10 Best Apps and Sites Like Goodreads for Readers

Are you an avid reader who mostly needs to track your progress on Goodreads? But what you get is often Amazon recommendations in old-school style and outdated features because it is completely tied to it. That’s why it lacks in delivering fresh, engaging experiences that you may crave today.

The best Goodreads alternatives are The StoryGraph, LibraryThing, BookSloth, Bookly, and Libib, which deliver exactly what you crave. Like reading timers, goals, habit tracking, and stronger social connections to discuss your reads with friends and family.

I tried several sites like Goodreads, but found only ten that have the potential to be the best apps like Goodreads. First, I’ll start with why you search for an alternative to Goodreads, and then give a detailed review of my picks.

Goodreads has been around forever, but it hasn’t really kept up with what modern readers want. Here are a few reasons people go searching for something better:

• Outdated Design: Goodreads looks and feels pretty old-school. The interface hasn’t changed much in years, which makes it less fun to use compared to fresher, modern book-reading apps.
• Slow Updates & Features: Readers have been asking for new features for years, but changes come at a snail’s pace. Alternatives to Goodreads often bring exciting updates faster.
• Hit-or-Miss Recommendations: Goodreads’ suggestion system doesn’t always get your taste right. If you’re looking for personalized book recommendations that actually match your vibe, you might be left disappointed.
• Limited Community Engagement: Goodreads has groups and reviews, but sometimes the discussions feel dry or inactive. Some readers crave a more lively, engaging community experience.
• Clunky Tracking Tools: Tracking your reading progress or organizing books on Goodreads can feel more like a duty than a joy. Many readers want smoother, more intuitive tools.

1. The StoryGraph

The StoryGraph is a social cataloging platform that serves as a direct competitor to Goodreads. As a Goodreads competitor, it allows users to track their reading in detail, including the number of books and pages read, and even listening minutes for audiobooks.

Users can also monitor their reading goals. Its personalized book recommendations feature, based on your specific mood and preferences, gives users a complete personalized experience.

Key Features of The StoryGraph:

• Custom Tags & Lists: Users can organize, search, and filter books using custom tags and share curated lists with friends.
• Mood-based Recommendations: The platform provides book recommendations based on your mood and uses AI technology to suggest new reads.
• Reading Insights: After finishing a book, users can set the book’s pace, and The StoryGraph provides various graphs and statistics based on their reading habits, including charts for genre, mood, and pace.
• Readalongs: The platform supports readalongs to track the number of participants and activities, such as comments and emoji reactions.

Pros and Cons of The StoryGraph:

2. Fable

Fable is another Goodreads alternative for book lovers to discover, organize, track, and discuss books and TV shows with a community of fans. Users can join or create book and TV clubs, follow friends and influencers.

You can also read the eBooks within the app, make annotations, respond to prompts, and share highlights and comments with other readers. Its similar features to Goodreads make it best for users when it comes to Goodreads alternatives.

Key Features of Fable:

• Social Community: It’s a social app for fans of books and TV to discover, organize, and discuss their interests with a like-minded community.
• Book Clubs: The app features thousands of book clubs, providing a platform for users to share their reading experiences.
• Integrated E-Reader: Fable includes an e-reader that allows users to highlight passages, share comments, add reactions, and write notes directly within the ebook.
• Reading Milestones: Users can create and share reading milestones to help track and achieve their reading goals.
• Personalized Feed: The app offers a personalized activity feed to keep up with friends and book club activities.

Pros and Cons of Fable:

3. Bookly

Bookly is the best platform if you want to monitor your reading progress, build daily reading habits, and track the books you have read. This Goodreads-like site motivates users to read more and build a consistent reading routine.

It keeps you engaged with daily reminders that help to maintain your reading streak. Further, it sends badges and achievements when you complete your reading goals. 

Key Features of Bookly:

• Reading Progress Tracking: It helps users track their reading sessions in real-time, monitor progress, and build daily reading habits.
• Real-time Stats: The app provides personalized stats on reading time, pages read, and reading speed.
• Goal Setting: Users can set reading goals and are motivated to read more through achievements and a “reading streak” feature.
• Book Management: It helps users organize their book collections and even track borrowed books.

Pros and Cons of Bookly:

4. LibraryThing

If you are looking for a site that functions like Goodreads, LibraryThing can be your go-to choice. It allows you to catalog your books and track reading progress.

It is mostly used by readers and authors to store and share book catalogs and related metadata. Users can easily and quickly catalog their books and access their collection from anywhere, including on a mobile phone.

Key Features of LibraryThing:

• Book Cataloging: It allows users to create a personalized online library or catalog of books they own, have read, or want to read.
• Social Cataloging: The platform functions as a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and their metadata.
• Book Organization: Users can create and edit collections of books, and sort, search, and tag books with their own subjects.
• Classification Systems: The app supports various classification systems, including the Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal System.
• Library Stats: It provides tools and features for users to explore special statistics related to their library collection.

Pros and Cons of LibraryThing:

5. BookWyrm

BookWyrm is a platform for social reading where users can track what they are reading, write book reviews, and discuss books with friends. Similar to Goodreads, but it’s built on ActivePub, which allows users to join small communities within the fediverse.

On the BookWyrm, you can rate, review, and comment on books, and discover new titles through lists and recommendations from other users. The platform allows users to import their data from other platforms like Goodreads, The Storygraph, and Open Library.

