--- title: "OPALS Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about OPALS Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Library Automation products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/82990/OPALS/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # OPALS 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) 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 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 OPALS?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.opals-na.org&name=OPALS) ## OPALS Overview Updated August 2026 AI summary OPALS is a cloud-based library automation solution designed for small and midsize organizations managing collections, circulation, and patron activities. It offers catalog management, barcoding/RFID, inventory, OPAC, search and filter tools, fee collection, and self check-in/check-out, supporting daily library workflows. OPALS delivers core features valued by library teams seeking efficient operations and record-keeping. ## 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 (129)](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 (129) Value For Money 5.0 (1) Value For Money 4.8 (88) Customer Service 5.0 (5) Customer Service 4.9 (127) ## OPALS alternatives [4.4 (5)](https://www.capterra.com/p/147038/LIBERO/#reviews) Starting price $1500.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 80% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.5 (37)](https://www.capterra.com/p/40056/ResourceMate/reviews/) Starting price $495.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 89% 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 [4.6 (7)](https://www.capterra.com/p/82545/SoutronGLOBAL/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 [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/82990/OPALS/alternatives/) ## FAQs about OPALS Overview ### What company size and specific industries is OPALS built for? OPALS is designed for school libraries, regional educational library systems managing union interlibrary loan services, and also serves college, public, and special libraries. It is built for library organizations rather than general businesses, with a fit across educational and public-sector library settings. Features and Usability ### What are the key features of OPALS? OPALS offers catalog management, circulation management, and patron management for library operations. It also includes barcoding/RFID, inventory management, OPAC, search/filter tools, reserve shelf management, self check-in/check-out, serials management, and fee collection for tracking items, users, holds, and fines. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does OPALS offer? OPALS provides in person training, webinars, and documentation to help teams get started. In person sessions support guided setup and direct instruction, webinars offer live online learning, and documentation gives written reference material for self-paced review of features and steps. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does OPALS offer? OPALS provides chat support for users who need assistance. No reviewer feedback about support is available, so user experience details such as response speed, helpfulness, or common issues cannot be summarized from the catalog data. ## Features AI summary Based on 147 Library Automation reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of Library Automation software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Catalog Management** (**54%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Circulation Management** (**51%**) - **Search/Filter** (**42%**) OPALS supports all three features reviewers rate most important: **Catalog Management**, **Circulation Management**, and **Search/Filter**. Together, these capabilities help libraries organize collections, manage checkouts and returns efficiently, and make it easier for staff and patrons to find materials quickly, helping businesses maintain accurate records and improve daily library operations. 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 ### All Features - 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. - Patron Management: Manage library patron registration and accounts - Reserve Shelf Management: Manage allocation of and track books reserved for specific needs or people. - 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 - Serials Management: 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.