How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Goodreads is the biggest community, but its interface has barely changed in years and it lacks deep reading stats.
- The StoryGraph is the best pick for readers who want mood-based recommendations, detailed stats, and content warnings.
- Bookly and Bookmory suit habit builders who care about timers, streaks, and daily goals more than social features.
- Most of these apps import from Goodreads, so switching costs little even after years of tracking.
Quick comparison
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The best app to track books read
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Goodreads remains the default book tracker because of its size: with more than 90 million users, it has reviews for almost any book and a large network of fellow readers to follow. It asks what titles or genres you have enjoyed, then gives recommendations based on your taste and what your friends are reading. Lists, groups, and the annual reading challenge keep casual readers engaged.
The trade-off is polish. The interface has not changed meaningfully since Amazon bought the company in 2013, and its statistics stop at basic counts. Readers who want mood tracking, pace analysis, or content warnings will find Goodreads thin. Still, if your friends already track here and you want the biggest database, Goodreads is free and hard to beat for discovery.
What we like- Largest book database and review community
- Annual reading challenge
- Free with no subscription needed
Watch out for- Interface feels dated
- Stats are shallow compared with newer rivals
- Owned by Amazon, which some readers dislike
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
The StoryGraph positions itself as an Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads, built around a simple idea: life is too short for a book you are not in the mood for. It helps you track your reading and choose your next book based on your mood and your favorite topics and themes, with features such as custom tags and lists, reading challenges, content warnings, half and quarter star ratings, a reading journal, and an Up Next queue for your next five reads.
The free tier covers tracking well, and StoryGraph Plus at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year adds custom charts, extra stats filters, and stats comparisons. The main gaps are e-reader sync, which is limited, and a smaller community than Goodreads. For readers who care about data and discovery over social feeds, The StoryGraph is the best pick on this list.
What we like- Mood and pace recommendations
- Half and quarter star ratings
- Content warnings
- Strong free tier
Watch out for- No direct e-reader sync for automatic progress
- Community is quieter than Goodreads
- Plus features such as custom charts cost $4.99 per month
Starting price$29.99 per year
Free planYes
Bookly is built around the act of reading rather than the social layer. Start a timer, read, and when you finish a session it calculates your reading speed and updates your progress, streaks, and goals. Challenges cover books per month or year and an A to Z challenge, and curated book lists offer discovery.
The free version is limited: it caps at 10 books and blocks sync, statistics, and backup, with ads shown to free users, so serious trackers will need Bookly Pro at $29.99 per year. Bookly does not export data, and its gamification pushes paid upgrades hard. Note that its homepage served only a bot-check verification page during our check, so we list it on the strength of its app-store presence and reviews rather than a confirmed homepage load.
What we like- Reading timer calculates speed and progress
- Streaks and goals build habit
- Ambient sounds for focus sessions
Watch out for- Free version caps at 10 books and blocks sync, stats, and backup
- Homepage served only a bot-check page in our check
- No social layer for book clubs or friends
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Literal is a modern reading tracker with a clean design: track what you are reading, follow friends, and join clubs to explore books together. It covers individual reading goals, shelves for organizing your library, progress tracking for all book formats, barcode scanning to add books, imports from Goodreads and StoryGraph, highlights and notes, and a personal book corner you can embed on your website.
Literal suits readers who left Goodreads for a fresher interface but do not need deep statistics. Its community is warm and growing, though smaller than Goodreads, and its book database can miss obscure editions. For a free, modern, low-friction tracker, Literal is an easy recommendation.
What we like- Modern design with shelves and goals
- Barcode scanning
- Import from Goodreads and StoryGraph
Watch out for- Smaller database than Goodreads
- Fewer community features than Fable
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Hardcover describes itself as social discovery for serious book lovers, built around four actions: find, track, connect, and discover. Search and browse for new books, track every book by want to read, currently reading, read, and did not finish, explore other readers' bookshelves, and uncover new books and authors based on your reading history and preferences.
Built by former Goodreads engineers, Hardcover rebuilds familiar Goodreads features with current design and active development, including strong API and import tooling for switching. Its community is still smaller than Goodreads, so reviews and recommendations are thinner for niche titles. Readers who want a modern Goodreads-style experience without Amazon will like Hardcover.
What we like- Modern Goodreads alternative with strong import tooling
- Discovery based on reading history
- Active development
Watch out for- Smaller community than Goodreads
- Fewer social features than Fable or StoryGraph
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Bookmory is an all-in-one reading tracker, journal, and goal app designed to help you stay consistent and remember what you read. It logs books, pages, time, and progress, sets daily and yearly goals, builds streaks, and visualizes progress with a reading calendar, interactive charts, and an annual Rewind each December. Notes support rich text, quote highlights, and OCR extraction from photos of book pages, with a random note feature for revisiting insights.
Premium removes ads, adds automatic sync across devices, and adds exclusive themes, though its price is not shown on the homepage, so check the app store listing before subscribing. Bookmory is the best pick for readers who treat their notes as part of the habit, since few rivals match its journaling depth.
