LibraryThing vs YLN Catalog
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
YLN Catalog
Explore your library's collection from anywhere to discover new and familiar books, movies, and games. Search the full catalog, including digital content, and manage your account by placing holds, checking due dates, and renewing items.
- Search library catalog
- Discover books, movies, games
- Access eContent
- Place holds
- Check due dates
- Renew titles
Read full descriptionHide full description
The YLN Catalog allows you to explore your library on the go to find new books, movies, games, or your old favorites! Quickly search the entire catalog, including eContent, and place holds, check due dates and renew eligible titles.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: LibraryThing at 48% against YLN Catalog's 0%. LibraryThing also leads on rating (3.5 vs 1.6) and ratings volume (278 vs 30). On price, update cadence, 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.
LibraryThing holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LibraryThing has 278 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of LibraryThing's written reviews are positive against 0% of YLN Catalog's.
LibraryThing ships an update every 4 weeks, YLN Catalog every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LibraryThing | YLN Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (278 ratings) — better | 1.6 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 48.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 278 — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LibraryThing.com | Yavapai County Library District Office |
Customer experience
LibraryThing
YLN Catalog
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
YLN Catalog
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LibraryThing
No in-app purchases
YLN Catalog
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LibraryThing free?
Is YLN Catalog free?
Which has better reviews, LibraryThing or YLN Catalog?
Do LibraryThing or YLN Catalog have ads?
Which is updated more often, LibraryThing or YLN Catalog?
Other comparisons
