SPLWylie vs Open Book
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SPLWylie
Access your library's collection and services from your mobile device. Browse items, place holds, manage your account, and check for upcoming events. You can also scan barcodes to check item availability.
- Browse library collection
- Place holds on items
- Link to digital platforms
- Manage your account
- Check events calendar
- Scan item barcodes for availability
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SPLWylie is the library at your fingertips! Features: Browse the collection, Place Holds, Link to digital platforms, Manage your account, Check the events calendar, Scan any item's barcode anywhere and see its availability in your library, Notify the library you are on your way to pick up your holds via the drive-thru window
Open Book
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Open Book blocks adult content and the apps that pull you off track, using Apple's built-in Screen Time controls. You set it up, you manage it, and your choices stay on your iPhone. 30-DAY CHALLENGE Start a 30-day challenge from Home. Every day that blocking stays on with no pause counts as a kept day. See all 30 days at a glance, get a short note after days 7, 14, 21 and 30, and start over whenever you want. Earn a named rank as your kept days add up, from First day to 30 days. Your challenge is kept on your iPhone. AN URGE BUTTON When an urge hits, tap "I have an urge" on Home. A one-minute breathing guide helps it pass, and your own reasons, up to three, are there to read. Your reasons stay on your iPhone. NATIVE BLOCKING. NO VPN. Open Book uses Apple's Screen Time framework, not a VPN or traffic inspection. When blocking is on, Safari's adult-content filter turns on automatically. Use Apple's own picker to choose apps, app categories and websites to block. KEEP THE APPS YOU NEED Blocking a whole category? Add app exceptions so a work chat app or another app you rely on keeps working. SHORT PAUSES ON YOUR TERMS Need a break? Pause blocking for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Blocking is scheduled to resume when the pause ends, and you can resume it sooner. iOS may delay the resume while your phone is idle. YOUR ACTIVITY, PRIVATELY The Activity tab lists when blocking started or stopped and when pauses began and ended. Filter it by type. It records event types and times only, never websites, app names or browsing history. WEEKLY RECAP Turn on the weekly recap from Activity to get a short notification each Sunday evening. It counts your pauses for the week and the days you had none. The recap is built on your iPhone from your Activity log. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your blocking choices, activity log, challenge and recaps stay on your device. Open Book never sees your browsing and doesn't share your activity with anyone. To improve the app, it sends a few anonymous usage events, such as starting or finishing a challenge. They never include websites, app names or Screen Time data, and they aren't linked to your account. A minimal account, created without an email or password, supports purchase restore and account deletion. You can delete it anytime in Settings. YOU'RE IN CONTROL Stop blocking whenever you want, after a 30-second wait that gives an urge time to pass, unless you have started a Strict mode lock. You can also turn off Screen Time access in iPhone Settings at any time. Open Book is for managing your own iPhone. It is not a parental-monitoring tool. STRICT MODE (OPEN BOOK PLUS) Want a firmer commitment? Strict mode locks blocking for 1, 3, 7 or 30 days. Until the lock ends, Open Book won't stop blocking, pause, remove apps or add exceptions. You can also make stopping take longer: wait 5, 15 or 60 minutes instead of 30 seconds. Strict mode only limits Open Book's own controls. Each lock has one emergency exit: after your stop wait, it ends the lock early and blocking stays on. Turning off Screen Time access in iPhone Settings still ends all blocking at any time, and a built-in guide shows how to put a Screen Time passcode on those settings. Strict mode requires Open Book Plus: a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Everything else in Open Book is free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. A subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. The lifetime purchase is a single payment and does not renew. Restore a purchase in Settings > Account & subscription. Privacy Policy: https://useopenbook.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://useopenbook.com/terms Support: https://useopenbook.com/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SPLWylie at none against Open Book's 3. SPLWylie also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Open Book's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and ads 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. Open Book sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. SPLWylie asks for nothing beyond the download.
SPLWylie ships an update every 3 weeks, Open Book every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SPLWylie | Open Book |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rita & Truett Smith Public Library | Reno Labs, LLC |
In-app purchases
SPLWylie
No in-app purchases
Open Book
- Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
- Plus Annual14 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Plus Lifetime$99.99









