Chicago Public Library vs CountyCat Mobile App
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
CountyCat Mobile App
Manage your library account, renew borrowed items, and search the catalog. Discover new books, find library hours, and access a variety of online resources.
- Check library account
- Renew materials
- Search catalog
- Place requests
- Discover new titles
- View library hours
- Access online resources
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The CountyCat Mobile app has been updated. Use the app to: Check your library account and renew materials Search the catalog and place requests Discover new titles and see library hours and other information Link to many online resources like Libby, Hoopla and Gale Courses
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chicago Public Library at 3.5 against CountyCat Mobile App's 3.3. Chicago Public Library also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 23%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Chicago Public Library holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Chicago Public Library's written reviews are positive against 23% of CountyCat Mobile App's.
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 | CountyCat Mobile App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (64 ratings) — better | 3.3 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews — better | 23.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 30 |
| 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+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Chicago | Milwaukee County Federated Library System |
Customer experience
Chicago Public Library
CountyCat Mobile App
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
CountyCat Mobile App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chicago Public Library
No in-app purchases
CountyCat Mobile App
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chicago Public Library free?
Is CountyCat Mobile App free?
Which has better reviews, Chicago Public Library or CountyCat Mobile App?
Do Chicago Public Library or CountyCat Mobile App have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chicago Public Library or CountyCat Mobile App?
Other comparisons
