Chicago Public Library vs Wheaton 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
Wheaton Public Library+
Access your local library's collection from your device. Browse books, ebooks, audiobooks, and movies. Manage your account by placing holds, checking due dates, and accessing your library card. Organize your interests with custom lists and manage multiple family accounts.
- Search library catalog
- Place holds
- Check due dates
- Access digital library card
- Create interest lists
- Manage linked family accounts
Read full descriptionHide full description
The library at your fingertips! Search WPL for books, ebooks, audiobooks, movies and more. Place holds, check due dates, and access your library barcode. Create lists to track your interests. Manage your family’s borrowing with Linked Accounts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chicago Public Library at 3.5 against Wheaton Public Library+'s 2.0. Chicago Public Library also leads on ratings volume (64 vs 10). Wheaton Public Library+'s advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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.
Chicago Public Library holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chicago Public Library has 64 ratings behind it against 10, 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 25% of Wheaton Public Library+'s.
Chicago Public Library ships an update every 2 months, Wheaton Public Library+ monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chicago Public Library | Wheaton Public Library+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (64 ratings) — better | 2.0 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Chicago | CITY OF WHEATON |
Customer experience
Chicago Public Library
Wheaton 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
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- 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
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- 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
Wheaton Public Library+
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chicago Public Library
No in-app purchases
Wheaton Public Library+
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chicago Public Library free?
Is Wheaton Public Library+ free?
Which has better reviews, Chicago Public Library or Wheaton Public Library+?
Do Chicago Public Library or Wheaton Public Library+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chicago Public Library or Wheaton Public Library+?
Other comparisons
