# OPALS Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about OPALS Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Library Automation products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/82990/OPALS --- # OPALS Software Review 2026: Features, Reviews, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. Independent research methodology Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider’s website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/) [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) OPALS ## What is OPALS? \-OPAC, Cataloging, Circulation, Database authentication, eBook management, Asset & Textbook management... OPALS Open-source Automated Library System is feature-rich, cooperatively developed, Web-based, open source, providing access to information databases, library & digital collections.... Over 2700 school, academic, church, public, business and cooperative regional union catalog collections use OPALS. OPALS open is supported by highly-acclaimed full-time programmers & technicians. ## What is OPALS used for? [Library Automation](https://www.capterra.com/library-automation-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 5 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Starting price $25 Per User, Per Month Free trial available 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 OPALS?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.opals-na.org&name=OPALS) ## 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. ### OPALS 4.8 (5) VS. [4.8 (128)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10010536/Surpass/reviews/) Starting Price $25 Per User, Per Month Starting Price $55 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 5.0 (5) Ease Of Use 4.7 (128) Value For Money 5.0 (1) Value For Money 4.8 (87) Customer Service 5.0 (5) Customer Service 4.9 (126) ## OPALS 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 [4.8 (24)](https://www.capterra.com/p/27788/Alexandria/reviews/) Starting price $499.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [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/82990/OPALS/alternatives/) ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. 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 Circulation Management Overseeing distribution of published materials, such as books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Fee Collection Automatically collect recurring fees or dues from members Inventory Management Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply OPAC Manage Online Public Access Catalog information, such as title, keywords, subjects, and authors. OPALS 11 features Identify and track items using barcode tags or RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags Create and manage digital catalog of products/services with their details, specifications, and price Overseeing distribution of published materials, such as books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Automatically collect recurring fees or dues from members Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply Manage Online Public Access Catalog information, such as title, keywords, subjects, and authors. Manage library patron registration and accounts Manage allocation of and track books reserved for specific needs or people. Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria Check-in and out via a mobile device or kiosk Manage acquisition and allocation of serials. Features 5.0 (1) 5.0 Based on 1 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 5.0 (1) Free Trial Free Version Basic $25.00 Per User,Per Month Value for money 5.0 (1) 5.0 Based on 1 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 5.0 (5) 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 Customer Service 5.0 (5) 5.0 Based on 5 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.8 Based on 5 reviews Filter by rating 5(4) 4(1) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent Paige J. Former Library System Administrator ### "Great, responsive provider" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 November 30, 2017 Pros This software is easy to use and keeps current with industry trends. This ILS system has proven extremely valuable in providing our area schools with a state-of-the-art catalog which integrates books and other information resources. The ILL features were improved a couple of years ago to show availability and great ease of requests! Our librarians were thrilled with the simplicity. Librarians have the ability to customize their library page to support research and school activities. Easy marc record addition, copy cataloging available for those who are short on time. Wonderful work by a company committed to Open Source community improvement! Cons For remote hosting, consider your connectivity bandwidth capacity. Consult with your internet provider to insure adequate bandwidth is available...based upon the number of users, computers, libraries, etc. Consolidation of duplicate marc records in a union catalog is one area which needs attention. This is only an issue with an extremely popular title where there are many different marc records -- and, that is really a cataloging issue, rather than a software issue. 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. NL Nancy L H. Librarian ### "Using OPALS" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 0.0 0.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 January 2, 2012 Strong recommendation: low price, excellent support, ever growing features. Pros Helpful union catalog; Z39.50; book covers included; ease of use both for professionals and clients. Cons No authority lists at this time for LC subject headings, authors, or titles. No local authority lists. 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. DG Debra G. School Library Media Specialist ### "OPALS is a Jewel (Library Automation System)!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 0.0 0.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 December 12, 2011 Give it my highest recommendation. All libraries should check out this system. The small size of the company might be an issue for huge districts but they should stil inquire about their services. Pros Great customer support. The price is unbeatable. You get so much for the price. Easy to use. Patrons and staff are able to use with ease. Always updating so it keeps up with latest trends. Cons Can't think of any negatives. 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. GB Gail B. Coordinator, School Library System ### "OPALS library automation" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 0.0 0.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 December 12, 2011 My overall recommendation is that OPALS is a great alternative to what is presently on the market. It does what it is expected to for a good price. It weaves in a lot of functionality that is important for consortia like a union catalog as well as a host of options for ILL and importing records. Harry is very easy to work with and works very hard to respond to our needs and concerns. Pros OPALS is an inexpensive, customizable library automation solution for our schools providing many features that other vendors offer at considerable cost. We have been working with this vendor in this region for four years with very good results. Our librarians are happy with the product and Harry Chan and his team at MediaFlex provide responsive and highly competent support. Cons We have been promised a subscription database program for the past couple of years that would allow us to put our vendors into the OPALS system and make the work of maintaining that information much easier. We have had to wait for that development which is frustrating. It is only until all users seem to have a need for something that the features wanted are added. 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. JS John S. Upper School Librarian ### "OPALS Automation System" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 0.0 0.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 December 12, 2011 The OPALS library system is a wonderful product that serves our needs quite well. Highly recommended system in terms of ease of use and support. Pros This is a great system. We implemented the conversion to OPALS over the late summer and were up and running by the middle of August without any issues. The support has been excellent! Cons We have nothing to report in the "Cons" field 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. Independent research methodology Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)