Hoopla vs Boundless
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Stream and download content
- Ad-free experience
- Audiobooks and eBooks
- Comics, manga, and graphic novels
- Movies and TV shows
- Music albums
- Offline listening
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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.
Boundless
Access a vast collection of ebooks, digital audiobooks, and videobooks from your local library or school. Enjoy a seamless reading, listening, and watching experience with personalized recommendations and engaging reading programs.
- Discover ebooks, audiobooks, and videobooks
- Read, listen, and watch in one app
- Personalized recommendations
- Join library reading programs
- Track reading progress and earn badges
- Customizable reading experience
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Boundless by Baker & Taylor gives users the ability to discover and enjoy ebooks, digital audiobooks, video and videobooks from their library or school on mobile devices. • Read, listen, and watch all in one app • Supports eRead-Along and videobook content • Recommendations based on your interests • Join reading programs and challenges from your library • See your progress and earn badges for reading achievements • Notetaking, bookmarking, page layout and font controls Boundless is a digital content service from Baker & Taylor, the premier distributor of books and entertainment products to libraries. Boundless Library is a service from Baker & Taylor, the premier distributor of books and entertainment products.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hoopla at 71% against Boundless's 32%. Hoopla also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (1.4M vs 18K). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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 18K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Hoopla's written reviews are positive against 32% of Boundless's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hoopla | Boundless |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.4M ratings) — better | 4.4 (18K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.2% of reviews — better | 32.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.4M — better | 18K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #5 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 177 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Midwest Tape, LLC | Baker & Taylor |
Customer experience
Hoopla
Boundless
User reviews
Hoopla
From 1.4M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent selection of content
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Convenient access to books, audiobooks, movies, and more
- 👍 Great resource for reading/listening
- 👍 Helpful for dyslexic users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy, crashes frequently
- 🔍 Limited search and browsing functionality
- 🔍 Inconsistent syncing across devices
- 🔍 Unintuitive navigation
- 🔍 Missing key features like previewing audiobooks
Boundless
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast access to books
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to navigate
- 🔒 Separate profiles for kids and adults
- 🎨 Customizable reading experience
- 📚 Wide selection of content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent freezing and crashes
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and accessing books
- 📱 Incompatible with some devices
- 🔌 Requires internet connection for offline use
Bugs and 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
Boundless
Reported bugs
4 issues- Books disappearing from user's shelf
- Inability to return or renew books
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between profiles
- Audiobook playback issues
Requested features
5 requests- Improved page turning and navigation controls
- Ability to adjust margins and font settings
- Offline access to downloaded content
- Better integration with other reading apps
- More detailed progress tracking and analytics
In-app purchases
Hoopla
No in-app purchases
Boundless
No in-app purchases
