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75 of 75 storefronts
Content in en-US
Content in en-US
Information
Preview 2 platforms
iPhone 5 images
iPad 5 images
What’s New Version 3.1.0
- Apple CarPlay support: listen to your borrowed audiobooks right from your car's display, with standard play, pause, and skip controls.
- Audiobook download progress is now visible for every title, so you can see at a glance when a book is ready to listen offline.
- Refreshed book details: Audience and Language are now shown, and the metadata layout has been reorganized to help you decide what to borrow at a glance.
- Smaller iCloud backups: downloaded books, covers, and caches are now excluded from device backup to free up your iCloud space.
- More reliable downloads after network drops, plus a restored sign-out confirmation and clearer error messages.
Description
Palace is a free, easy-to-use e-reader app that lets you find, check out, and read or listen to books from your local library.
It’s been said that libraries are “palaces for the people” and the Palace app gives you instant access to your local “palace” any time, right from the palm of your hand.
All you need to sign up is your library card! And even if your library isn’t using Palace yet, you can still read more than 10,000 books--from children’s books to classics to foreign language books--for free from our Palace Bookshelf.
The Palace app is built and maintained by Lyrasis, a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with Digital Public Library of America with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more, visit https://thepalaceproject.org.
Accessibility
ipadiphonemacrealityDevicetvoswatch
Version history 25 versions
Build 886155151v3.1.02026-06-02 14:54:29
- Apple CarPlay support: listen to your borrowed audiobooks right from your car's display, with standard play, pause, and skip controls.
- Audiobook download progress is now visible for every title, so you can see at a glance when a book is ready to listen offline.
- Refreshed book details: Audience and Language are now shown, and the metadata layout has been reorganized to help you decide what to borrow at a glance.
- Smaller iCloud backups: downloaded books, covers, and caches are now excluded from device backup to free up your iCloud space.
- More reliable downloads after network drops, plus a restored sign-out confirmation and clearer error messages.
Build 885866686v3.0.32026-05-20 14:27:36
- Resolved an issue that prevented some audiobooks from opening and playing.
Build 885438383v3.0.22026-05-15 17:28:19
- Fixed bugs detected in the previous release.
Build 884334976v3.0.02026-04-30 12:36:54
- Filter search results by format to find ebooks or audiobooks faster.
- More reliable holds, including better syncing after canceling a hold and improved handling of "hold ready" notifications.
- Improved VoiceOver navigation across the catalog and book details screens.
- Smoother sign-in with clearer error messages when login fails.
- A handful of stability and polish fixes — including a smoother borrow flow from catalog lanes, fewer accidental double-opens, and clearer language around loans and holds.
Build 883584449v2.2.42026-03-31 17:19:56
- Sorting improvements: Lanes now support reverse sorting.
- Better error handling: Added a retry option for some errors, and the ability to view error details to make troubleshooting easier.
- Bug fixes and stability improvements, including fixes for reading position sync across devices, audiobook downloads, and hold checkouts.
