CloudLibrary vs BorrowBox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Borrow physical and digital items
- Access eBooks and Audiobooks
- Manage multiple library accounts
- Receive due-date reminders
- Discover library events
- Personalize reading experience
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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!
BorrowBox
Access a vast digital library of eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers from your local library. Browse, borrow, and enjoy content on any device with seamless syncing and personalized features.
- Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers
- All library formats in one app
- Read and listen directly in the app
- Curated collections and themes
- Multi-language browsing
- Automatic new issue downloads
- Cross-device syncing
- Adjustable playback speed and sleep timer
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Discover the Ultimate Library Experience – Borrow eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – All in One Place. With BorrowBox, browsing, borrowing, reading, or listening has never been simpler. Take your library with you, wherever you go, whenever you want. If your local library offers BorrowBox, simply sign in with your membership details to unlock a world of digital reading and listening. ALL YOUR LIBRARY FAVOURITES, ONE APP Explore eAudiobooks, eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers – all the formats your library offers, all in one place. EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE Read or listen to your borrowed titles directly in the app. No extra downloads, no extra steps. MADE FOR YOU Enjoy curated collections and themes that make discovering your next read and listen a breeze. BROWSE IN ANY LANGUAGE Our Language Browsing feature makes it simple to find content in multiple languages, tailored for different audiences. NEVER MISS A RELEASE Subscribe to your favourite eMagazines or eNewspapers, and they’ll be borrowed and downloaded automatically as new issues arrive. STAY IN SYNC Your reading and listening progress seamlessly follows you across all your devices. TAILORED TO YOU Set a sleep timer for your eAudiobooks, add your favourites to your reading lists, and adjust playback speed to suit your listening style.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BorrowBox at every 6 days against CloudLibrary's every 6 weeks. BorrowBox also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 57%). CloudLibrary's advantage is ratings volume (259K vs 863) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for CloudLibrary against 4.7 for BorrowBox. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CloudLibrary has 259K ratings behind it against 863, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of CloudLibrary's written reviews are positive against 77% of BorrowBox's.
CloudLibrary ships an update every 6 weeks, BorrowBox every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.
| Parameter | CloudLibrary | BorrowBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (259K ratings) — better | 4.7 (863 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | 76.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 259K — better | 863 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #39 — better | #95 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 164 MB | 166 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OCLC | Bolinda digital |
Customer experience
CloudLibrary
BorrowBox
User reviews
CloudLibrary
From 259K App Store ratingsWhat 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
BorrowBox
From 863 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient access to books
- 💡 Free service through local library
- 🎧 Great for audiobooks
- 📚 Wide selection of books
Room to improve
- 🕰️ Long wait times for popular books
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 🔖 Lack of bookmark/progress tracking features
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🐛 App crashes and bugs
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
BorrowBox
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes after recent update
- Loses reading progress when switching devices
- Night mode issues with invisible text
- Audiobook controls not working with Bluetooth
- Inconsistent behavior when using sleep timer
Requested features
5 requests- Add a wishlist or reading list feature
- Improve search and filtering capabilities
- Implement bookmark/progress tracking for audiobooks
- Integrate with Apple CarPlay for safer driving
- Add user reviews and ratings for books
In-app purchases
CloudLibrary
No in-app purchases
BorrowBox
No in-app purchases









