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 remains the default tracker, with 150-plus million members, the largest review community, and a completely free core app.
- StoryGraph is the best data-first alternative, with mood, pace, and statistics tracking plus a $4.99 per month Plus tier for deeper stats.
- Bookly is the best habit tracker, with a live timer and gamified statistics, though its free tier caps at 10 books in guides.
- Hardcover is the best modern Goodreads rebuild, free with half-star ratings, detailed stats, and no ads.
- Most trackers start free, so try two at once: Goodreads for social discovery and a second app for serious personal tracking.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Goodreads | Largest community | Free | Yes |
 StoryGraph | Data and mood tracking | Free | Yes |
 Bookly | Habit and timer tracking | Free | Yes |
 Bookmory | Calendar and session tracking | Free | Yes |
 Fable | Book clubs and social reading | Free | Yes |
 Hardcover | Modern Goodreads alternative | Free | Yes |
 Margins | iOS reading with timer | Free | Yes |
 Libib | Large catalog tracking | Free | Yes |
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The best reading tracker app
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
There is no way around it: Goodreads is still the default. With over 150 million members, it is where your friends are, where the reviews live, and where authors hold Q and As, and the social graph is its moat that no competitor has come close to replicating. The book database coverage is the best in this list, and the core app is completely free with no paywall.
Using Goodreads in 2026 feels like using an app preserved in amber: the reading challenge was controversially changed in early 2025, removing the ability to see friends progress, and there is no reading timer, no half-star ratings, and no dark mode in guides. Amazon clearly views it as a funnel to Kindle sales rather than a product worth investing in. If you are deeply embedded in the Goodreads social ecosystem, nothing else replaces it yet, but if you primarily use it as a personal tracker, almost any app here serves you better.
What we like- Largest book community at 150-plus million members in guides
- Best book database coverage
- Completely free with no paywall
- Kindle integration
Watch out for- Outdated interface with no dark mode in 2026 guides
- No half-star ratings
- No reading timer
- Famously buggy app
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
StoryGraph is the independent reading tracker built around statistics, mood, and pace, and it targets readers who left Goodreads for better data and a less social experience. The free tier covers tracking, imports, recommendations, stats, and challenges, which is generous compared with timer apps that paywall basic statistics.
Plus costs $4.99 per month in guides and adds buddy reads and deeper stats tools. There is no reading timer, and the community is smaller than Goodreads. For readers who care about their own data more than social feeds, StoryGraph is the best tracker.
What we like- Statistics, mood, and pace tracking
- Strong free tier for tracking, imports, recommendations, and challenges
- Less social noise than Goodreads
Watch out for- Plus at $4.99 per month for buddy reads and deeper stats
- No reading timer
- Smaller community than Goodreads
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Bookly focuses on the act of reading itself, using a live timer to track your speed and stats, which makes it more of a private habit-builder than a public social platform. It gamifies daily reading time with goals, streaks, and infographics, and it works offline on iOS, Android, and Watch.
The free version caps at 10 books in guides, and Pro costs near $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year for unlimited books, detailed infographics, and cloud sync. For readers who want to build a daily habit with a timer, Bookly is the best pick.
What we like- Live timer with reading speed and statistics
- Gamified goals and streaks
- Offline use
- Available on iOS, Android, and Watch
Watch out for- Free tier caps at 10 books in guides
- Pro near $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year
- Full statistics sit behind the paywall
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Bookmory pairs a reading timer with a calendar view that shows exactly when you read, which helps habit-builders see streaks and gaps at a glance. The free tier covers an unlimited library in guides, with offline use and support for 12-plus languages.
Pro costs near $3.49 per month in guides, and the free app includes ads, while social features trail Goodreads and Fable. For calendar-based habit tracking at a low price, Bookmory is the best value timer app.
What we like- Calendar view of reading sessions
- Timer with offline use
- Free tier with unlimited library in guides
- 12-plus languages
Watch out for- Pro near $3.49 per month in guides
- Free app includes ads
- Social features thinner than Goodreads or Fable
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Fable is the social reading app focused on book clubs, recommendations, and short-form reading communities, with a TikTok-style social layer on top of book tracking. It suits readers who want to read with friends, join clubs, and discover books through community picks.
The core app is free with an unlimited library in guides, while Fable Plus adds advanced reading stats, custom weekly and monthly goals, a profile badge, and an ad-free experience, and it comes included with Everand subscription plans in guides. For book clubs and social reading, Fable is the best pick.
What we like- Free core reading, lists, and social features
- Digital book clubs with short-form communities
- Unlimited library in guides
Watch out for- Plus subscription for advanced stats, custom goals, and ad-free experience
- Stats depth trails StoryGraph
- Social-first design distracts solo readers
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Hardcover is the modern Goodreads alternative built by former Goodreads engineers, and for tracking your own reading it wins on nearly everything you touch: half-star ratings, detailed stats, speed, and no ads. Its public API is open, unlike Goodreads closed API since 2020, and its Goodreads import tooling makes switching easy.
