Comparison

CloudLibrary vs The Palace Project

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

The Palace Project

Access and enjoy e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free. Discover new titles, borrow them instantly with your library card, and read or listen anywhere. Even without a participating library, enjoy a collection of free books.

Highlights
  • Borrow e-books and audiobooks
  • Access local library collections
  • Read or listen to books
  • Free Palace Bookshelf collection
  • Requires library card for full access
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Palace is a free, easy-to-use e-reader app that lets you find, check out, and read or listen to books from your local library. It’s been said that libraries are “palaces for the people” and the Palace app gives you instant access to your local “palace” any time, right from the palm of your hand. All you need to sign up is your library card! And even if your library isn’t using Palace yet, you can still read more than 10,000 books--from children’s books to classics to foreign language books--for free from our Palace Bookshelf. The Palace app is built and maintained by Lyrasis, a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with Digital Public Library of America with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more, visit https://thepalaceproject.org.

Screenshots

CloudLibrary4 screens
The Palace Project4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CloudLibrary at 56% against The Palace Project's 27%. CloudLibrary also leads on ratings volume (253K vs 5.2K) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). The Palace Project's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). 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

CloudLibrary holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CloudLibrary has 253K ratings behind it against 5.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of CloudLibrary's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Palace Project's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CloudLibrary ships an update every 6 weeks, The Palace Project fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
CloudLibrary versus The Palace Project: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCloudLibraryThe Palace Project
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (253K ratings) — better4.6 (5.2K ratings)
Positive reviews56.5% of reviews — better26.6% of reviews
Number of ratings253K — better5.2K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#34 — better#92
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size161 MB46 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperOCLCThe Palace Project

Customer experience

CloudLibrary

All ratings252,880 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,089 reviews
Positive56.5%
Neutral11.9%
Negative31.6%

The Palace Project

All ratings5,169 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews282 reviews
Positive26.6%
Neutral23.0%
Negative50.4%

User reviews

CloudLibrary

From 253K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient access to library books
  • 🚀 Wide selection of books
  • 👍 Great resource during the pandemic
  • 👍 Ability to read/listen on multiple devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Unreliable page/progress tracking
  • 🐛 Inconsistent user experience
  • 🐛 Slow performance and loading times
  • 🐛 Confusing navigation and interface

The Palace Project

From 5.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great selection of books
  • 💡 Convenient access to library books
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔍 Poor search functionality
  • 🤯 Inconsistent user experience

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

The Palace Project

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Books not downloading properly
  • Losing place in audiobooks
  • Crashing and freezing issues
  • Incompatibility with certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to track read/listened books
  • Improved audiobook playback controls
  • Dark mode option
  • Integration with Kindle

In-app purchases

None

CloudLibrary

No in-app purchases

None

The Palace Project

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CloudLibrary free?
CloudLibrary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Palace Project free?
The Palace Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CloudLibrary or The Palace Project?
CloudLibrary is rated higher. CloudLibrary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 253K ratings, while The Palace Project averages 4.6 from 5.2K ratings.
Do CloudLibrary or The Palace Project have ads?
Neither CloudLibrary nor The Palace Project shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CloudLibrary or The Palace Project?
CloudLibrary ships an update every 6 weeks, and The Palace Project fortnightly. Most recently, CloudLibrary was updated on September 24, 2026 and The Palace Project on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, CloudLibrary or The Palace Project?
CloudLibrary currently peaks at #34 in the App Store charts, and The Palace Project at #92. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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