Hoopla vs Folio Library
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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Borrow audiobooks, eBooks, movies, TV episodes, comics, and music, all in one app. No subscription. No ads. Just click borrow and press play. Hoopla works with your local public library to bring millions of titles to your phone, tablet, and TV. New titles are added every day, and many are ready to borrow the moment you find them. How it Works 1. Find your library in the Hoopla app 2. Sign in with your library card 3. Start borrowing and enjoy Audiobooks and eBooks - Bestsellers, new releases, indie authors, and classics - Romance, thrillers, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, kids, teens, and more - Listen on your commute, at the gym, or while you wind down - Stream right away or download to enjoy later Movies and TV - Stream movies, TV shows, documentaries, and anime at home or on the go - Watch on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV - SeasonPass lets you borrow a full season of a show and watch at your own pace - Family movies and kids' shows for your next movie night Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga - Superheroes, manga, graphic memoirs, and kids' comics - ActionView guides you panel by panel so you can take in every detail of the art Music - Borrow full albums from today's chart-toppers and all-time favorites - Shuffle music across your borrowed albums to build your own unique playlist Made for how you read, listen, and watch - Apple CarPlay for audiobooks and music on the road - Offline downloads, so you can enjoy borrowed titles without using data - Sleep timer for bedtime listening - Dark mode for comfortable late-night reading - Kids Mode for family-friendly browsing - Titles return automatically, so there are never late fees - Hoopla BingePass gives you seven days of access to a collection of premium content with one borrow All you need is a library card from a participating public library. Don't have one yet? Check with your local library about getting a card. Hoopla is offered in thousands of libraries. Available titles, formats, and borrowing limits vary by library. Titles are licensed, not owned, and availability may change at any time due to publisher agreements.
Folio Library
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Your library, finally organized — and shared with the people who live in it. Folio is the easiest way to keep track of the books in your home. Point your camera at a barcode and Folio pulls the cover, title, and details automatically — no typing required. From there, it's yours to shelve, rate, and revisit whenever you like. But Folio isn't just a personal list. It's built for households. Live with a partner, roommate, or family who also reads? Everyone gets their own shelf, their own ratings, and their own "currently reading" — while still being able to see the full household library in one place. No more "wait, do we already own this?" No more duplicate copies of the same paperback. Scan it in seconds Point, scan, done. Folio fetches the cover art, author, publisher, and description automatically, so adding a book takes moments, not minutes. Track what matters to you Ownership and reading progress are tracked separately, because they're not the same thing. Mark a book as yours, a shared family copy, or one you're borrowing — and independently track whether it's on your TBR pile, in progress, finished, or abandoned halfway through (no judgment). See the whole household shelf Everyone's books, side by side. See who owns what, who's reading what, and whose glowing (or scathing) review is waiting for you on a book you're considering. Never buy a duplicate again Add a book and Folio flags it if someone in your household already owns it — so you can borrow instead of buy. Build a wishlist together One shared wishlist for the whole household, sorted by priority, so gift-giving and bookstore trips are easier. Organize your way Custom tags, custom shelf locations ("Bedroom shelf," "Storage bin," "Loaned out"), and personal lists for whatever you're curating — a summer reading list, a book club queue, an all-time favorites shelf. Recommend without the group chat Found something a housemate would love? Send it straight to their shelf with a note attached. Rate, review, and remember Star ratings and personal notes for every book, visible to your household so everyone can see what you actually thought — not just what you finished. Folio is designed for the way real households read: independently, together, and usually with strong opinions about who left a book facedown and cracked the spine.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Hoopla at #5 against Folio Library's unranked. Hoopla also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). 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 ships an update monthly, Folio Library every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hoopla | Folio Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.4M ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.4M — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #5 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Midwest Tape, LLC | Kelsey O'Connor |
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
Folio Library
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hoopla
No in-app purchases
Folio Library
No in-app purchases








