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ToolPool.Garden vs Circulate
Circulate and ToolPool.Garden both help people borrow stuff, but they're set up pretty differently. Circulate is open-source software you host yourself, built by the Chicago Tool Library, and ToolPool.Garden is something your group signs up for and starts using. Here's how they compare, so you can pick the one that fits your group.
The short version
If you've got a developer on your team and a library with shelves and pickup appointments, Circulate could work for you. If your group just wants to start lending this week, ToolPool.Garden is probably the easier way to go.
Side by side
| Question | ToolPool.Garden | Circulate |
|---|---|---|
| Getting set up | You sign up and start your pool. | You run it yourself on Heroku. The README says it's still early for non-developers, and a lot of the screens are hard-coded for Chicago. |
| Where the stuff lives | Wherever it already is, like your garage or your hall closet. | Items can be tagged with a location area and a shelf in your library. |
| Who can borrow | People in your pool. You see who's asking and decide whether to lend. | Members of that library. Each library has its own users, and memberships last a year. |
| Pickup and return | You and the borrower work it out in the chat, whenever you're both around. | Members book a pickup or return appointment, and there's a holds waitlist for popular items. |
| Late returns | You sort it out with the borrower in the chat. | Borrow policies can set fines per fine period, a max number of items and a loan length from 1 to 364 days. |
| Memberships and payments | Joining a pool is free. | Signup can take a payment through Square if you turn it on. |
| Volunteers | Nobody has to staff anything. | It has volunteer shift scheduling built in. |
| After hours | Pickup happens whenever you and the borrower pick a time. | There's no after-hours drop-off. Their docs literally say "Bigtime nope!" |
| What you pay | Your first month is free, and so is any month your pool is up to 20 members and 250 listings. After that it's a flat $4.99 a month for the whole pool. | The README lists no monthly fee. You'd cover your own hosting, plus whoever keeps it running. |
When Circulate is the better pick
If you run a real library with volunteer shifts and pickup appointments, Circulate was built by people doing exactly that. It's open source, so if somebody on your team codes, you can change whatever you want.
It also handles fines, holds and librarian approval on borrows, which is handy once your collection gets busy.
When ToolPool.Garden fits better
ToolPool.Garden is better for a group of people who all want to pitch in. Nobody has to run a server, and everybody's stuff stays at their house.
In a pool, the drill stays in your garage until somebody asks for it. You see who's asking, and your name stays off the listing until you decide to reveal yourself. Pickup gets worked out in the chat.
People can also list supplies, offer a skill they'd teach, or post a request for something nobody's listed yet.
Questions people ask
Is ToolPool.Garden a good Circulate alternative?
Yep, if you don't want to host software yourself. Your group can sign up and start lending the same day.
Is Circulate free?
Yep, the software is free and open source. You'd still pay for hosting and need somebody to keep it running.
Do I need a developer to use ToolPool.Garden?
Nope. If you can sign up for an email account, you can start a pool.
Is ToolPool.Garden free?
Yes! It's free for your first month and any month your pool stays at 20 members and 250 listings or fewer. After that it's $4.99 a month for the whole pool.