Comparison

DBRL Mobile vs Hoopla

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DBRL Mobile

Access your library's collection from your phone. Browse, search, and discover books, music, and movies. Manage your account, place holds, and check item availability with ease.

Highlights
  • Search library catalog
  • View title details and reviews
  • Check availability and place holds
  • Manage account and due dates
  • Rate items and add to 'For Later'
  • Browse bestsellers and new titles
  • Find library hours and directions
Features
Read full description

Keep a library in your pocket! DBRL Mobile makes it easy to find books, music and movies, see what’s available at your library, place holds and manage your account. Features: • Quickly search the library catalog and use filters to zero in on the title you’re looking for. • Get the details on any title including descriptions, ratings and reviews. • Check a title’s availability—even map the locations where the title is available now—and place holds. • Manage your account: check to see if your holds are ready, renew titles, suspend holds or instantly see when your books due. • Keep track of your interests: rate an item with one touch or add a title to your “For Later” list. • Browse bestsellers, new titles and recent reviews. • Check library hours and get directions to the nearest Daniel Boone Regional Library location.

About

Hoopla

Access a vast digital library of books, comics, movies, music, and more, all within a single application. Stream or download content for free with your library card, enjoying an ad-free experience and features like offline listening and dark mode.

Highlights
  • Stream and download content
  • Ad-free experience
  • Audiobooks and eBooks
  • Comics, manga, and graphic novels
  • Movies and TV shows
  • Music albums
  • Offline listening
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Thousands of free books, audio, comics, and more available right now with your library card. No subscription. No ads. Just borrow and read. Hoopla Digital connects your local public library to your phone, giving you instant access to thousands of free audiobooks, eBooks, comics, graphic novels, manga, and magazines with new titles added daily. Free Books and Audiobooks Available Right Now Borrow audiobooks and eBooks of all genres. From romance to psychological thrillers, discover chart-topping new releases, indie authors, and classics to stream or download anytime. Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels Dive into an enormous library of comics and manga across every genre. Our ActionView feature brings panel-by-panel reading to life with stunning detail. Watch Free Movies and TV Stream movies, anime, documentaries, and TV shows at home or on the go. Use BingePass for seven-day unlimited access to premium channels like Hallmark+ and PBS or SeasonPass to borrow and binge watch the full season in one sitting. Listen to Music Albums Borrow full albums by artists like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars and Morgan Wallen. Shuffle between multiple albums to create a unique playlist of songs by your favorite musical artists. Built for How You Live • Apple CarPlay support for hands-free audiobooks and music on the road • Dark mode for comfortable late-night reading • Sleep timer so you never lose your place • Offline downloads — no data needed once borrowed All you need is a free library card from a participating library.

Screenshots

DBRL Mobile4 screens
Hoopla4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hoopla at 4.8 against DBRL Mobile's 4.4. Hoopla also leads on ratings volume (1.4M vs 11) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). DBRL Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 71%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hoopla holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hoopla has 1.4M ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of DBRL Mobile's written reviews are positive against 71% of Hoopla's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DBRL Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Hoopla monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
DBRL Mobile versus Hoopla: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDBRL MobileHoopla
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (11 ratings)4.8 (1.4M ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better71.0% of reviews
Number of ratings111.4M — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB104 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDaniel Boone Regional LibraryMidwest Tape, LLC

Customer experience

DBRL Mobile

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Hoopla

All ratings1,376,239 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews3,476 reviews
Positive71.0%
Neutral8.9%
Negative20.1%

Bugs and requests

DBRL Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Hoopla

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Issues with downloading and playing content
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Problems with returning borrowed items

Requested features

5 requests
  • Increase monthly borrow limit
  • Add ability to preview audiobooks before borrowing
  • Improve page navigation and bookmarking
  • Enhance cross-device syncing
  • Introduce dark mode and customization options

In-app purchases

None

DBRL Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Hoopla

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DBRL Mobile free?
DBRL Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hoopla free?
Hoopla is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DBRL Mobile or Hoopla?
Hoopla is rated higher. DBRL Mobile averages 4.4 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Hoopla averages 4.8 from 1.4M ratings.
Do DBRL Mobile or Hoopla have ads?
Neither DBRL Mobile nor Hoopla shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DBRL Mobile or Hoopla?
DBRL Mobile ships an update every 3 months, and Hoopla monthly. Most recently, DBRL Mobile was updated on September 19, 2026 and Hoopla on September 24, 2026.

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