# Chicago Public Library vs Bookshop.org

The clearest difference is rating: Bookshop.org at 4.8 against Chicago Public Library's 3.5. Bookshop.org also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (57% vs 32%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Bookshop.org holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bookshop.org has 2.3K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Chicago Public Library's written reviews are positive against 57% of Bookshop.org's.

Chicago Public Library ships an update every 2 months, Bookshop.org every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chicago Public Library | Bookshop.org |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-public-library/id742936884/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 64 | **2.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews | **56.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#181** |
| Size | 22 MB | 111 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [City of Chicago](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441580122) | [Bookshop, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706515971) |

## What reviewers say

### Chicago Public Library

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-public-library/id742936884)

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.

**Highlights:** Manage checked out items, Place holds on materials, Renew borrowed items, Search library catalog, Track reading history, Browse new titles, Find library events

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and helpful app
- 📚 Love the library and audiobook features
- ✨ Pretty good app for a government agency
- ✅ Easy to reserve books and see waitlist
- 🚀 Seamless public library experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constantly logging out
- 🐛 Cannot log back in
- 🐛 App not opening
- 🐛 Takes user out of audiobook browser
- 🐛 Confusing ebook download process

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Add notifications for holds
- Add library card to Apple Wallet
- Improve audiobook browser experience
- Provide direct download links for ebooks
- Display library alerts prominently


### Bookshop.org

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookshoporg-ebook-reader/id6465290096)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Read millions of ebooks and support independent bookstores with every purchase. This app offers a customizable reader, extensive browsing, and tools to organize your reading list and notes.

**Highlights:** Customizable ebook reader, Browse millions of titles, Organize TBR into custom shelves, Highlight in five colors, Add notes to highlights, Save titles to wishlist

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Great alternative to Amazon
- 👍 Supports local bookstores
- 👍 Clean and pleasing interface
- 👍 Solid app for a new release

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Formatting issues (lack of italics, poor paragraph spacing, etc.)
- 🐛 Buggy page turning and navigation
- 🔧 Limited customization options (fonts, themes, brightness, etc.)
- 🔧 Missing essential features (highlighting, note-taking, search, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to remember last page read
- Scrolling issues and unexpected page skipping
- Formatting problems (stripped italics, weird paragraph spacing)
- Settings not persisting between app sessions

**Requested features**

- More font and theme options
- Ability to adjust line spacing, margins, and other formatting
- Implement highlighting, annotation, and note-taking features
- Add search functionality
- Improve page turning and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chicago Public Library free?

Chicago Public Library is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bookshop.org free?

Bookshop.org is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chicago Public Library or Bookshop.org?

Bookshop.org is rated higher. Chicago Public Library averages 3.5 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Bookshop.org averages 4.8 from 2.3K ratings.

### Do Chicago Public Library or Bookshop.org have ads?

Neither Chicago Public Library nor Bookshop.org shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chicago Public Library or Bookshop.org?

Chicago Public Library ships an update every 2 months, and Bookshop.org every 5 days. Most recently, Chicago Public Library was updated on November 1, 2026 and Bookshop.org on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*