CW MARS Libraries vs The Palace Project
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CW MARS Libraries
Access the shared catalog of libraries across Central and Western Massachusetts. Requires a library card and password from a participating CW MARS member library to use.
- Access shared library catalog
- Search for books and materials
- Manage library account
- Find participating libraries
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CW MARS Libraries gives you access to the shared library catalog for all CW MARS member libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. To use this app, you must have a library card from a CW MARS member library, and know your password. If you do not know your password, or need a library card, please contact your local library.
The Palace Project
Access and enjoy e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free. Discover new titles, borrow them instantly with your library card, and read or listen anywhere. Even without a participating library, enjoy a collection of free books.
- Borrow e-books and audiobooks
- Access local library collections
- Read or listen to books
- Free Palace Bookshelf collection
- Requires library card for full access
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Palace is a free, easy-to-use e-reader app that lets you find, check out, and read or listen to books from your local library. It’s been said that libraries are “palaces for the people” and the Palace app gives you instant access to your local “palace” any time, right from the palm of your hand. All you need to sign up is your library card! And even if your library isn’t using Palace yet, you can still read more than 10,000 books--from children’s books to classics to foreign language books--for free from our Palace Bookshelf. The Palace app is built and maintained by Lyrasis, a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with Digital Public Library of America with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more, visit https://thepalaceproject.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Palace Project at 4.6 against CW MARS Libraries's 3.8. The Palace Project also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 26). CW MARS Libraries's advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 27%). 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.
The Palace Project holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Palace Project has 5.2K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of CW MARS Libraries's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Palace Project's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CW MARS Libraries ships an update every 4 months, The Palace Project fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CW MARS Libraries | The Palace Project |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (26 ratings) | 4.6 (5.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better | 26.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 | 5.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #89 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kenneth Cox | The Palace Project |
Customer experience
CW MARS Libraries
The Palace Project
Bugs and requests
CW MARS Libraries
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
The Palace Project
Reported bugs
4 issues- Books not downloading properly
- Losing place in audiobooks
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to track read/listened books
- Improved audiobook playback controls
- Dark mode option
- Integration with Kindle
In-app purchases
CW MARS Libraries
No in-app purchases
The Palace Project
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CW MARS Libraries free?
Is The Palace Project free?
Which has better reviews, CW MARS Libraries or The Palace Project?
Do CW MARS Libraries or The Palace Project have ads?
Which is updated more often, CW MARS Libraries or The Palace Project?
Other comparisons
