Chicago Public Library vs DC Public Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chicago Public Library
Manage your library account, search the catalog, and discover new titles. Track borrowed items, place holds, and find events. Use your digital library card for in-person checkouts.
- Manage checked out items
- Place holds on materials
- Renew borrowed items
- Search library catalog
- Track reading history
- Browse new titles
- Find library events
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Which branch has the book I want? What's available now from my For Later shelf? When are my DVDs due? Use CPL's app to manage your account and find new titles. Features: - See what you have checked out - Place holds - Renew materials - Search the CPL catalog - Keep track of what you've read and would like to read - Browse new and on order titles - Find upcoming events at your preferred location - View hours, locations and contact information - Use the app to show your library card when checking out materials in person - Scan the barcode of a book, DVD or CD to search for it in CPL's catalog
DC Public Library
Access a vast collection of books, DVDs, and digital media from your local library. Manage your account, place holds, and discover nearby branches and events.
- Search library catalog
- Manage library account
- Place and cancel holds
- Renew checked-out items
- Find nearest library branch
- Access digital library resources
- Browse library events
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All DC Public Library has to offer -- in your hands! The DC Library app is your portal to enjoying DC Public Library services on your mobile device. With it, you can quickly search library resources, find information and materials and get full access to your library account -- wherever you are! With the DC Library app, you can: - Search the catalog for books, DVDs and more - Access your account and pay fines - Place or cancel holds on items - Renew checked-out materials - Find the library nearest to you in the District - Access ebooks, eaudiobooks, music, classes and more from our Digital Library - Browse events at your nearest library - Interact with DC Public Library social media
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DC Public Library at 4.2 against Chicago Public Library's 3.5. Chicago Public Library's advantage is review sentiment (32% vs 18%) and ratings volume (64 vs 19). 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.
DC Public Library holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64 and 19 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Chicago Public Library's written reviews are positive against 18% of DC Public Library's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chicago Public Library | DC Public Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (64 ratings) | 4.2 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews — better | 17.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | City of Chicago | District of Columbia Public Library |
Customer experience
Chicago Public Library
DC Public Library
Bugs and requests
Chicago Public Library
Reported bugs
27 issues- App is CONSTANTLY having issues
- Logs me out and I can’t get back in
- Often miss holds due to no notifications
- Repeatedly logged out, or can’t log in at all
- Not opening since 4/2/2024
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- Logs me out constantly
- Takes me out of the browser and I have to go through all the steps to get back
- Confusing downloading a held ebook
- Logs me out a lot
- Cannot log in, doesn't load, can't search books
- App asking for username, not accepting card ID
- Cannot create an account, error messages
- App logs you out if you switch to another app
- App doesn’t seem to have been updated to accommodate the iPhone 12 mini
- Borrowing ebooks or audiobooks requires multiple apps to synchronize
- App does not have availability by branch location
- App does not alert you when items are due, overdue or holds available
- App shows book is available but without a location
- On order and new releases are no longer available
- Clunky on iPad, awkward in portrait view
- Slow to respond on iPad
- Cannot locate feature showing exact location of a desired book
- No iPhone X screen size update
- Crashes every time I attempt to open “for later”
- App will not refine search
- Accept and deny buttons reversed
- Crashes every time I try to login
Requested features
14 requests- Add notifications for holds
- Add library card to Apple Wallet
- Improve audiobook browser experience
- Provide direct download links for ebooks
- Display library alerts prominently
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- Allow users to create usernames
- Update app for iPhone 12 mini
- Improve ebook/audiobook synchronization
- Add page counts for books
- Add pass to Apple Wallet
- Add Passport version of CPL Library Card
- Allow reserving computers via app
- Add notifications for book due dates
- Improve interface/design of app
DC Public Library
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chicago Public Library
No in-app purchases
DC Public Library
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chicago Public Library free?
Is DC Public Library free?
Which has better reviews, Chicago Public Library or DC Public Library?
Do Chicago Public Library or DC Public Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chicago Public Library or DC Public Library?
Other comparisons
