My Library App vs RestBud
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
My Library App
Manage your library account on the go. Search catalogs, renew borrowed items, and place holds on new books. Access services from numerous participating libraries across various boroughs.
- Account management
- Catalogue search
- Renew books
- Reserve books
- Access multiple libraries
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Access Libraries Consortium libraries from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Manage your account, search the catalogue, renew and reserve books. The Libraries Consortium is made up of libraries from the following boroughs: Barking and Dagenham Libraries Brent Libraries Ealing Libraries Enfield Libraries Hackney Libraries Harrow Libraries Havering Libraries Kingston Libraries Lewisham Libraries Luton Libraries Merton Libraries Newham Libraries Sutton Libraries Tower Hamlets Libraries Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Waltham Forest Libraries
RestBud
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A schedule-style screen-time manager for parents, installed on your child's iPhone or iPad. Built-in Screen Time is a blunt tool. RestBud adds eight things it can't do: • Lock schedules — apps you add to a Lock are blocked all day by default; check weekdays and set one or more unlock windows (say, 7:00–12:00 plus 14:00–16:00 on Mon/Wed/Fri) and they open and close automatically. • Rest cycles — apps you add to a Rest must take a break (say, 5 minutes) after the play time you set (say, 30 minutes), then unlock automatically, on repeat. • Daily limits — put several apps on one list and give them a shared daily total (say, 1 hour across three games); once it's used up they all lock until tomorrow, and the parent screen shows roughly how much has been used today. • Website allow list — turn it on and only the sites you list open (say, YouTube and school sites); everything else is blocked, and your child can see the allowed sites on the home screen. • Ask for more time — when an app is locked, your child can tap "Ask for 10 more minutes"; approve it on the RestBud home screen and only that app opens for 10 minutes, then locks again. No arguing, no waiting around. • Device protections — one switch each for built-in iPhone restrictions: no deleting or installing apps, no in-app purchases, date and time locked to automatic, adult websites blocked. No more digging through Settings. • Your family's voice — when time is up, your child hears a recording of you, not a cold alarm. • Usage history — see which apps your child used each day and week, and for how long, with managed apps marked. iOS measures and draws the numbers; RestBud never reads or stores them. The blocked screen is a gentle sprout illustration that even tells your child what time they can play again — not a scary blocking page. • Set it once and it runs itself: rules are enforced by the system scheduler, even if the app is closed • A parental gate protects all settings • Deletion protection: turn it on and your child can't delete RestBud; when you need to delete an app yourself, allow it for 10 minutes and protection comes back on its own • Completely free, no account, no ads, no data collection — everything stays on this device; a voluntary tip jar lives behind the parental gate RestBud is built on Apple's official Screen Time technology.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: My Library App at none against RestBud's 3. My Library App also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). RestBud's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support 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. RestBud sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. My Library App asks for nothing beyond the download.
My Library App ships an update every 2 months, RestBud every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | My Library App | RestBud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 6.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | London Borough of Sutton | RUEI YI WU |
Bugs and requests
My Library App
Reported bugs
42 issues- App frequently stops working
- App signs users out multiple times a day
- Barcode scanner not working or working with errors
- App keeps logging out and unlinking accounts
- App crashes on older devices (iPad Mini 2)
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- App fails to connect to server
- App shows blank support page
- App has not been working for extended periods (months)
- App unable to connect to any services
- Catalogue search not working
- Account shows returned books as still on loan
- App does not open for some users
- Returned books not being removed from account
- Unable to delete returned books
- Unable to renew books
- Error when trying to sign in again after deletion
- App shows returned books still on loan
- Cannot search library catalogs
- App records are incorrect or incomplete
- App loses linked account information frequently
- Reserved books not being delivered to the library
- App does not have a search function on iPhone version
- App does not scroll down on iPhone version
- App only searches ebooks, not whole library content
- Pictures not loading for reserved items
- App refuses to recognise internet connection
- App shows 'unable to connect to server' error
- App regularly deletes all account information
- App not showing loans to renew, leading to overcharging
- App won't log in, requiring library visit to sort
- App frequently shows incomplete records or loses information
- App takes a long time to load data
- App is glitchy
- App search facility is poor
- App often requires re-entry of card number and PIN
- App frequently does not work
- App unable to log on for multiple days
- App cannot find local libraries
- App cannot create an account
- App search facility shows distant libraries
- App is unreliable
- App won't reinstall after deletion
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to pay fees on the app
- Add reading list function
- Ask which linked user account wants to place a hold
- Link children's accounts to parent's account
- Search by author or both title and author
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- Help section or reset PIN
RestBud
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
My Library App
No in-app purchases
RestBud
- Small Coffee$0.99
- Medium Coffee$4.99
- Large Coffee$9.99









