Hardcover.app vs Seattle Public Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hardcover.app
This app helps you organize and discover books. Track what you've read, create custom lists, and see what friends are reading. Set reading goals and share your thoughts on books.
- Track read and to-read books
- Organize with lists and tags
- See friends' reading activity
- Discover trending books
- Rate and review books
- Set reading goals
- Track reading statistics
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Hardcover is a book tracking app with a social side, built for readers, not algorithms. Add books you’ve read or want to read. Keep your library tidy with lists and tags. See what your friends are reading, explore trending picks, and discover hidden gems through curated lists. Rate, review, and share your thoughts. Make your profile public, private, or friends-only—your reading, your rules. Set goals, track your stats, and find your reading rhythm. We use Apple's standard Terms of Service (EULA). https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Seattle Public Library
Access the library's catalog, manage your account, and check out books from your mobile device. You can also find branches, reserve rooms, and explore library resources.
- Search catalog and place holds
- Digital library card
- Instant checkout by scanning
- Manage account and borrowing
- Scan ISBN to find books
- Find branches and hours
- Reserve rooms
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With The Seattle Public Library app, you can search our catalog, check out books and manage your account right from your phone or tablet! - Search our entire catalog and place holds directly from the app, then use your digital library card at a checkout station (you can add it to the wallet on your phone too). Or scan the material with the app to check it out instantly. - Check your account details and manage your borrowing on the go. - Scan an ISBN to quickly find it in our catalog, whether you're browsing in a bookstore or organizing your home collection. - Quickly find the branch nearest to you, and see open hours for every location. - Reserve a room and manage your reservations right from the app. - Switch the language you use to navigate the app to Spanish, Vietnamese or Chinese (Traditional and Simplified). - Explore our resources and see what’s happening at your Library!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Seattle Public Library at none against Hardcover.app's 2. Seattle Public Library also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 52%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Hardcover.app sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Seattle Public Library asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Hardcover.app against 4.3 for Seattle Public Library. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 25 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of Hardcover.app's written reviews are positive against 75% of Seattle Public Library's.
Hardcover.app ships an update every 6 months, Seattle Public Library every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hardcover.app | Seattle Public Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (66 ratings) | 4.3 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.2% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 66 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hardcover LLC | The Seattle Public Library |
Customer experience
Hardcover.app
Seattle Public Library
In-app purchases
Hardcover.app
- Supporter - Monthly$4.991 Month
- Supporter - Yearly$49.991 Year
Seattle Public Library
No in-app purchases