The free tracker covers core use, with an optional supporter tier at $4.99 per month in guides, but the community is smaller than Goodreads and there is no Kindle sync. For serious personal tracking with a modern interface, Hardcover is the best product in this list, even if Goodreads remains the bigger room.
What we like- Free tracker with half-star ratings, detailed stats, and no ads
- Strong API and Goodreads import tooling
- Built by former Goodreads engineers
Watch out for- Supporter tier at $4.99 per month in guides
- Community smaller than Goodreads
- No Kindle sync
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Margins is the highest-rated tracker in one guide at 4.9, pairing a reading timer with social features on iOS, with offline use and a clean interface. It suits iPhone readers who want timer-based tracking plus a social layer without Goodreads dated interface.
Pro costs near $5.99 per month in guides, and the app is iOS only, with no web or Android version, which limits cross-device readers. For iOS-only readers who want a timer plus social features, Margins is the best pick.
What we like- Reading timer with social features
- High user rating at 4.9 in guides
- IOS app with offline use
Watch out for- Pro near $5.99 per month in guides
- IOS only, with no web or Android version
- Smaller community than Goodreads
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Libib suits readers with large collections, offering a free tier up to 5,000 items in guides and multiple catalogs in one account, which helps households or collectors track borrowed books, owned books, and wish lists separately. Its catalog-first design handles volume that habit apps struggle with.
Social features are thinner than Goodreads or Fable, and there is no reading timer, so habit-builders should pair it with Bookly or Bookmory. For large catalog tracking at zero cost, Libib is the best pick.
What we like- Free tier up to 5,000 items in guides
- Multiple catalogs in one account
- Good for tracking borrowed books and large collections
Watch out for- Social features thinner than Goodreads or Fable
- Interface is catalog-first rather than habit-first
- No reading timer
How we chose
We started from what reading tracker apps must do well: log books accurately, show progress honestly, and help readers find their next book. We compared vendor pages and current 2026 guides, and we favored apps with generous free tiers, accurate databases, and honest limits. We left out dead apps, single-platform tools with no tracking depth, and apps whose pricing could not be traced. Prices here come from 2026 guides and app listings, and they vary by platform and region, so check the listing before you subscribe. Data export matters: some apps lose notes and reading history on migration, so export regularly and prefer apps with open APIs or import tooling.
How to pick a reading tracker app
Start with why you track: social discovery, personal statistics, habit building, or catalog management each point to a different app, and the best tracker for a book club member differs from the best for a solo habit-builder.
Match the app to your reading style
Social readers should pick Goodreads or Fable, data readers should pick StoryGraph or Hardcover, habit readers should pick Bookly, Bookmory, or Margins, and collectors should pick Libib. Running two apps at once is common and sensible: Goodreads for the social side and a second app for serious personal logging.
Check the free tier limits before you commit
Free tiers vary sharply: Goodreads is free with no paywall, StoryGraph free tier covers most tracking, Bookly free tier caps at 10 books, and Bookmory free tier includes ads. If you read more than 10 books a year, Bookly free tier will feel cramped fast, so budget Pro from the start or pick a freer alternative.
Protect your reading data
Export your library regularly, since data export on some apps loses notes and reading history on migration, and book-database accuracy varies, with some apps misidentifying editions or returning no results for popular titles. Prefer apps with open APIs or import tooling, such as Hardcover, so your years of reading history survive a future switch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best reading tracker app overall?
Goodreads for the largest community, StoryGraph for data and mood tracking, and Hardcover for the best modern personal tracker. Most serious readers run Goodreads for social discovery plus a second app for personal logging.
Is Goodreads still worth using in 2026?
Yes, if your friends, book clubs, and author events live there, since no competitor matches its 150-plus million member community. If you mainly track your own reading, StoryGraph or Hardcover serves you better, with better stats and a modern interface.
Which reading tracker app is best for building a habit?
Bookly, with its live timer, gamified goals, and streaks, followed by Bookmory with its calendar view and lower Pro price. Both make daily reading visible, which is what turns intention into habit.
Can I import my Goodreads library into another app?
Yes, on most alternatives here. Hardcover offers strong Goodreads import tooling, and StoryGraph supports imports too, though notes and reading history sometimes fail to transfer, so export and check your data after migration.
Are reading tracker apps free?
Most start free. Goodreads is free with no paywall, StoryGraph, Hardcover, Fable, and Libib offer generous free tiers, while Bookly, Bookmory, and Margins charge $3.49 to $5.99 per month for full statistics and unlimited libraries.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.goodreads.com
- https://app.thestorygraph.com
- https://booklyapp.com
- https://bookmory.net
- https://fable.co
- https://hardcover.app
- https://margins.app
- https://www.libib.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.