Key Features of BookWyrm:

• Social Reading: BookWyrm is a social network for readers to track what they are reading, review books, and follow friends.
• Reading Tracking: Users can monitor their reading sessions in real-time, update their reading status, and set personal reading goals.
• Federated Network: The platform is open-source and federated, which means users on different BookWyrm servers can connect and interact with each other. It can also interoperate with other services built on ActivityPub, Mastodon.
• Book Discovery and Reviews: The app allows users to discover new books, write reviews, and post quotes or comments about books.

Pros and Cons of BookWyrm:

6. BookSloth

BookSloth is a great Goodreads alternative for young adult book lovers with a small community. Its main purpose is to pair readers with their “perfect read.”

Also, BookSloth simplifies the book discovery process and provides personalized recommendations based on user interests. Users can log books, write reviews, and interact with other readers.

Key Features of BookSloth:

• Reading Tracking: The app allows users to log the books they are currently reading, write reviews, and track their reading activity.
• Unique Rating System: Users can rate books based on specific reading elements, such as “awesome characters” or “amazing worldbuilding”.
• Community and Social Features: BookSloth emphasizes community by allowing users to follow each other, join book clubs, and share recommendations.
• Personalized Profiles and Shelves: Users can manage a personal profile, customize their virtual bookshelves, and showcase their favorite books.

Pros and Cons of BookSloth:

7. BookTrib

BookTrib is a news source and website for people who love books. It provides a platform to discover new reads and stay updated on the book world.

It is often described as a leading source for book news and the “#1 website for books.” You can read book reviews and author interviews that help you build your own opinion about reading and other aspects of life.

Also, the site features giveaways and recommendations across various genres. It helps readers escape into books and learn about great authors.

Key Features of BookTrib:

• Book News and Reviews: It is a website for discovering new books through reviews, interviews, and recommendations.
• Diverse Content: It covers a wide range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, romance, memoirs, and adult.
• Author Support: The website provides information on how it helps authors, including self-published authors, market their books.
• Multimedia Content: The site features videos, such as author interviews and book trailers, and hosts giveaways.

Pros and Cons of BookTrib:

8. BookBrowse

BookBrowse is a good alternative to Goodreads due to its strong editorial content, book recommendations, and community forum. While Goodreads focuses on a large quantity of user-generated content (UGC), BookBrowse distinguishes itself by focusing on editorial quality.

It provides in-depth, professionally written reviews and curates content to help readers discover exceptional books. 

Key Features of BookBrowse:

• Feeds and Content: The apps provide feeds for book news, recommended books, reader reviews, and newsletters.
• Book Discovery: It helps users find contemporary fiction and nonfiction by providing reviews and recommendations.
• Advanced Search: Users can browse for books by specific criteria like time period, setting, and a wide range of themes. The service also offers handpicked “read-alikes”.
• Membership Benefits: Subscribers and members can gain access to “exceptional books” and have the opportunity to receive free books.

Pros and Cons of BookBrowse:

9. Libib

If you want to manage personal libraries of books and catalogs, Libib is a perfect Goodreads Alternative. It is best for Individuals, schools, and small organizations to manage their collections.

However, it is not bound to books but also allows cataloging movies, music, board games, and video games. One of the best things is its easy-to-use interface, as users can scan item barcodes to quickly add them to their collection, and sync data across devices.

Key Features of Libib:

• Multi-Type Cataloging: Libib is designed for cataloging various media types, including books, movies, music, video games, and board games.
• Multiple Libraries: The app allows users to create and manage multiple distinct collections or libraries. This is useful for separating items, such as for different locations.
• Easy Item Entry: You can quickly add items by scanning their ISBN or UPC barcodes. Manual entry is also an option.
• Organization Tools: Users can organize their collections by adding tags, leaving notes, and grouping items.

Pros and Cons of Libib:

10. Basmo

Basmo also stands out among Goodreads alternatives due to its similar features, like tracking reading goals, times, pages read, and developing consistent reading habits.

This platform excels as a personal book tracker, which helps users achieve their reading goals, motivating them with “contracts.” This makes it a strong choice for those who want to focus on their personal reading journey. 

Basmo lacks the social commentary feature, such as connecting and sharing their reading experiences, unlike Goodreads.

Key Features of Basmo:

• Reading Tracking and Stats: Basmo helps users monitor their progress, log books, and see detailed statistics on their reading habits
• Goal Setting and Habits: The app allows users to set and track both daily reading goals and yearly book goals, with gentle reminders.
• AI Chatbot Assistant: A key feature is “ChatBook,” an AI assistant that can answer questions about a book’s content and provide summaries and details.
• Note-Taking and Journaling: Users can take notes, highlight passages, and even digitize text from a book by scanning a page with their phone’s camera.

Pros and Cons of Basmo:

These are the best Goodreads alternatives that help book lovers track their progress, make catalogs, read reviews, and connect with other like-minded people through feedback and comments.

Each of the platforms has its own features, catalogs, and functions that cater to different types of users. No matter if you want a platform for a personal or private catalog, progress tracking, or a large group, you will find different platforms that are best for different types of users.

Most platforms are free to use, which require no subscription or monthly fee, and you can easily access them through the web, Android, and IOS apps.