LibAnywhere vs SPL Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LibAnywhere
Access your library's catalog from your mobile device. Search for books, place holds, renew items, and view upcoming events. Connect with participating libraries to manage your account on the go.
- Search library catalog
- Place holds and reserve items
- View checked-out items
- Renew items
- See upcoming events
- Contact a librarian
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The library catalog is now available for your mobile phone! Search, discover, and interact with participating libraries--anywhere you are, right away. Search the catalog, place a hold and reserve items, see what you have checked out, renew items, see upcoming events, contact a librarian, and more. Library Anywhere collaborates with participating libraries. If you don't see your library listed, ask them to join.
SPL Mobile
Access library services on the go with this mobile app. Search the collection, place holds, renew items, and discover new titles. Download eBooks and eAudiobooks, and stay updated on library information.
- Search library collection with filters
- Browse bestsellers and new releases
- View title details and community reviews
- Place and manage holds
- Renew borrowed items
- Download eBooks and eAudiobooks
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Take Sunnyvale Public Library wherever you go! The new Sunnyvale Public Library free mobile app makes it easy to find and discover titles, place holds, renew items, rate titles, create lists and get information about our library. Features: • Quickly search the collection, with filters to zero in on the kinds of titles you’re seeking • Browse bestsellers and new material • Get the details on any title, anytime and anywhere, including descriptions, community reviews and commentary • Check a title’s availability • Check to see if your holds are ready for pick up • Find and download eBooks and eAudiobooks • Instantly check due dates and renew your items
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SPL Mobile at 67% against LibAnywhere's 15%. SPL Mobile also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.4). LibAnywhere's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SPL Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of LibAnywhere's written reviews are positive against 67% of SPL Mobile's.
LibAnywhere ships an update every 2 months, SPL Mobile every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LibAnywhere | SPL Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.4 (28 ratings) | 4.7 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.5% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LibraryThing.com | City of Sunnyvale |
Customer experience
LibAnywhere
SPL Mobile
Bugs and requests
LibAnywhere
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes on startup or when selecting libraries
- Blank white screen with only menu bars
- Login fails with 'Error Processing' message
- Cannot place holds or request books
- Search returns no results or incorrect results
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Cannot view checked-out items or account details
- Session times out during use
- Barcode scanner doesn't work
- Text truncation and display issues
- App doesn't rotate to landscape mode
- Internal error messages
- Libraries disappear from app after updates
- Cannot reset PIN
- Text overlapping on screen making app unusable
- Parser errors during catalog searches
- App loses saved items and preferences
- Cannot access items out page or specific account sections
Requested features
14 requests- Save library card number and PIN permanently
- Remember user's home library automatically
- Support for multiple library cards/family accounts
- Barcode scanner functionality that works
- Advanced search filters (by type, author, etc.)
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Display circulation numbers for books
- Integration with device calendar for due dates
- Interlibrary loan management
- E-book download capability
- Favorite libraries feature
- Better sorting options for checked-out items
- Keep user logged in across sessions
- Display book details and descriptions
- Support for more libraries and library systems
SPL Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LibAnywhere
No in-app purchases
SPL Mobile
No in-app purchases
