maintain a separate cloud catalog that drifts from your folders every time you add a book. Shelf Republic inverts that: your file system is the truth, and the app is the visual shelf on top of it.
Feature by feature
| CLZ Comics | Shelf Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of truth | CLZ cloud database | Your folders on disk |
| Your existing structure | Re-cataloged into their schema | Read as-is, untouched |
| Migration to start | Import or scan thousands of items | None, just point at a folder |
| Visual experience | Inventory list, dated UI | Cover-first shelf, flip front/back |
| Isolated vaults | One global collection | Marvel ≠ BD ≠ manga, separate worlds |
| Reader | — | Opens your reader (YACReader, Preview…) |
| Platform | Mobile-first + paid web | Native macOS desktop (Windows soon) |
| Pricing | Subscription | One-time |
| If you stop paying | Access to your catalog at risk | You lose the viewer, never the collection |
Files as truth. Move a folder in Finder and the shelf updates. Rename a CBZ in the app and the file renames on disk. No sync queue, no reconciliation: one state.
No migration is the whole point. The fear of re-entering thousands of comics is what keeps people stuck in CLZ. There's nothing to re-enter: the folder you already have is the collection.
When CLZ Comics is the better fit
You catalog a physical collection, want barcode scanning, market valuations or the biggest metadata database.
When Shelf Republic is the better fit
Your comics are digital files and you want to enjoy them, not maintain a second database.
Common questions
- Can I bring my CLZ data over?
- You don't need to. Shelf Republic reads your files directly; if you also want your CLZ metadata, export it to CSV and import the fields you care about.
- Is it a reader?
- No. Double-click opens your existing reader. Shelf Republic is the shelf, not the viewer.
Point Shelf Republic at your folder. See your covers in 30 seconds. One-time price, no account, your files stay yours.