Build 883098343v2.2.22026-03-07 19:03:12
- Fixed an issue where some audiobooks would play chapters out of sequence
Build 882954017v2.2.12026-03-03 12:55:52
- Fixed a crash that sometimes occured in the previous release
Build 882009396v2.2.02026-02-02 12:50:25
- Fixed several issues with audiobook downloads, previews, and chapter playback
- Added smarter login handling when sessions expire, with clearer prompts to sign in again
- Added better, clearer messages when hitting borrowing or hold limits
- Improved accessibility, performance, and stability
Build 879949786v2.1.02025-11-24 14:54:18
- Fixed an error that could occur when a hold became available to borrow
Build 879787743v2.0.52025-11-15 20:16:57
- Fixed a login issue affecting some users
Build 879595513v2.0.42025-11-13 20:54:41
- Fixed a bug that limited search results
- Improved login screen interface for academic libraries
- Added ability to send error logs to support
- Improved sort and filter functionality
Build 879281045v2.0.32025-10-29 11:58:50
- Fixed bugs found in the previous release
Build 879094455v2.0.22025-10-24 16:19:17
- Fixed bugs and crashes detected in the previous release
Build 877785508v2.0.02025-10-16 13:46:00
- Improved audiobook downloads
- Improved VoiceOver support
- Improved visibility of search results
- Modernized catalog
Build 876846883v1.2.82025-07-31 19:02:37
- Fixed an issue where the Borrow button didn't always appear when a hold became available
Build 875885650v1.2.62025-06-26 17:29:41
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
Build 875923357v1.2.72025-06-26 21:35:02
- Fixed a crash detected in the previous release
Build 875566862v1.2.52025-06-17 12:33:00
- Updated the workflows for borrowing books and managing holds
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
- Fixed a bug that kept users logged in after reinstalling the app
Build 874969365v1.2.42025-05-28 13:54:53
- Fixed an issue where book description text appeared too small for some books
- Added holds queue position information to Reservations screen
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the first search result to be obscured by the library logo
Build 874627043v1.2.32025-05-09 15:19:49
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
- Fixed a bug that could cause browse lanes to stop loading until app restart
Build 874311664v1.2.22025-04-27 21:22:31
- Introduced a redesigned book details view
- Fixed a bug that prevented audio from playing for some audiobook samples on iPad
- Updated library website links to open in default external browser
- Resolved crashes detected in previous release
Build 874090448v1.2.12025-04-23 11:40:49
- Introduced a new, modern Book Details view
- Fixed a bug that prevented audio from playing for some audiobook samples on iPad
- Updated library website links to open in default external browser
Build 873872438v1.1.72025-04-09 07:49:12
- Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented users from logging into a new library
Build 872475499v1.1.62025-02-13 21:50:04
- Resolved crashes detected in previous version
Build 872294214v1.1.52025-02-06 21:08:16
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused audiobook playback speed to reset on chapter transitions
- Fixed a bug that prevented some audiobooks from being available for offline listening
- Fixed a bug that prevented storage from being freed up immediately after returning some audiobooks
No pricing data captured yet — comparisons appear once the app has paid storefronts or in-app purchases.
Availability 75 of 75 storefronts
| Region | Language | Price | Ratings | Avg | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | en-US | Free | 4.4k | 4.6 | 3.1.0 |
| CO | es-MX | Free | 1 | 5.0 | 3.1.0 |
| JM | en-GB | Free | 1 | 5.0 | 3.1.0 |
| MX | es-MX | Free | 1 | 5.0 | 3.1.0 |
| AG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| AI | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| AO | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| AR | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BB | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BF | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BJ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BO | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BR | pt-BR | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BS | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BW | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| BZ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CD | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CI | fr-FR | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CL | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CM | fr-FR | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CR | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| CV | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| DM | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| DO | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| DZ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| EC | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GA | fr-FR | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GD | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GH | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GM | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GT | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GW | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| GY | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| HN | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| KE | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| KN | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| KY | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| LC | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| LR | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| LY | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MA | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| ML | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MS | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MU | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MW | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| MZ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| NA | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| NE | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| NG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| NI | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| PA | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| PE | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| PY | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| RW | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SC | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SL | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SN | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SR | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| ST | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SV | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| SZ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| TC | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| TD | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| TN | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| TT | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| TZ | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| UG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| UY | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| VC | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| VE | es-MX | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| VG | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| ZM | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
| ZW | en-GB | Free | 0 | — | 3.1.0 |
Reviews 30 reviews · US
★★★★★
Audiobooks skip around
No luck with audiobooks. Restarts chapters, skips around, keeps playing when paused, app doesn’t update and stays in the same spot even when the audio continues so you can’t pause in the right spot. Thought it was just me, but friend is having the same problem.
Rooskag2026-07-05
★★★★★
Need More Playback Speed Options & Historical Book Reads
Would really like more Playback Speed Options to go along with author reading speeds. The 1.5 to 2.0 jump is way too much.
