Oliver vs Surpass

OOliver9.0Visit Surpass8.4Visit

Higher score O Oliver #2 in School Library Management Software 9.0/10 Pricing on request ✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Oliver

vs

Surpass #6 in School Library Management Software 8.4/10 Paid ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Surpass

• Oliver fits best

  Established schools needing complete workflows

• Surpass fits best

  Schools wanting transparent entry pricing

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Side by side

Feature	OOliver 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Surpass 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.4
Ranking	#2 in School Library Management Software	#6 in School Library Management Software
Best for	Established schools needing complete workflows	Schools wanting transparent entry pricing
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	$55/mo
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Desktop
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	6 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Oliver 6/6 · Surpass 5/6
Circulation tools	✓	✓
Acquisitions	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Borrower portal	✓	✓
Custom reporting	✓	✓
MARC records	✓	✓
Student system sync	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment	Hybrid	Cloud
Our review
Pros	Covers circulation, acquisitions, cataloguing, reporting, and stocktaking Supports student discovery, eBook borrowing, and digital-resource access Integrates with student, learning, content, and authentication systems	Circulation, holds, renewals, OPAC, and self-check tools OneRoster, SIP2, and digital-resource integrations MARC import, ISBN lookup, and custom reporting
Cons	Pricing requires a sales conversation and quote The listed platform option is web, with deployment offered as hosted or on-premise Its broad workflow set may exceed the needs of schools seeking a narrow tool	No free plan is available K-12 school pricing is handled separately from general plans Premier pricing is $200 per location monthly, billed annually
Our verdict	Oliver is a school library management system from Softlink Education for primary schools, secondary schools, and education departments. It brings physical and digital resource administration into one product, covering circulation,… Read the review →	Surpass is library management software for school librarians and other library organizations. It combines cataloging, circulation, renewals, holds, public catalog access, self-check, patron management, reporting, notices, and MARC… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Oliver — where it wins

  • Covers circulation, acquisitions, cataloguing, reporting, and stocktaking
  • Supports student discovery, eBook borrowing, and digital-resource access
  • Integrates with student, learning, content, and authentication systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a sales conversation and quote
  • The listed platform option is web, with deployment offered as hosted or on-premise
  • Its broad workflow set may exceed the needs of schools seeking a narrow tool

• Surpass — where it wins

  • Circulation, holds, renewals, OPAC, and self-check tools
  • OneRoster, SIP2, and digital-resource integrations
  • MARC import, ISBN lookup, and custom reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • K-12 school pricing is handled separately from general plans
  • Premier pricing is $200 per location monthly, billed annually

• OOliver9.0/10 · Pricing on request

  A complete school library system spanning circulation, cataloguing, discovery, and digital resources.

  Visit OliverFull verdict →
• Surpass8.4/10 · Paid

  A broad school library system with clear entry pricing and flexible deployment.

  Visit SurpassFull verdict →