Goodreads has not had a real redesign since 2013. Amazon bought it, killed the public API in 2020, broke import for years, and the Android app still feels like the last update was a security patch. Recommendations come from “Readers also enjoyed” rather than your actual taste, the rating distribution is gamed by giveaways, and the review feed shows the same blurbs on every fantasy book.
Brandon Sanderson’s latest book finally arrived after fifteen years in the drawer, and we noticed half our reading group was tracking it somewhere other than Goodreads. We tested seven Goodreads alternatives that pick up what Goodreads stopped doing: cleaner stats, real reading habits, working barcode scans, and the absence of Amazon ad placements.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StoryGraph | Stats and mood-based recs | Full tracking, basic stats | $4.99/mo (Plus) | Mood and pace tagging, AI recs |
| Bookly | Reading sessions and stats | 3 books at a time | $4.99/mo (Pro) | Pomodoro reading timer |
| Hardcover | Goodreads refugees, fast import | Most features | $4/mo (Supporter) | One-click Goodreads CSV import |
| Bookmory | Quick logging, clean stats | Full tracking | $19.99/yr (Premium) | Best Android-native UI |
| Libib | Cataloging a physical library | 100,000 items | $4/mo (Pro) | Multi-format library tracking |
| Literal | Discovery and book clubs | Full feature set | Free | Curated lists and group reads |
| BookBuddy | Personal library management | Free with limits | $4.99 (one-time) | Lend tracker for physical books |
Why people leave Goodreads
After about a year of reading reports from the r/Goodreads, r/books, and r/booksuggestions communities, a few complaints repeat.
The API shutdown that broke imports
Amazon closed the public Goodreads API in 2020. Every third-party app that synced reading lists, fetched covers, or auto-updated progress stopped working overnight. The CSV export still exists, but it strips bookshelves, reading dates, and reviews.
No real stats
Goodreads shows a yearly challenge counter and a chart of pages read. That is it. There is no breakdown by mood, length, format, genre, or pace. Readers who want to see “what kind of books do we actually finish” have nothing to look at.
Dead recommendations
The “Recommended” tab has not learned from new ratings in years. New users get the same recommendations the day they join as long-time users get on year ten.
Amazon promo placement
Every book page has a Buy on Amazon button before the rating. Lending and library options sit below the fold. The reading platform that was supposed to be neutral about where you got the book has not been neutral since 2013.
Barcode scanner that constantly misses
The mobile barcode scanner returns no result for paperback editions with non-US ISBNs, then suggests adding the book manually. Every alternative on this list has a better scanner.
The alternatives
StoryGraph, best for stats and mood-based recommendations
StoryGraph is the Goodreads-quit app most readers end up on. Stats break down by mood (reflective, adventurous, dark), pace, length, format, and genre. The recommendation engine asks what you are in the mood for, not what other readers liked. The free tier already includes most of the stats, the reading challenges, and unlimited book tracking.
Where it falls short: cover art is sometimes wrong on lesser-known editions, and the social features are quieter than Goodreads. The mobile app is a wrapped progressive web app, which mostly works but feels slightly slower than native.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited books, full tracking, basic stats, challenges
- Plus: $4.99/mo or $49.99/year for AI recommendations, custom challenges, more stats charts
- vs Goodreads: free tier is broader, no Amazon promotion, real statistics
Migrating from Goodreads: StoryGraph has the best Goodreads importer of anything in this list. Export the CSV from Goodreads, upload it, and the app maps shelves, ratings, and reading dates. Reviews come across with formatting intact.
Bottom line: StoryGraph is the obvious first install. If the data-nerd side of you wanted Goodreads to be more like Letterboxd, this is the app.
Bookly, best for reading sessions and stats
Bookly treats reading like a habit, not a list. Start a session, the timer runs, you stop when you stop, and the app tracks pages-per-minute, average session length, and best reading time of day. The stats are detailed enough that a reading slump becomes visible before you notice it.
Where it falls short: the free tier limits you to three books at a time, which is restrictive for anyone who reads multiple books in parallel. The yearly stats and quotes feature are paywalled.
Pricing:
- Free: 3 books at a time, basic stats, reading sessions
- Pro: $4.99/mo or about $44.99/year for unlimited books, quotes, full stats
- vs Goodreads: paid, but genuinely tracks reading behaviour Goodreads ignores
Migrating from Goodreads: Bookly accepts the Goodreads CSV through the import flow. Reading dates and ratings transfer. Reviews do not. The free tier’s 3-book limit means most users do the import then upgrade to Pro for a useful experience.
Bottom line: Bookly is for readers who want a fitness tracker for books. Skip if you only want a shelf, not a habit log.
Hardcover, best for Goodreads refugees
Hardcover was built by ex-Goodreads users to fix what Amazon broke. The Goodreads CSV importer is the smoothest of anything we tested, the interface mirrors Goodreads enough that the muscle memory transfers, and the social features (friends, feed, comments) are active. It is also one of the few apps in this list with an active public API for third-party tools.
