Libby, the library app vs Willard Library App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Libby, the library app
Access millions of free ebooks and audiobooks from your local library. Borrow titles instantly with your library card, download for offline enjoyment, and enjoy a customizable reading and listening experience.
- Borrow ebooks and audiobooks
- Download for offline access
- Send ebooks to Kindle
- Adjust reader settings
- Customize audio player
- Create book lists
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All over the world, local libraries offer millions of ebooks and audiobooks. You can borrow them — for free, instantly — with a library card and Libby: the award-winning, much-loved app for libraries. • Browse your library’s digital catalog of books — from classics to NYT best-sellers • Borrow and enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines • Download titles for offline reading, or stream them to save space • Send ebooks to your Kindle (U.S. libraries only) • Listen to audiobooks via Apple CarPlay • Use tags to create your must-read list and any other book lists you want • Keep your reading position automatically synced on all your devices In our beautiful, intuitive ebook reader: • Adjust text size, background color, and book design • Zoom into magazines and comic books • Define and search for words and phrases • Read and listen to read-alongs with your kids • Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights In our ground-breaking audio player: • Slow down or speed up the audio (0.6 to 3.0x) • Set a sleep timer • Simply swipe to skip forward and backward • Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights Libby is built by the team at OverDrive, in support of local libraries everywhere. Happy reading!
Willard Library App
Manage your library account on the go. Search the catalog, renew borrowed items, and place holds directly from your mobile device.
- Account management
- Catalog search
- Renew checkouts
- Place holds
- Mobile access
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Access Willard Library from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Manage your account, search the catalog, renew checkouts and place holds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Libby, the library app at 4.9 against Willard Library App's 4.2. Libby, the library app also leads on ratings volume (4.4M vs 6) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). Willard Library App's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 84%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Libby, the library app holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Libby, the library app has 4.4M ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Libby, the library app's written reviews are positive against 100% of Willard Library App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Libby, the library app ships an update monthly, Willard Library App every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Libby, the library app | Willard Library App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (4.4M ratings) — better | 4.2 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.4M — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #2 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OverDrive, Inc. | Willard Public Library |
Customer experience
Libby, the library app
Willard Library App
Bugs and requests
Libby, the library app
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Issues with downloading and syncing content
- Unreliable playback controls for audiobooks
- Inconsistent behavior when placing holds
- Disappearing reading history and bookmarks
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to search across multiple libraries
- Custom reading/listening speed controls
- Improved recommendation and discovery tools
- Option to purchase unavailable titles
- Customizable reading experience (fonts, themes)
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- Integration with other e-book/audiobook services
Willard Library App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Libby, the library app
No in-app purchases
Willard Library App
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Libby, the library app free?
Is Willard Library App free?
Which has better reviews, Libby, the library app or Willard Library App?
Do Libby, the library app or Willard Library App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Libby, the library app or Willard Library App?
Other comparisons
