Hoopla
Ranked 3 of 3 library apps by recommenders
Free with a library card, so people recommend it as a no-cost alternative to paid streaming and for borrowing books. Some libraries charge per borrow instead.
Free with a library card, so people recommend it as a no-cost alternative to paid streaming and for borrowing books. Some libraries charge per borrow instead.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Free through public libraries
“My local city's library offers access to several Digital Library apps, including Overdrive, Hoopla, and Libby.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Sam Altman May Control Our Future – Can He Be Trusted?” “public library apps such as Libby and Hoopla, and government-supported programmes”
Comment from 12 Jul 2026 in “How to Read More Books” “which are also free from the library”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Netflix Prices Went Up Again – I Bought a DVD Player Instead” Praised as awesome and good
“Kanopy and Hoopla are awesome and something everyone who complains here about paid streaming options should be using”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Disney Raising Prices Days After Confirming Ads Will Now Show Up on Every Tier” “Hoopla is good for this is what I hear as well.”
Comment from 10 Apr 2026 in “Netflix Prices Went Up Again – I Bought a DVD Player Instead”
Other library apps people recommend
The two most recommended other library apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 3 library apps, rankedWhat people said
8 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Kanopy and Hoopla are awesome and something everyone who complains here about paid streaming options should be using”
“public library apps such as Libby and Hoopla, and government-supported programmes”
“The Libby and Hoopla app also gives recommendations based on what I have already read.”
“Hoopla is good for this is what I hear as well.”
“which are also free from the library”
“My local city's library offers access to several Digital Library apps, including Overdrive, Hoopla, and Libby.”
“or they have to pay per circulation (Hoopla). It's ludicrous.”
“maybe it's available through Libby or Hoopla library apps”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.