Priced by what you take in.
Run a contest season, a grant cycle, a year-round reading period, or a client's project on as many shelves as you like. You pay by the number of submissions you take in over a year, so quiet months cost nothing extra.
To try it first, open a free shelf; no card needed.
Free
$0
no card needed
stays free
Run a small call end to end.
- 100 submissions a year
- Unlimited shelves
- 5 readers per shelf
- The reading room, and the free Mac app
- 1 GB storage
Standard
$390
per year
about $33 a month, billed once
For a program, a journal, or a studio.
- 1,000 submissions a year
- Unlimited shelves
- Unlimited readers
- Exports & reporting
- 25 GB storage
Organization
$1,290
per year
about $108 a month, billed once
For organizations running several programs.
- 5,000 submissions a year
- Unlimited shelves and readers
- Custom branding and the organization feed
- Your own storage bucket
- Priority support
- 100 GB storage
Nonprofits, schools, universities and libraries: 20% off every year with the code NONPROFIT at checkout. Any plan can be paid by card or by invoice. Larger programs, institutions, and anything custom: talk to us.
Side by side.
| Feature | Free | Standard | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelves | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Submissions a year, across all shelves | 100 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Readers per shelf | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Public call page | with a Google sign-in | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document annotation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac app, free for everyone | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export / reporting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pay by card or by invoice | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom branding | — | — | ✓ |
| Priority support | — | — | ✓ |
| Your own storage bucket (S3 or Tigris) | — | — | ✓ |
| Your own AI provider keys | — | — | ✓ |
| Storage | 1 GB | 25 GB | 100 GB |
Set up with you.
We set up your first program with you: we import last year's submissions and rubric, configure the shelf, and walk your readers through it. And if your season doesn't run on TextShelf, we refund the year. Ask about onboarding, or see the founding offer for the first ten programs.
Frequently asked.
What counts as a submission?
Each entry someone sends in to one of your shelves: a manuscript, an application, a portfolio, a client's draft. Entries we import for you from another system count the same. Reviews, comments, and your own documents do not count.
How are submissions counted?
Across all your shelves, over a rolling 365 days. Splitting entries across several shelves doesn't change the count.
What happens at the cap?
New entries are paused until the year rolls on or you move up a plan. Everything already on the shelf stays readable and reviewable.
Can I run several programs at once?
Yes. Shelves are unlimited on every plan, so a contest, a grant round, and a reading period can all be open at the same time.
My journal never closes. Does that matter?
No. A year-round reading period and a two-month contest window are both counted by the submissions they take in.
Who counts as a reader?
Anyone you add to a shelf beyond entrants: reviewers, judges, organizers. Entrants never count.
Does the Mac app cost extra?
No. The Mac app is free for everyone. It is the reviewer's reading room, with your files in your own iCloud, and it reads the review packets you export from a shelf.
Do you offer nonprofit discounts?
Yes. Nonprofits, schools, universities and libraries get 20% off every year: enter NONPROFIT at checkout, or tick the box when you ask for an invoice. That makes Standard $312 and Organization $1,032 a year.
Can we pay by invoice?
Yes. Choose Pay by invoice on the plan's page. Your plan starts at once, and the invoice is due in 30 days, payable by bank transfer or card. Add a PO number if your office needs one; our W-9 is on request.
Can I switch plans later?
Yes. Moving up takes effect right away; moving down takes effect when the year you paid for ends.
Where is data stored, and is it used to train AI?
Files are kept in a private bucket at Tigris, and the database runs at Fly.io in Ashburn, Virginia. Both are encrypted at rest, and every connection is HTTPS. The privacy policy names every outside service and what it receives. Your documents are never used to train any AI model.