--- title: "TinyCat Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about TinyCat Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Library Automation products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/268527/TinyCat/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # TinyCat Software Review 2026: Features, Reviews, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on August 20, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) TinyCat ## What is TinyCat? TinyCat is the simple, fast, and professional online catalog for small libraries, powered by LibraryThing. Share and manage your library online and track circulation and patron data from just $3/month. Features include: mobile-friendly interface, patron self-checkout and unlimited patrons, import/export, inventory, circulation reports, Z39.50 cataloging, enhancements from LibraryThing including series, genres, professional and reader reviews, and much more. Comes with full online support. ## What is TinyCat used for? [Library Automation](https://www.capterra.com/library-automation-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 1 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Starting price $3 Per User, Per Month Free trial available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for TinyCat?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/tinycat/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## TinyCat Overview Updated August 2026 AI summary TinyCat is a cloud-based library automation platform designed for small and midsize organizations managing modest collections. It offers catalog management, circulation management, patron management, and an online public access catalog, with features such as barcoding, self check-in/check-out, inventory tools, and customizable reporting. Deployment options span web, desktop, and mobile devices for flexible access. ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### TinyCat 5.0 (1) VS. [4.5 (37)](https://www.capterra.com/p/40056/ResourceMate/reviews/) Starting Price $3 Per User, Per Month Starting Price $495 Flat Rate Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 5.0 (1) Ease Of Use 4.5 (129) Value For Money 5.0 (1) Value For Money 4.6 (88) Customer Service 0.0 (0) Customer Service 4.6 (127) ## TinyCat alternatives [4.7 (60)](https://www.capterra.com/p/29128/Mandarin/reviews/) Starting price $500.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.8 (10)](https://www.capterra.com/p/157700/Lucidea-Integrated-Library-Systems/reviews/) Starting price $2500.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [Surpass](https://www.capterra.com/p/10010536/Surpass/) [4.8 (129)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10010536/Surpass/reviews/) Starting price $55.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/10010536/Surpass/) [Simple Little Library System](https://www.capterra.com/p/189633/Simple-Little-Library-System/) [4.7 (29)](https://www.capterra.com/p/189633/Simple-Little-Library-System/reviews/) Starting price $37.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/189633/Simple-Little-Library-System/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/268527/TinyCat/alternatives/) ## FAQs about TinyCat Overview ### What company size and specific industries is TinyCat built for? TinyCat is designed for small libraries in schools, classrooms, religious groups, community organizations, museums, special libraries, health libraries, businesses, and similar organizations. It fits modest-sized collections that need a library system for focused, community-based use rather than large enterprise library operations. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of TinyCat? TinyCat offers catalog management, circulation management, and collections management for library operations, plus patron management, user management, and access controls/permissions. It also includes barcode recognition, barcode/ticket scanning, barcoding/RFID, self check-in/check-out, reservations management, reporting & statistics, search/filter, and an online catalog with OPAC. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does TinyCat offer? TinyCat provides webinars, documentation, and videos to help teams get started. Webinars support live instruction and questions, documentation offers written reference material, and videos provide visual walkthroughs for reviewing features and setup steps at any time. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does TinyCat offer? TinyCat provides email/help desk support, a FAQ/forum, and a knowledge base. These channels give users direct contact and self-service help for common questions, setup guidance, and troubleshooting. No reviewer feedback about support experience is available, so support quality and response speed cannot be assessed here. ## Features AI summary Based on 149 Library Automation reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of library automation software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Catalog Management** (**55%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Circulation Management** (**50%**) - **Search/Filter** (**43%**) TinyCat supports all three features that reviewers identify as most important: **Catalog Management**, **Circulation Management**, and **Search/Filter**. Together, these capabilities help libraries organize collections accurately, manage checkouts and returns more efficiently, and make it easier for staff and patrons to find materials quickly, allowing teams to keep daily operations running smoothly. Catalog Management 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create and manage digital catalog of products/services with their details, specifications, and price Circulation Management 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Overseeing distribution of published materials, such as books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Search/Filter 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria Patron Management 5.0 (1) 100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Manage library patron registration and accounts Access Controls/Permissions Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities TinyCat 28 features ### All Features - Access Controls/Permissions: Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Alerts/Notifications: Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges - Barcode Recognition: The ability to identify a barcode on or within an image or packaging - Barcode/Ticket Scanning: Scan barcodes to ensure accurate pricing and label tracking - Barcoding/RFID: Identify and track items using barcode tags or RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags - Catalog Management: Create and manage digital catalog of products/services with their details, specifications, and price - Church Libraries: Caters to library management needs specific to churches - Circulation Management: Overseeing distribution of published materials, such as books, newspapers, magazines, etc. - Content Library: Centralized repository to store content and assets - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Database Support: Supports common databases such as MySQL and Oracle - Equipment Tracking: Track the location of specific equipment at all times - Full Text Search: Search for specific words or phrases within a document or database - Historical Reporting: Information, data and reports that are being tracked over time - Inventory Management: Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply - Law Libraries: Caters to library management needs specific to law - Online Catalog: An online catalog of inventory that customers can view - OPAC: Manage Online Public Access Catalog information, such as title, keywords, subjects, and authors. - Patron Management: Manage library patron registration and accounts - Public Libraries: Caters to library management needs specific to public libraries - Records Management: Ability to record, store, update, and retrieve information - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Resource Management: Process of planning, scheduling and executing the optimal and effective use of human capital across projects - School Libraries: Caters to library management needs specific to school libraries - Search/Filter: Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria - Self Check-In/Check-Out: Check-in and out via a mobile device or kiosk - User Management: Manage user accounts, profiles, roles, permissions, and other details across applications, devices or networks --- Features 5.0 (1) 5.0 Based on 1 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 5.0 (1) Free Trial Free Version Basic $3.00 Per User,Per Month Value for money 5.0 (1) 5.0 Based on 1 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises ## User reviews Overall rating 5.0 Based on 1 reviews Filter by rating 5(1) 4(0) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent JH Joe H. Pastor Religious Institutions ### "TinyCat makes running our small library a breeze" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 March 9, 2023 Pros The transition from a private library to a sharing/public library had been a goal for many years. TinyCat was such an easy to use addition to our catalog in Librarything. It took just a few hours to make our library ready to use by the people of our community. Cons One feature that I would like to see is the ability to easily catalog multiple copies of a book rather than having to use separate entries for each. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.