Also wish there was a way to see what books you’ve read and returned.
PLEASE MAKE A 1.75x PLAYBACK SPEED!!!
hjhint2026-07-05
★★★★★
Problems
Frequently stops and loses its place when listening to audio books. Received only half of The Calamity Club. Would not download the whole audiobook so I had to return it and purchase it on Audible to listen to the last half.
Buffydogmom2026-06-27
★★★★★
please add more speed options
great app with good ui but NEEDS to have the options to put audio at faster speeds than 2x. please give the option for 3x or 4x speed.
asing232026-06-24
★★★★★
Glitchy
Good since the app is free with my library access. However, many helpful features such as listening to an audiobook while browsing, tracking list of books you’ve read, liked or would like to borrow is missing. The app sometimes loses your place or the sound plays twice at the same time with an echo. I appreciate the feature to listen at higher speeds. I wish there was 1.75 and speeds higher than 2.0
xxcjxxxxxx2026-06-23
★★★★★
Great selection but frequently difficult to play audiobooks
I have been using the palace project for about 18 months and while I am very happy with the quality selection of audiobooks frequently I have to try and download the item several times as the book struggles to play
audiobooks
Belfastliz2026-06-23
★★★★★
Getting better
Just in the past few months I’ve seen major improvements and availability of titles in this app. However, it’s still nowhere near where I need it to be to actually continuously use it/rely on it for reading (especially series). There’s no way to suspend a hold - which makes it impossible to coordinate reading a series - especially when a single audiobook gets broken up into parts. I have no idea how long a hold will take and if it’s faster than I thought I lose out on the title if I’m not instantly ready. But an issue I think is even bigger for me is the lack of playback speed options. Every n
Sadielady162026-06-06
★★★★★
App User Experience
The access to books, selections, etc. is amazing. The app has a some issues. It struggle with downloads, loading, not saving your location in audiobooks (just jumping all over the place), and the listening speed options are lacking (what about 1.6 - 1.9?? Jumping from 1.5 to 2x speed is wild). Hope updates and improved come soon because the access is amazing!
Zetiacg2026-06-06
★★★★★
Need Offline Downloads for Audiobooks
Keep losing ability to listen to audiobook I rented. Have to keep deleting and reinstalling app daily to occasionally get access to audiobook and does not work well off mobile data
Cody Zanaglio2026-06-05
★★★★★
Least favorite audio app
Some of my issues with the app, details below list:
-Cannot remove “available” filter and sort
-Can lose your place in audio books
-Cannot use headphone button or voice command to ship forward/backward
-Cannot browse and listen at the same time (no additional details below)
-Browsing books is a nightmare -no additional details because I don’t feel like wasting my time detailing all the issues, but similar sorting issues were involved.
Details:
-clicked on authors name so I can get the next book reserved, automatically sorts to available. Unselected then tried to sort by release date to get
T.E. Lee2026-06-04
★★★★★
Could be great, but isn’t (for now)
This app works well! I love borrowing books from my library from my mobile devices. However, the one *big* downside to their e-audiobooks is that the listening speed only goes up to 2x. (If they ever increase the limit, I’d be happy to re-rate!)
Awaller19902026-06-02
★★★★★
Unstable
Having to uninstall and reinstall regularly to get app to work shows how buggy it is. Sometimes a title will just stop working (audiobook) or can’t be installed. If this is the solution for Illinois school libraries, it’s a big mistake.
Bxlinlin2026-05-28
★★★★★
Getting better.
It took a few weeks but the Palace team got some things fixed so the app works for me. They were responsive and didn’t ignore the glitches. Still wish for checkout history and ability to renew. But for a small team they are doing great!
Pmnto2026-05-17
★★★★★
Wish you could favorite a title
Would like to have a way to save a title for future reading.
GailMK2026-05-16
★★★★★
It’s great when it works
Had several occurrences where the audio would not load after several tries having full Wi-Fi connection workarounds were returning the book and re-downloading again, but this also took several tries.
