Ages ago, I used Goodreads to track my reading. Then, I decided it wasn’t working for me and closed my account. I had a spreadsheet and that was all I needed. Last month, I decided to finally give book tracking apps another chance. So, I gave Goodreads a second shot, but I also tried five other book apps.
The apps: Goodreads, LibraryThing, Litsy, The StoryGraph, BookSloth, and Bookly
I’m going to give you a basic overview of each one, what the signup process is like, general use of the app, and how simple it is to delete your account if you decide it’s not for you.
Goodreads
About the App
Created in 2006, this is probably the most popular platform for reviewing and tracking books. It’s widely used, there are lots of reviews, book information, author pages, discussions, and groups. Owned by Amazon
Signup
When you sign up you’re prompted to first find friends, then set a reading goal, then mark your favorite genres, then rate books that you’ve read (minimum of 20 book ratings to get personalized recs)
The first page after your signup is recommendations
Use
Goodreads can be accessed both on the web or through an app. If you only use the app, you cannot change editions of a book. If you’re only on the web, you can’t use the barcode scanner, which I personally think is a delight
It has a rather cluttered web design, but it’s relatively easy to figure out. Adding and organizing books is simple. There’s a big focus on sharing and reading other people’s reviews. With plenty of groups and discussions it can be a great place to interact with the book community. If you sign up, I recommend changing your email setting right away because they send a lot of emails automatically
Account Deletion
I decided once again that Goodreads just wasn’t the book app for me
Account deletion is simple, and you get the option to leave all your discussion posts visible anonymously if you’d like. You get a confirmation dialogue, then you’re done
LibraryThing
About the App
If you’ve got a decent sized or large library at home that you want to track like a real library (or you are a real library), this might be the app for you. LibraryThing focuses on cataloguing, along with discovery and discussion. Owned by AbeBooks, which is owned by Amazon
Signup
When you sign up (or sign in) you’re asked to prove you’re human by selecting books of a specific genre. The cutest anti-robot test I’ve ever seen. Then, there’s a friends finder before you arrive at your dashboard
Use
This one is best used on the web, although the app is a great companion for using the scanner to set up your personal library. Scanning will add your specific edition of each book, which is much simpler than trying to manually do everything. If you do your setup manually, the information doesn’t necessarily update with an edition change – you can update each detail specifically instead of everything all at once. You can add ratings and reviews, as well as read other users’, but there’s no progress tracking for your current reads. This is great for organizing all the details on your personal library, telling you all the details down to the dimension and weight of your books
Account Deletion
Account deletion is a simple confirmation dialogue
Litsy
About the App
If you love Bookstagram but could do without the rest of Instagram, this is the app for you. Litsy is all about sharing bookish moments with a lovely bookish community. You can post reviews, book quotes, and blurbs and have discussions in the comments. Owned by LibraryThing, which is owned by AbeBooks, which is owned by Amazon
Signup
Upon signup you can upload a profile pic, then add your Facebook friends, see some recommended accounts to follow, then learn how to post before arriving at your home page
Use
If you’re coming from Goodreads, you can import your data and it translates ratings pretty well. The rating system is a simple ‘Pick’, ‘So-so’, or ‘Pan’, plus a DNF option. Although there’s no progress tracking outside of your personal posts, you can create lists for your read books, currently reading, and TBR. If someone posts about a book you’d like to add to your TBR, you can do that simply by interacting with their post, no need to search for the book on your own. It has minimal layout that’s super easy to use and great for interacting with other book lovers
Account Deletion
Account deletion is immediate, with no confirmation needed. So don’t click delete until you’re ready
The StoryGraph
About the App
Originally created in 2012 as a creative writing publication, The Storygraph re-launched in 2019 as the platform it is today. Possibly the most comparable to Goodreads, this app is much more minimal with a focus on mood reading, recommendations, and stats. Owned by founder Nadia Odunayo and co-founder Rob Frelow
Signup
Upon signup you have the option to import your Goodreads data, take a reading preferences survey, write in the kinds of books you like, then you’re shown recommendations
Use
Although this one lacks a scanner, it’s easy to find books and change editions, whether you’re on the website or the app. You are given recommendations based on the preferences you set and the books you add, but you can also search for recommendations based on mood, genre, and length if you want something a little different. The recommendations change frequently so you don’t see the same books over and over. You can also update your preferences as your taste changes. The layout is super minimal without hiding anything on you. There are yearly book and page goals as well as charts showing you info on everything you’ve read
There is a plus version available, although they don’t try to shove it in your face if you’re just fine with the free version. The plus version offers more stats and more personalized recommendations. You’ll have a voice in upcoming new features as well as priority on any support tickets
Account Deletion
I actually decided to keep using this one for a while, but account deletion is easy to find – there’s probably a confirmation dialogue
BookSloth
About the App
Created in 2018, this is a fairly new book app. If you’re looking for an app that can track your reading, give you recommendations, and connect you with other readers to discuss books, BookSloth is a good option. Owned by co-founders Lincy Ayala and Xiomara Figueroa
Signup
This one is app only at the moment so, sorry fellow folks who prefer to have a web option. When you sign up you’re asked your favorite genres and favorite reading elements
Use
Like Goodreads and The StoryGraph, BookSloth can be used to track your read books with ratings and reviews, currently reading progress, and TBR. There is much more focus on community engagement with group text style chats for discussions about specific books as well as a feed for posting any miscellaneous topics or questions to the community. They offer lots of recommendations for book discovery based on your own books, but also a wide range of categories to browse until something strikes your fancy.
As a newer app, this one has a few kinks, but tons of potential. There is an option to import your Goodreads library, but after a few days of it saying it was working on it, mine never imported. Also search results don’t always show the closest match first. It’s not perfect, but the founders seem to be actively working on improving and expanding on this community-centered app
Account Deletion
You can uninstall it, but you can’t delete your account. It’s yours forever. I even tried e-mailing them to request account deletion, but I never got an answer
Bookly
About the App
If you’re not looking for community, reviews, or recommendations, this one might work. Centered on tracking your reading time, speed, and goals, Bookly is focused on making reading a habit. I’m not positive who owns this, but it was published by TwoDoor Games
Signup
Another one that’s app only, but you don’t really have to sign up. Just install, set a reading goal for either books or pages per year, set a reading schedule to get a daily reminder, and decide if you want to upgrade to Bookly Pro. No account needed
Use
This is more suited to making physical reading a daily habit and learning about your personal reading speed. It’s focused on reaching goals and helping you tackle that out of control TBR we’re all trying to ignore. They host a quarterly readathon as well. You can rate books once you read them, but there are no reviews. Which makes sense, since this is a solo app, there’s no community to interact with. You can mark quotes, notes, and new words while you read. If you’re an audio book listener, there’s no way to track your progress for those, some titles don’t display the cover image, and when I used the countdowns there was no notification when my set time had elapsed
Bookly offers a pro version, which they will remind you about constantly and if you opt to remain free you’ll have to watch an ad anytime you interact with anything
Account Deletion
Since you never really made an account, you just uninstall this one. Although there’s probably a confirmation step if you went Pro
Those are the six bookish apps I tried. Which ones do you use?
<3D
LessthanThreeD 