SFPL vs Dust
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SFPL
Access your local library's catalog from your mobile device. Browse new releases, manage holds, renew borrowed items, and discover upcoming events. Plan your library visits with ease, all from your pocket.
- Browse new titles and recommendations
- Place and manage holds
- Renew checked out materials
- Plan library visits
- See upcoming events
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San Francisco Public Library in your pocket. Browse new titles and recommendations curated by your library staff, place and manage holds, renew checked out materials, plan your visit and see upcoming events, anytime and anywhere.
Dust
This offline guide helps you navigate the Burning Man event and regional burns. Discover events, art installations, and theme camps, with map locations and personalized notifications. Plan your experience and stay organized with this essential companion.
- Offline event discovery
- Art and theme camp finder
- Interactive map with locations
- Personalized event notifications
- Map pin drops for personal items
- Searchable event and art listings
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Dust is an offline unofficial guide for Burning Man and regional burns! Features: • Find events by day, category, theme camp or search • Find art by search or listing • Find theme camps by search or listing • Map locations for Art and Theme Camps • Favorite events, Art and Theme Camps (& Share with Friends) • Show nearby events, Art and Theme Camps • Get notified when your favorite event is about to start • Drop pins on the map for your bike, camp and friends • Find DJ sets from Rock Star Librarian • Works with the Apple Watch • Works offline Note: Burning Man location information is hidden until a week before the event starts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dust at 81% against SFPL's 28%. Dust also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 months). 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.
Dust holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dust has 542 ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of SFPL's written reviews are positive against 81% of Dust's.
SFPL ships an update every 4 months, Dust every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SFPL | Dust |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (50 ratings) | 4.9 (542 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews | 80.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 50 | 542 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | San Francisco Public Library | WebNative LLC |
Customer experience
SFPL
Dust
User reviews
SFPL
From 50 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Free audiobooks and resources
- 👍 Easy to use for basic functions
- 👍 Good for managing holds and accounts
- 👍 Uncluttered interface compared to website
- 👍 App looks better after recent update
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 App crashes or is unstable
- 🐛 Outdated design and development
- 🐛 Poor UI/UX design
- 🐛 Not optimized for newer devices
Dust
From 542 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Accurate location tracking and navigation
- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and beautiful user interface
- ⭐ Excellent event discovery and filtering features
- ❤️ Favorites/bookmarking system for events
- 🔒 Privacy-focused with no data harvesting
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🐛 App restarts unexpectedly
- 🐛 UI elements not fully visible on screen
- ⚠️ Data loss (favorites getting wiped)
- ⚠️ Inconsistent reliability concerns
Bugs and requests
SFPL
Reported bugs
19 issues- Always logs out and has trouble logging back in
- 403 forbidden error message when clicking links/books
- New message alert shows up each login
- Digital and physical books not showing in history
- Cannot request books through link+ without going to website
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- App lags when changing menus
- Login not saved, asks for card number repeatedly
- Search function not working for specific titles
- App crashes upon opening
- App cuts off when using Safari simultaneously
- App doesn't fit large iPhone screens
- Cannot remove search criteria
- App crashes after a while
- App is unstable and crashes every time
- App is unusable, crashes while opening
- App crashes on start
- App crashes right away
- App keeps logging out
- Search function locates books but cannot place holds
Requested features
9 requests- Bring back 'My List' feature
- Add notification feature
- Add dark mode
- Make library card compatible with Apple Wallet
- Add genre tab
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Improve UI design and styling
- Add alpha sorting in filters for lists
- Wider range of page numbering in lists
- Allow simultaneous login on web and mobile
Dust
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes frequently during use
- Freezing and unexpected restarts
- Location permission button not visible/clickable on iOS
- Zoom bug causing navigation to previous page (patched)
- Share button non-functional
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Favorites data being deleted
Requested features
7 requests- User notes feature for personal event tracking
- Global map view for all regional events
- Geographic location listings for regional events
- Landscape mode optimization for rotated phones
- Event sharing functionality
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- In-app developer contact/support option
- Ability to report missing camps or issues within app
In-app purchases
SFPL
No in-app purchases
Dust
No in-app purchases