Insert name here 2nd try2026-05-12
★★★★★
Loses progress
Clean UI but buggy. Loses audio book progress, shows titles in My books that it can’t download or play because it also loses past due titles. Does not show supplemental pdfs referenced in audiobooks.
Chic6062026-04-30
★★★★★
Playback issues & updates
I gave the palace project a three because one of the audiobooks (the seven year slip) had major playback issues. Every chapter it would play for 3-25 seconds and then start over, making it difficult to listen t it.
Additionally, once you are listening to the audiobook, you can’t look at the app as the audiobook stops. This is a problem and needs to be updated in the software of the app.
It’s also vague when you have access to a book from the wait list. I had a notification in my reservations, but had to scan through all of them to figure out which one was available. This needs to be remedied
77iPhoneuser772026-04-30
★★★★★
This is AMAZING
Im sooooo happy I found out about this on Reddit! My library is Ventura County and, sorry, it’s pretty pathetic. Not a lot of readers here perhaps.
Lovefooood2026-04-29
★★★★★
Good App (But Could Be Great With Some Extra Features)
This app is a nice addition to other apps I use, like Libby and Hoopla. It’s easy to navigate but I wish it had some other features I’ve come to appreciate from those other apps, mainly being able create lists of works I want to bookmark/save so I can easily browse what’s available to borrow, showing borrowing history and a more customizable listening speed vs the 0.25x increments you can change on audiobooks. I would definitely utilize this app more if these features were added since it can be frustrating remembering what is available to borrow from my library.
Lizzzz302026-04-29
★★★★★
Update
I previously said that this is a terrible app. Now I can say without hesitation that it is the worse app of all time. Everytime I stop listening, I have to delete the app and reinstall it or else I have 2 reading going at the same time. Who thought it was even possible?
Chey15202026-04-27
★★★★★
Where is the %?
I appreciate having the opportunity to listen to books, but where is the percentage done?!
Lizmurf9212026-04-21
★★★★★
Not great
Yes, Palace has great titles but the usability is lacking. When you put a book on hold you better go out and check EVERY day to see if your turn has come up because it does not send notifications that you’re off the waitlist. And if you don’t immediately check it out you lose your spot and it drops from your hold list. My latest issue is that I have 3 books checked out but I can’t read any of them because the system just clocks when I hit the read button. These are super basic functions that they really need to figure out.
HGR0205742026-04-20
★★★★★
The Palace app
Terrible and not worth the aggravation. Simply does not work. The last audio book stoped after chapter one.
Dogs cats and more2026-04-19
★★★★★
Profound.
Losing two children to suicide. One can no longer be enough or feel enough in an abysmal state.
joaneo17!2026-04-13
★★★★★
Issues
I want to love this app but i have had consistent issues:
App causes my phone to overheat and drains battery
App randomly closes when listening, every few chapters
Chapters will randomly restart, most chapters
Has happened for several books. Super annoying. Will delete whenever I finish my current book… if it stops restarting and closing
riahashley2026-04-05
★★★★★
No saves, no history
Have had problems with missing table of contents and skipping chapters. Worst thing is there’s no reading history and no way to save titles for future reads.
PERL10112026-04-04
★★★★★
Inferior/problematic
App is very inferior to other library reading and listening apps. The app crashes without warning when listening to audiobooks. It just stops playing and exits. The listener is forced to re-open the app and start again and it never starts where you left off. Returning the book and re-borrowing it doesn’t help. Reinstalling the app doesn’t help. It has occurred with many different books.. I have reported it to technical support with no resolution.
If possible, I would recommend using Libby or hoopla instead .
Patunia2026-03-28
★★★★★
Nice service!
So nice to have access to audiobooks and e-books from my local library with The Palace Project. Some of the audio can be a little bit grainy and if there’s a way to notify the user when a book on reserve becomes available, that would be a great addition to the app. There are also some crashing issues where books will just not download or the catalog or library won’t load at all and you have to delete the app and reinstall it, which is pretty annoying. I wonder if it’s due an update?
