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Should I Use Springshare?

springshare.com·Analyzed 1 day ago··Based on 13 sources

LibApps tools help libraries thrive in a digital-first world by offering affordable software solutions for libraries and non-profits.

Worth it

Worth it

Buy if you run an academic, public, or special library — it's the affordable category standard with praised support.

Library-world default suite: affordable, well-liked, broad. Buy if you run a library; skip if you don't.

Confidence: Medium

4.3/5

G2 rating

12 reviews

$1.5–2K/yr

LibGuides price

small college, per user report

2007

Founded

privately held

$2.1M

Est. revenue

Crunchbase projection

Value for money4

Markets itself affordable; LibGuides ~$1.5–2K/yr

Ease of use4

Guess: librarians build guides without IT help

Feature depth5

Suite spans guides, chat, booking, analytics, staffing

Support quality4

Users call support responsive and 'fantastic'

Security posture3

SOC 2 and GDPR, but two XSS disclosures

Pros

  • Category standard: 928+ live Springshare sites tracked12
  • Rated 4.3/5 on G2¹
  • One suite covers guides, chat, booking, analytics, and staffing⁸
  • Users praise responsive, 'fantastic' support⁴
  • Holds SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance⁸

Cons

  • Only 12 G2 ratings — quality signal is thin¹
  • XSS vulnerabilities disclosed in 2014 and again in 2024⁷
  • Guides rot into 'link graveyards' without active curation³
  • Add-on modules push real costs past base pricing²
  • Pricing isn't published; quotes vary by institution⁵

Gotchas

  • mediumLibGuides runs ~$1,500–2,000/yr for a small college; each added module costs more²
  • mediumNo published pricing; quotes depend on institution size and modules chosen⁵
  • low5% discount applies only when buying through a library consortium11

Best for

  • Academic libraries
  • Public libraries
  • Special and nonprofit libraries
  • Institutions needing chat reference plus room booking

Not for

  • Corporate or startup teams — this is library software, full stop
  • Anyone wanting a generic internal wiki (use Notion instead)
  • Libraries unwilling to curate guides — content rots into link dumps
  • Buyers demanding transparent, published pricing

Companies that use it

  • University College London
  • UC Irvine Libraries
  • City University of New York (CUNY)
  • University of Oklahoma
  • BPP University

Pricing

LibGuides (small college)

$1,500–2,000/yr

  • Module-based licensing
  • Extra modules billed separately
  • 5% consortial discount available

Security

SOC 2 Type II (2025) and GDPR compliant; XSS disclosures from 2014 and 2024 on record.

  • CVE-2014-7291 — LibCal XSSMultiple cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in LibCal disclosed November 2014.⁶
  • LibApps stored XSS (2024)Stored XSS in LibApps reported during a bug bounty test, April 2024.⁷

What users say

Librarians on Reddit and G2 rate it 4.3/5, praising support while warning guides can become unmaintained link dumps.

“Not only are they fantastic, but Springshare sup…”
— Reddit, r/librarians
“Open discussion of Libguides. Useful tool or link graveyard?”
— Reddit, r/Libraries (thread title)
“$1500 - 2000 per year unless you get addition…”
— Reddit, r/librarians

Alternatives

Compare Springshare with each alternative.

WordPress

DIY guides and sites for tiny libraries on a budget.

Google Sites

Free, simple site builder for minimal guide needs.

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; review volume is thin (12 G2 ratings, 3 Capterra reviews).

Sources

  1. Springshare Products | Read 12 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  2. Cost of Libguides for a small college? — Redditreddit.com
    review
  3. Open discussion of Libguides. Useful tool or link graveyard? — Redditreddit.com
    review
  4. Looking for an alternative platform for Library Guides — Redditreddit.com
    review
  5. Springshare: Pricing, Free Demo & Features — SoftwareFindersoftwarefinder.com
    review
  6. CVE-2014-7291 Detail — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  7. Springshare LibApps Stored XSS — Smith Securityblog.smithsecurity.biz
    security
  8. Springshare Upholds SOC 2 Type II Complianceblog.springshare.com
    official
  9. Springshare GDPR statementspringshare.com
    official
  10. Springshare Company pagespringshare.com
    official
  11. Springshare consortial discount — ACLacl.org
    official
  12. Websites using Springshare — BuiltWithtrends.builtwith.com
    news
  13. Springshare — Crunchbasecrunchbase.com
    news

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