LibraryThing vs CW MARS Libraries
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LibraryThing
Catalog your personal book, DVD, and CD collections. Easily add items by searching or scanning barcodes. Enhance your catalog with high-resolution cover photos and browse your collection visually.
- Catalog books, DVDs, and CDs
- Search for media items
- Scan ISBN barcodes
- Add high-resolution cover photos
- Browse collection by cover type
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The LibraryThing app allows LibraryThing members to catalog and browse their collections. LibraryThing is focused on books, but you can add most media, including books, DVDs and CDs. LibraryThing relies on data from Amazon, and over 65 million library records. Add books by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcode with the camera. Add high-resolution cover photos of your books with the cover editor and browse your books by cover type to find copies that need better covers.
CW MARS Libraries
Access the shared catalog of libraries across Central and Western Massachusetts. Requires a library card and password from a participating CW MARS member library to use.
- Access shared library catalog
- Search for books and materials
- Manage library account
- Find participating libraries
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CW MARS Libraries gives you access to the shared library catalog for all CW MARS member libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. To use this app, you must have a library card from a CW MARS member library, and know your password. If you do not know your password, or need a library card, please contact your local library.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: LibraryThing at every 4 weeks against CW MARS Libraries's every 4 months. LibraryThing also leads on ratings volume (278 vs 26) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). CW MARS Libraries's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (56% vs 47%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
CW MARS Libraries holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LibraryThing has 278 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of LibraryThing's written reviews are positive against 56% of CW MARS Libraries's.
LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, CW MARS Libraries every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LibraryThing | CW MARS Libraries |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (278 ratings) | 3.8 (26 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.2% of reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 278 — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LibraryThing.com | Kenneth Cox |
Customer experience
LibraryThing
CW MARS Libraries
Bugs and requests
LibraryThing
Reported bugs
3 issues- Barcode scanner not working
- Books disappearing from catalog
- Editing and saving issues
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to create custom collections
- Offline access to library
- Integration with other book apps
- Lending/loan tracking feature
CW MARS Libraries
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LibraryThing
No in-app purchases
CW MARS Libraries
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LibraryThing free?
Is CW MARS Libraries free?
Which has better reviews, LibraryThing or CW MARS Libraries?
Do LibraryThing or CW MARS Libraries have ads?
Which is updated more often, LibraryThing or CW MARS Libraries?
Other comparisons
