Surpass vs Lyra

Surpass7.4Visit Lyra7.1Visit

Higher score Surpass #6 in School Library Management Software 7.4/10 From $55/mo (annual) ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Surpass

vs

Lyra #8 in School Library Management Software 7.1/10 From $795/yr · 30-day trial ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Lyra

• Surpass fits best

  Schools wanting transparent entry pricing

• Lyra fits best

  New schools wanting AI-assisted management

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Side by side

Feature	Surpass 7.4/10 Visit ↗	Lyra 7.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.4	7.1
Ranking	#6 in School Library Management Software	#8 in School Library Management Software
Best for	Schools wanting transparent entry pricing	New schools wanting AI-assisted management
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$55/mo	Not published
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows	Web
Support	Docs	Email, Docs
Integrations	6 integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market
Features Surpass 5/6 · Lyra 5/6
Circulation tools	✓	✓
Acquisitions	Not published	—
Borrower portal	✓	✓
Custom reporting	✓	✓
MARC records	✓	✓
Student system sync	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Our review
Pros	Circulation, holds, renewals, OPAC, and self-check tools OneRoster, SIP2, and digital-resource integrations MARC import, ISBN lookup, and custom reporting	Natural-language catalog search and Vega collection analysis assistant Circulation, inventory reporting, roster sync, and SSO in one system MARC, Excel, CSV, and spreadsheet imports support migration
Cons	No free plan is available K-12 school pricing is handled separately from general plans Premier pricing is $200 per location monthly, billed annually	No acquisitions or purchasing workflows Fines and interlibrary loan are out of scope Annual pricing starts at $795 and scales by patron capacity
Our verdict	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 →	Lyra is a browser-based integrated library system for private, independent, Catholic, and parish K–12 schools. It covers cataloging, circulation, holds, renewals, patron management, inventory, and a student- and teacher-facing online… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• Lyra — where it wins

  • Natural-language catalog search and Vega collection analysis assistant
  • Circulation, inventory reporting, roster sync, and SSO in one system
  • MARC, Excel, CSV, and spreadsheet imports support migration

  Where it doesn't

  • No acquisitions or purchasing workflows
  • Fines and interlibrary loan are out of scope
  • Annual pricing starts at $795 and scales by patron capacity

• Surpass7.4/10 · From $55/mo (annual)

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

  Visit SurpassFull verdict →
• Lyra7.1/10 · From $795/yr · 30-day trial

  A focused, AI-assisted library system for smaller K–12 schools.

  Visit LyraFull verdict →