Comparison

CloudLibrary vs Open Library Reader

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

Head to head
About

CloudLibrary

Manage your library account and discover new content. Borrow physical items, access eBooks and audiobooks, and receive helpful reminders. Personalize your reading experience and stay organized with this intuitive library companion.

Highlights
  • Borrow physical and digital items
  • Access eBooks and Audiobooks
  • Manage multiple library accounts
  • Receive due-date reminders
  • Discover library events
  • Personalize reading experience
Currently charting
Read full description

A must-have app for library users! Easily borrow physical items using your mobile device, receive reminders, manage receipts and discover new digital content all within the CloudLibrary app! Extremely intuitive, all it takes is a library card to login and get started! Designed for an enjoyable experience, users can benefit from many new features, depending on their library’s subscription. - Easily accessible library card, which conveniently displays when you’re near the library - Switch accounts with ease and manage multiple library cards from one mobile device - Download and enjoy free eBooks and Audiobooks - Keep track of your physical and digital library activity in one place - Receive helpful receipts, due-date reminders and packable checklists - Visible push notifications alert when hold items are available - View upcoming library events and programs - Checkout print items at your library using your mobile device - Fun and loveable customizations include Themes, Avatars and Nicknames For libraries that have a subscription to offer eBooks and Audiobooks: - Customize your homepage bookshelves to display your preferred genres - Simple interface makes browsing and saving titles a breeze - Filter content by format, availability and language to display exactly what you are looking for - Mark titles as favorites or read to help with literary conversations with friends - Sync digital content across multiple devices to easily pick up where you left off - View current books, full reading history, items on hold and saved titles in one place - Sort titles by name or author to easily find what you’re looking for - Receive reading recommendations or view additional titles by author or series - Select font size, margins and background colors to create your preferred reading experience - Search eBooks for a particular phrase to get back to that one spot you wanted to reference - Bookmark pages and add notes if needed - Return titles early when you’re finished and make available for other readers Elevate your library experience today with the CloudLibrary app!

About

Open Library Reader

Access and read millions of books from an online library. Organize your reading lists, track borrowed books, and discover related titles within a familiar reading interface. Requires an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Browse and check out millions of books
  • Track reading progress and wishlists
  • Built-in search and related title discovery
  • Shelf management and edition changes
  • Checkout tracking for borrowed books
  • Customizable reading interface
Features
Read full description

Open Library is an online library with millions of books to browse or check out. You can track the books that you're reading, want to read, etc. and read many of them right there. PLEASE NOTE: This app is an interface to the openlibrary.org web site — if you don't use that site to read books, you may have trouble figuring out what the app is for. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the site first, and then you'll understand what the app offers. This app is one reader's effort to create the ideal portable experience for taking advantage of Open Library's amazing collection. You'll get the best experience out of this app on an iPad, but you can use it on a smaller screen (if you don't mind squinting). The moment you open the app and log in, any books you've already saved on the Open Library site are laid out on your screen. You can sort them by title, author, publication date, and date saved, see which books are available to read, and open them with a single tap. Once you've opened a book in the familiar reading interface, a tap at the top of the screen will trigger the full screen mode, removing every distraction and expanding the book pages to the limits of your screen for the perfect reading experience. Other features include: - Built-in search: find and add books to your shelves from inside the app. - Shelf management: move books between shelves, remove books, change the edition of a book. - Related title search: choose a book on your shelf and quickly find more books like it. - Checkout tracking: see at a glance how long you have left on limited-access books you've checked out. - Customization: choose which shelves you want to see and manage the size of the books and their titles. This app is essentially an alternative interface to the Open Library site — all of your data is stored there, and the books you read are hosted online, not in the app. As a result, an active internet connection is required when you are using this app. Open Library is an initiative of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. The developer of this app has no legal or contractual relationship with Open Library or the Internet Archive, and bears no responsibility for the content found there.

Screenshots

CloudLibrary4 screens
Open Library Reader1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CloudLibrary at 4.8 against Open Library Reader's 3.0. CloudLibrary also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 26%) and ratings volume (259K vs 50). Open Library Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CloudLibrary holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CloudLibrary has 259K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of CloudLibrary's written reviews are positive against 26% of Open Library Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CloudLibrary ships an update every 6 weeks, Open Library Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
CloudLibrary versus Open Library Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCloudLibraryOpen Library Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (259K ratings) — better3.0 (50 ratings)
Positive reviews56.8% of reviews — better26.2% of reviews
Number of ratings259K — better50
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#42 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOCLCLoomis House, LLC

Customer experience

CloudLibrary

All ratings258,846 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,143 reviews
Positive56.8%
Neutral11.8%
Negative31.4%

Open Library Reader

All ratings50 ratings
Positive44.0%
Neutral14.0%
Negative42.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive26.2%
Neutral19.0%
Negative54.8%

Bugs and requests

CloudLibrary

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to open/download books
  • Losing place in books when reopening app
  • Random page skipping and jumps
  • Corrupted library data and lost reading history
  • Frequent login issues and errors

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved search and browsing functionality
  • Better integration with other reading apps (e.g. Kindle)
  • Progress tracking and bookmarking improvements
  • Option to extend loan periods

Open Library Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CloudLibrary

No in-app purchases

None

Open Library Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CloudLibrary free?
CloudLibrary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Open Library Reader free?
Open Library Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CloudLibrary or Open Library Reader?
CloudLibrary is rated higher. CloudLibrary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 259K ratings, while Open Library Reader averages 3.0 from 50 ratings.
Do CloudLibrary or Open Library Reader have ads?
Neither CloudLibrary nor Open Library Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CloudLibrary or Open Library Reader?
CloudLibrary ships an update every 6 weeks, and Open Library Reader every 2 months. Most recently, CloudLibrary was updated on October 12, 2026 and Open Library Reader on October 8, 2026.

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