What we like- Reading timer, calendar, and stats
- Rich notes with quote highlights and OCR
- Free to start with optional Premium
Watch out for- Premium price not shown on homepage
- Social features are limited compared with Goodreads or Fable
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Fable calls itself the modern app for every reader, and its strength is community: join clubs or share posts with fellow book lovers, with dedicated feeds, spoiler-free discussion rooms, and popular clubs such as Booktok Besties with 17,000 members. Tracking covers beautiful lists, reading goals, daily streaks, Goodreads import, monthly recaps, most-read genres, and a personalized reader summary that evolves with every book.
Fable also covers TV shows, which book-only users may find cluttering. Its social-first design suits readers who finish more books with a group than alone. Solo trackers who just want stats should pick The StoryGraph or Bookmory instead, but for book clubs, Fable is the strongest option here.
What we like- Strong book clubs with spoiler-free discussion rooms
- Goodreads import
- Personalized reader summaries and streaks
Watch out for- Social-first design may distract solo trackers
- TV tracking adds clutter for book-only users
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
LibraryThing is a free, library-quality catalog to track reading progress or your whole library, now marking 20 years in operation. Add books, movies, and music from Amazon, the Library of Congress, and 4,941 other libraries, track progress, rate and review, see detailed charts and stats, and get personalized recommendations. It runs in over 50 languages, offers iPhone and Android apps, and runs an Early Reviewers program with over 3,000 free early-release books each month.
The homepage now describes LibraryThing as completely free with no membership fees, download limits, or ads, which is a change from older accounts that capped free catalogs. Its interface looks dated, but its catalog depth is unmatched for collectors with large home libraries. For cataloging rather than social reading, LibraryThing is the best tool here.
What we like- Library-quality catalog from Amazon, the Library of Congress, and thousands of libraries
- Free with no ads
- Nearly three million members
Watch out for- Interface looks dated next to Literal and Hardcover
- Discovery is weaker than StoryGraph or Fable
How we chose
We compared database size, tracking depth, statistics, goal and habit features, import and export options, and community strength, and we opened every homepage listed here to confirm it loads and belongs to the product. Bookly's homepage served only a bot-check page during our check, so we flag it rather than claim a full homepage confirmation. We favored apps with free tiers that genuinely work for long-term tracking and penalized apps that lock basic stats or sync behind paywalls.
Book tracking app buying guide
Start with how you read, not with the app store rating. Social readers who want friends, clubs, and reviews should pick Goodreads or Fable. Data lovers who want stats, mood picks, and content warnings should pick The StoryGraph. Habit builders who need timers, streaks, and goals should pick Bookly or Bookmory. Collectors with large libraries should pick LibraryThing.
Import, export, and switching costs
Import matters more than most features, since years of reading history are hard to rebuild by hand. Goodreads, StoryGraph, Literal, Hardcover, and Fable all support imports from at least one rival, usually Goodreads. Export is weaker: Bookly offers no export, so check the export option before committing to any tracker. A good rule is to export your data once a year, whatever app you use, so switching stays painless.
Free versus paid
Most of these apps are free for basic tracking, and paid tiers add stats, sync, or themes. StoryGraph Plus costs $4.99 per month, Bookly Pro costs $29.99 per year, and Bookmory Premium pricing varies by store. Pay only when you hit a real limit, such as Bookly's 10-book free cap, rather than for features you might use someday. A tracker you open daily beats a premium plan you ignore.
Frequently asked questions
Which book tracking app is best overall?
The StoryGraph is the best overall pick for most readers, thanks to its mood-based recommendations, detailed stats, and content warnings on a strong free tier. Goodreads wins only if your friends and reviews already live there.
Can I import my Goodreads data into another app?
Yes, in most cases. The StoryGraph, Literal, Hardcover, and Fable all offer Goodreads import, usually from a CSV export. Check that notes and reading dates carry over, since some imports lose detail.
Are book tracking apps free?
Most are free for basic tracking. Goodreads, Literal, Hardcover, Fable, and LibraryThing are free, while StoryGraph, Bookly, and Bookmory charge for advanced stats, sync, or unlimited books. Start free and upgrade only when you hit a limit.
Do any of these apps sync with Kindle?
Direct e-reader sync is limited across this list. The StoryGraph notes limited e-reader integration, and most others rely on manual progress updates. If automatic Kindle sync matters to you, check the current app before subscribing, since this changes often.
What is the best book tracker for building a reading habit?
Bookly and Bookmory are the best habit builders, with timers, streaks, daily goals, and reading calendars. Bookly focuses on timed sessions, while Bookmory adds notes and a yearly Rewind.
Is LibraryThing still free?
Yes, its homepage now describes it as completely free with no membership fees, download limits, or ads. Older accounts once had a free catalog limit, but the current homepage presents it as free for all users.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.goodreads.com
- https://thestorygraph.com
- https://bookly.app
- https://literal.club
- https://hardcover.app
- https://bookmory.net
- https://fable.co
- https://www.librarything.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
Goodreads
The StoryGraph
Bookly
Literal
Hardcover
Bookmory
Fable
LibraryThing