KChiappone2026-03-22
★★★★★
The app is not functioning
The app isn’t loading (since 3/21/ even after deleting and reinstalling.
ntalebi2026-03-22
Change log 28 changes · US
✎
releaseNotes updated
- Apple CarPlay support: listen to your borrowed audiobooks right from your car's display, with standard play, pause, and skip controls.
- Audiobook download pr
✎
description updated
Palace is a free, easy-to-use e-reader app that lets you find, check out, and read or listen to books from your local library.
It’s been said that libraries
✎
name updated
The Palace Project
◆
Version 3.1.0 released
- Apple CarPlay support: listen to your borrowed audiobooks right from your car's display, with standard play, pause, and skip controls.
- Audiobook download progress is now visible for every title, so you can see at a glance when a book is
◆
Version 3.0.3 released
- Resolved an issue that prevented some audiobooks from opening and playing.
◆
Version 3.0.2 released
- Fixed bugs detected in the previous release.
◆
Version 3.0.0 released
- Filter search results by format to find ebooks or audiobooks faster.
- More reliable holds, including better syncing after canceling a hold and improved handling of "hold ready" notifications.
- Improved VoiceOver navigation across the ca
◆
Version 2.2.4 released
- Sorting improvements: Lanes now support reverse sorting.
- Better error handling: Added a retry option for some errors, and the ability to view error details to make troubleshooting easier.
- Bug fixes and stability improvements, includin
◆
Version 2.2.2 released
- Fixed an issue where some audiobooks would play chapters out of sequence
◆
Version 2.2.1 released
- Fixed a crash that sometimes occured in the previous release
◆
Version 2.2.0 released
- Fixed several issues with audiobook downloads, previews, and chapter playback
- Added smarter login handling when sessions expire, with clearer prompts to sign in again
- Added better, clearer messages when hitting borrowing or hold limit
◆
Version 2.1.0 released
- Fixed an error that could occur when a hold became available to borrow
◆
Version 2.0.5 released
- Fixed a login issue affecting some users
◆
Version 2.0.4 released
- Fixed a bug that limited search results
- Improved login screen interface for academic libraries
- Added ability to send error logs to support
- Improved sort and filter functionality
◆
Version 2.0.3 released
- Fixed bugs found in the previous release
◆
Version 2.0.2 released
- Fixed bugs and crashes detected in the previous release
◆
Version 2.0.0 released
- Improved audiobook downloads
- Improved VoiceOver support
- Improved visibility of search results
- Modernized catalog
◆
Version 1.2.8 released
- Fixed an issue where the Borrow button didn't always appear when a hold became available
◆
Version 1.2.7 released
- Fixed a crash detected in the previous release
◆
Version 1.2.6 released
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
◆
Version 1.2.5 released
- Updated the workflows for borrowing books and managing holds
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
- Fixed a bug that kept users logged in after reinstalling the app
◆
Version 1.2.4 released
- Fixed an issue where book description text appeared too small for some books
- Added holds queue position information to Reservations screen
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the first search result to be obscured by the library logo
◆
Version 1.2.3 released
- Fixed crashes detected in previous release
- Fixed a bug that could cause browse lanes to stop loading until app restart
◆
Version 1.2.2 released
- Introduced a redesigned book details view
- Fixed a bug that prevented audio from playing for some audiobook samples on iPad
- Updated library website links to open in default external browser
- Resolved crashes detected in previous relea
◆
Version 1.2.1 released
- Introduced a new, modern Book Details view
- Fixed a bug that prevented audio from playing for some audiobook samples on iPad
- Updated library website links to open in default external browser
◆
Version 1.1.7 released
- Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented users from logging into a new library
◆
Version 1.1.6 released
- Resolved crashes detected in previous version
◆
Version 1.1.5 released
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused audiobook playback speed to reset on chapter transitions
- Fixed a bug that prevented some audiobooks from being available for offline listening
- Fixed a bug that prevented storage from being freed up im