LibrariesWest vs CircleUp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
LibrariesWest
Manage your library account on the go. Search the catalog, renew borrowed items, and place holds on new books. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
- Manage library account
- Search catalog
- Renew books
- Reserve books
- Mobile access
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Access LibrariesWest from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Manage your account, search the catalogue, renew and reserve books.
CircleUp
Connect with like-minded individuals in your city for real-world activities and friendships. Discover and join weekly plans like walks, dinners, and social events, fostering a sense of belonging beyond one-off gatherings.
- Weekly real-world plans
- One-tap event joining
- Group chat for events
- Recurring member faces
- Member-hosted events
- City-based communities
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We're the Circle of 20s & 30s who choose belonging over attending, friendships over faces, and doing cool things over the same-old. We don't wait for plans, we create them. We refuse to be the disconnected generation. We're a circle, not strangers. A lifestyle, not one-off events. A movement, not an app. If you're craving more connection, you belong here. WHAT YOU'LL FIND INSIDE Real plans, every week. Walks, dinners, run clubs, football, pub quizzes, gallery trips, brunches and big socials, all happening in your city, with people who live near you. One tap to join. See who's going before you commit, RSVP in seconds, and get everything you need on the day: where to meet, what time, and who's hosting. Your circles. Plans come with a group chat, so you're never walking into a room of strangers. Say hello beforehand, share photos afterwards, and keep the conversation going in between. Faces you'll see again. This isn't a feed of one-off events. The same people turn up week after week, which is how acquaintances quietly turn into friends. Hosted by members. Our plans are created by people in your city who wanted something to exist, so they made it happen. You can host too. WHERE WE ARE Now live in Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford, Manchester, Cambridge, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham, with more cities on the way. MEMBERSHIP CircleUp is a membership community. Your membership covers entry to members' plans across your city, and some ticketed plans are priced separately to cover the venue or the activity itself. Everything you pay for happens in person, in the real world. A GOOD PLACE TO BE THE NEW ONE Every member is a real member of a local community, so nobody here is anonymous. You can report or block anyone from their profile, and we act on reports within 24 hours. Our community guidelines are built into the app. Don't just attend. Belong.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: CircleUp at 63% against LibrariesWest's 17%. CircleUp also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LibrariesWest ships an update every 2 months, CircleUp fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LibrariesWest | CircleUp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 62.5% of reviews โ better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 โ better | 16.4 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Somerset County Council Library Service | Hearplay |
Customer experience
LibrariesWest
CircleUp
Bugs and requests
LibrariesWest
Reported bugs
20 issues- Login PIN not recognized
- App freezes and becomes unusable
- Camera not working for verification
- App stops music playback
- FastBack renewal error
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- App won't open unless via App Store
- Unable to connect to server
- Linked accounts repeatedly unlinked
- App doesn't work at night
- Invalid date error when reserving
- Charges appear on returned books
- App stops working after update
- White screen on launch after update
- Hangs on loading screen
- Blank screen with 'image not available'
- Scrolling not working on loans
- Cannot search or reserve
- Linked accounts disappear
- Catalogue search not working
- Barcode scanner not working
Requested features
6 requests- Add loan history section
- Indicate font size in book info
- Add wish list option
- Improve search functionality
- Add browsing by categories
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Add notes area
CircleUp
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LibrariesWest
No in-app purchases
CircleUp
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LibrariesWest free?
Is CircleUp free?
Do LibrariesWest or CircleUp have ads?
Which is updated more often, LibrariesWest or CircleUp?
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