HPPL vs Budburst
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HPPL
Access library resources and services remotely. Discover new materials, manage your account, and register for programs. Your digital library card is available for easy checkouts.
- Search and browse library collection
- Manage account, renew items, place holds
- Stream and download digital media
- Access digital library card
- Register for programs and events
- Reserve meeting rooms
Read full descriptionHide full description
Access Highland Park Public Library, anytime, anywhere. Use the HPPL app to discover new items, place holds, access digital materials, reserve meeting rooms, manage your account, register for programs, and access Library services on your mobile device. Features: • Search the collection and browse new books, movies, music, and more • Check due dates, renew items, and place holds • Stream and download eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music, and more • Access your digital library card from your device, use to check out items • Add your digital library card to Apple Wallet • Add and manage multiple household accounts • Find storytimes, author appearances, and other programs • Register for programs and events, and easily view your registrations • Reserve meeting rooms
Budburst
Observe and record plant data to contribute to a national community science project. Identify plants, track their life cycles, and collaborate with others to understand and preserve nature.
- Observe plants with interactive map
- In-app plant identification tool
- Monitor plant life cycles
- Track plant-animal interactions
- Collaborate in community groups
Read full descriptionHide full description
Capturing the beauty of nature and collecting plant data has never been easier. With the Budburst app, you can contribute to a national community science project by observing plants, uploading your data, and sharing your findings in an instant. When you use the Budburst app, you can observe plants in your area with the interactive map, learn about plants with the in-app identification tool, monitor plant life cycles and plant-animal interactions over time, and collaborate in groups with other community scientists. Preserve the nature around you by helping us better understand it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Budburst at 4.2 against HPPL's 3.3. Budburst also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 33%). 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.
Budburst holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of HPPL's written reviews are positive against 50% of Budburst's.
HPPL ships an update every 12 months, Budburst every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HPPL | Budburst |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 13 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Highland Park Public Library | Chicago Botanic Garden |
Customer experience
HPPL
Budburst
In-app purchases
HPPL
No in-app purchases
Budburst
No in-app purchases
