Aspen LiDA vs MetroShare Libraries
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aspen LiDA
Discover books, movies, and games from your library anywhere. Search the full catalog, including digital content, to find titles, place holds, and manage your loans.
- Search entire library catalog
- Discover books, movies, and games
- Access eContent
- Place holds on items
- Check due dates
- Renew eligible titles
Read full descriptionHide full description
Aspen LiDA allows you to explore your library on the go to find new books, movies, games, or your old favorites! Quickly search the entire catalog, including eContent, and place holds, check due dates and renew eligible titles.
MetroShare Libraries
Access your local library's catalog from your mobile device. Search for books, movies, and games, place holds, and manage your account by checking due dates and renewing items.
- Search library catalog
- Find books, movies, games
- Place holds on items
- Check due dates
- Renew eligible titles
- Explore eContent
Read full descriptionHide full description
The MetroShare app allows you to explore your library on the go to find new books, movies, games, or your old favorites! Quickly search the entire catalog, including eContent, and place holds, check due dates and renew eligible titles. MetroShare is a library consortium featuring Benbrook Public Library, Burleson Public Library, Decatur Public Library, Forest Hill Public Library, Haltom City Public Library, Haslet Public Library, Keller Public Library, Richland Hills Public Library, Roanoke Public Library, Saginaw Public Library, and Watauga Public Library. MetroShare is funded in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (Grant Number CAP-22081). (2022)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Aspen LiDA at 235 against MetroShare Libraries's 7. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.4 for Aspen LiDA against 1.4 for MetroShare Libraries. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aspen LiDA has 235 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 9% of Aspen LiDA's written reviews are positive against 17% of MetroShare Libraries's.
Aspen LiDA ships an update monthly, MetroShare Libraries every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aspen LiDA | MetroShare Libraries |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.4 (235 ratings) | 1.4 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 9.2% of reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 235 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ByWater Solutions | Benbrook Public Library |
Customer experience
Aspen LiDA
MetroShare Libraries
Bugs and requests
Aspen LiDA
Reported bugs
58 issues- App kicks users out
- App doesn't renew books with holds
- App doesn't renew all books even when Renew All is pressed
- App won't open, shows spinning wheel
- App freezes
Show 53 moreShow fewer
- App constantly doesn't load things
- App boots users out and won't allow reopening
- App requires re-login every time
- App loads perpetually
- App won't open, just sits on initial page spinning
- App won't open on modern phone
- App stops working, sits on first screen with spinner
- App logs out in the middle of use
- App doesn't respond when opened
- App crashes
- App won't open at all
- App doesn't recognize number or password
- App has no way of resetting or crashes
- App has a Server Connection Error
- App doesn't load
- App is super slow to load anything
- App is hard to search by genre
- App won't let users search for their library to log in
- App continually logs out
- App won't let users type account number or anything
- App freezes when trying to type library card number
- App doesn't recognize user/new card
- App says 'select library' and nothing happens when searching
- App won't load after update
- App requires signing in every day and is not functional
- App has glitches
- App automatically checks out magazines
- App logs users out and won't let them enter location before login
- App crashes and logs users out
- App cannot search for library
- App search bar shrinks when typing, results not visible
- App is logged out every 3rd time it's opened
- App won't open, stuck at 'SELECT YOUR LIBRARY'
- App doesn't show library name when typed
- App barely works and constantly crashes
- App is slow
- App crashes often
- App doesn't load pages
- App almost never lets users place a hold
- App crashes immediately on opening
- App doesn't retain account data
- App prompts for volume title when placing holds
- App spins and never completes holds
- App crashes all the time
- App crashes after an update
- App cannot find library using location or search
- App doesn't load discover categories
- App indicates a problem after crashing, requires re-entry of library card and PIN
- App doesn't save login info in iPhone password feature
- App doesn't function properly, ebook checkouts don't appear
- App spins and spins and never loads
- App is impossible to search
- App shows 'bad request' when trying to place a hold
Requested features
7 requests- Show position in hold queue
- Allow saving login information
- Implement facial/fingerprint recognition for login
- Improve search functionality for genres/topics
- Allow managing multiple library cards
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Fix automatic magazine checkouts
- Improve discover categories loading
MetroShare Libraries
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Aspen LiDA
No in-app purchases
MetroShare Libraries
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Aspen LiDA free?
Is MetroShare Libraries free?
Which has better reviews, Aspen LiDA or MetroShare Libraries?
Do Aspen LiDA or MetroShare Libraries have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aspen LiDA or MetroShare Libraries?
Other comparisons
