# LA County Library vs The Palace Project

The clearest difference is rating: The Palace Project at 4.6 against LA County Library's 3.1. The Palace Project also leads on ratings volume (5.5K vs 78) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Palace Project has 5.5K ratings behind it against 78, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of LA County Library'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.

LA County Library ships an update every 2 months, The Palace Project fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LA County Library | The Palace Project |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/la-county-library/id1440488945/reviews) | **[4.6 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 78 | **5.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **30.0% of reviews** | 27.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #208 | **#95** |
| Size | 44 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [LA County Library](https://appshunter.io/developer/1440488944) | [The Palace Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574359695) |

## What reviewers say

### LA County Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/la-county-library/id1440488945)

**Currently charting:** #208 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast collection of books, movies, and music from your local library. Manage your account, place holds, find branches, and discover upcoming events.

**Highlights:** Search catalog, Place holds, Manage account, Find locations, Reserve study rooms, View events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to search books
- 👍 Easy to place holds
- 👍 Easy to renew checked out books
- 👍 Can see checked out items
- 👍 Great for checking out and picking up books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search results page won't scroll
- 🐛 Tapping on title loads forever
- 🐛 Glitch: 'find a copy' instead of 'place a hold'
- 🐛 Cannot isolate search to one branch
- 🐛 App is down, unable to connect to server

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Screen zooms in during search, making app unusable
- 🐛 Search results page won't scroll down
- 🐛 Tapping on a title loads forever
- 🐛 'Find a copy' button instead of 'Place a hold'
- 🐛 App unable to connect to server

**Requested features**

- 💡 Need a save book function/list
- 💡 Ability to make lists of books
- 💡 Migrate lists from website
- 💡 Add lists feature
- 💡 Ability to change default branch


### The Palace Project

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693)

**Currently charting:** #95 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Borrow e-books and audiobooks, Access local library collections, Read or listen to books, Free Palace Bookshelf collection, Requires library card for full access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great selection of books
- 💡 Convenient access to library books
- 👍 Simple and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🤯 Inconsistent user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Books not downloading properly
- Losing place in audiobooks
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to track read/listened books
- Improved audiobook playback controls
- Dark mode option
- Integration with Kindle


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LA County Library free?

LA County Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Palace Project free?

The Palace Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, LA County Library or The Palace Project?

The Palace Project is rated higher. LA County Library averages 3.1 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while The Palace Project averages 4.6 from 5.5K ratings.

### Do LA County Library or The Palace Project have ads?

Neither LA County Library nor The Palace Project shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LA County Library or The Palace Project?

LA County Library ships an update every 2 months, and The Palace Project fortnightly. Most recently, LA County Library was updated on October 26, 2026 and The Palace Project on October 27, 2026.

### Which is more popular, LA County Library or The Palace Project?

LA County Library currently peaks at #208 in the App Store charts, and The Palace Project at #95. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*