Readerware
Library management systems
Education software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$39.95 one-time
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
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- Information technology and software
- Media and communications
- Professional services (engineering, legal, consulting, etc.)
What is Readerware
Readerware is a desktop cataloging application used to build and manage personal or small-collection libraries of books, music, and video. It supports importing item metadata from online sources and organizing collections with custom fields, tags, and reports. The product is typically used by individuals, small organizations, or classrooms that need local cataloging rather than a full integrated library system with circulation and patron services.
Multi-media cataloging support
Readerware catalogs books, music, and video within the same product family, which suits mixed personal or small institutional collections. It supports common identifiers such as ISBN/UPC to speed up record creation. This breadth can reduce the need for separate tools for different media types.
Offline, local data control
Readerware runs as a desktop application and stores data locally, which can fit users who prefer not to rely on a hosted service. Local storage can simplify use in environments with limited connectivity. It also avoids the administrative overhead of managing a multi-branch, multi-user cloud deployment.
Flexible organization and reporting
The product supports custom fields, sorting, filtering, and reporting for collection management. Users can structure catalogs to match personal or classroom-specific needs rather than standardized institutional workflows. This flexibility is useful for small collections where lightweight organization is the primary requirement.
Not a full ILS
Readerware is oriented to cataloging and collection tracking rather than end-to-end library operations. It typically lacks the breadth of circulation, patron accounts, holds, fines, acquisitions, and serials workflows expected in institutional library management systems. Organizations needing those functions generally require a dedicated ILS platform.
Limited multi-user governance
As a desktop-first tool, Readerware is less suited to concurrent staff workflows, role-based permissions, and audit trails. Collaboration features common in larger library platforms (e.g., shared staff modules and centralized administration) are not its primary design point. This can be a constraint for schools or libraries with multiple staff managing the same catalog.
Integration and standards depth
Readerware generally provides fewer enterprise integrations than institutional systems, such as SIP2/NCIP for self-check, directory/SSO, or broad API ecosystems. Support for library standards and interoperability may be lighter than platforms designed for consortia and public/academic libraries. This can limit connectivity to discovery layers, e-resource management, and third-party services.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition (single product) | $39.95 one-time | Single-computer desktop edition for Books, Music or Video. Three-product bundle (Books+Music+Video) listed at $74.95; one-time purchase; no monthly fees. |
| Mobile Edition (single product) | $49.95 one-time | Mobile edition for iPhone/iPad/Android; sync with desktop, use device camera as barcode scanner; three-product bundle listed at $84.95; one-time purchase. |
| Client/Server Home Edition (single product) | $89.95 one-time | Multi-user Client/Server (supports up to 5 concurrent users), includes loan client and external DB access; three-product bundle listed at $124.95; one-time purchase. |
| Client/Server Enterprise Edition | $499.95 one-time | Enterprise Client/Server with no user limit; three-product bundle listed at $499.95; one-time purchase. |
| Client/Server Edition (alternate listing) | $90 (single product download) / $125 (three-product bundle download) | Pricing shown on the Readerware Pricing page (site contains multiple price listings; see notes). |
| Upgrade Pricing (between major releases) | e.g. $25-$60 (download) / $35-$70 (CD) | Upgrade prices for moving from older major releases (Readerware 2.x -> 3.0 listed); site lists example upgrade fees. |
Notes: All prices on the official site are shown in US dollars. The Readerware download page and product pages state there is a 30-day evaluation (trial) with a functional limitation (exports limited to 25 items) during evaluation. The site also contains a "No Sale" page stating "Readerware applications are no longer available for sale."