Where it falls short: the catalogue of obscure or translated books is smaller than Goodreads’. Cover art for non-English editions sometimes shows the English version. The social network is growing but not yet at Goodreads scale.
Pricing:
- Free: most features including tracking, reviews, social feed
- Supporter: $4/mo for some premium features and supporting development
- vs Goodreads: free tier is comparable, no Amazon, and the dev team actually ships
Migrating from Goodreads: One-click CSV import. Shelves, dates, ratings, and reviews come across. The importer matches editions intelligently for popular books and asks for confirmation on ambiguous ones.
Bottom line: Hardcover is the answer for “I want Goodreads, but not run by Amazon”. The cleanest direct replacement.
Bookmory, best Android-native UI
Bookmory is the most polished native Android book tracker in this list. Clean Material You design, instant search, working barcode scan, a daily reading streak, and lock-screen widgets that show what you are reading. It does not try to be a social network, which is the point.
Where it falls short: no real community. Discovery is limited to your own shelves and search. Stats are good but not as detailed as StoryGraph’s.
Pricing:
- Free: full tracking, scanner, streak, basic stats
- Premium: about $19.99/year for advanced stats, themes, backups
- vs Goodreads: free tier covers everything Goodreads’ free does, more reliable scanner
Migrating from Goodreads: Bookmory accepts the Goodreads CSV through Settings > Backup > Import. Status, ratings, and reading dates transfer. Reviews do not.
Bottom line: Bookmory is the pick if you want a beautiful Android app that just tracks books. No social, no clutter.
Libib, best for cataloging a physical library
Libib is the answer for people whose Goodreads use was really “I want to remember which books I own”. It catalogues books, movies, music, and video games in one library, supports barcode scans, lend tracking, and bulk imports. The free tier holds up to 100,000 items, which is more than enough for any home library.
Where it falls short: the reading and review features are thinner than StoryGraph’s. Discovery is non-existent. Cover art for self-published or translated books is hit and miss.
Pricing:
- Free: up to 100,000 items across up to 100 libraries, barcode scan
- Pro: about $4/mo for advanced cataloguing, custom fields, library lending
- vs Goodreads: free tier is bigger than what most physical libraries need, multi-format
Migrating from Goodreads: CSV import works. Libib expects ISBNs to match cleanly. Goodreads exports include ISBNs for most editions, so coverage is good. Reading dates transfer.
Bottom line: Libib is for people with shelves full of physical books, DVDs, and games. Not the right app for pure reading-tracker users.
Literal, best for discovery and book clubs
Literal is the most social option that is not Goodreads. Curated lists from staff and users (not algorithm-spun), book clubs with reading schedules, and a feed that looks more like a small literary magazine than a marketing channel. The reviewers are real readers, not BookTok summary accounts.
Where it falls short: the catalogue is smaller than Goodreads’. Edition matching is the weakest in this list. Stats are basic.
Pricing:
- Free: all features for personal use
- vs Goodreads: free, no Amazon, focused on community over scale
Migrating from Goodreads: CSV import is supported. Ratings and dates come across. Reviews and shelves transfer for popular books, with some manual cleanup for obscure titles.
Bottom line: Literal is the pick if your Goodreads use was mostly recommendations and book clubs. Not for stats nerds.
BookBuddy, best for personal library management
BookBuddy is the spreadsheet of book trackers. It is built for organizing what you own, who you lent it to, when it goes back, and where it lives on your shelf. Barcode scanning is fast, the UI is plain in a good way, and there is no social component to distract.
Where it falls short: reading tracking is secondary to library management. Stats are minimal. Discovery is nothing. The Android version is years behind the iOS version in features.
Pricing:
- Free: small libraries with basic features
- Pro: one-time about $4.99 for unlimited entries and lend tracker
- vs Goodreads: one-time price for the paid tier is cheaper than any subscription on this list
Migrating from Goodreads: CSV import is supported. ISBNs, ratings, and notes come across. Reading dates may need manual entry depending on Goodreads’ CSV format.
Bottom line: BookBuddy is the answer if you lend books to friends and forget who has what. Skip if you read mostly digital.
How to choose
- Pick StoryGraph if you want stats, mood matching, and the cleanest break from Goodreads. The free tier is enough.
- Pick Hardcover if you want the closest Goodreads-style feed minus Amazon. The CSV import is the smoothest.
- Pick Bookly if you read for an hour every day and want session tracking and habit data.
- Pick Bookmory if you want a beautiful Android-native app with no social feed.
- Pick Libib if your real need is cataloguing a multi-format library at home.
- Pick Literal if discovery and book clubs are the part of Goodreads you used.
- Pick BookBuddy if you lend physical books and lose track of them.
Stay on Goodreads only if your entire reading network is there and you cannot get them to move. StoryGraph and Hardcover can coexist with Goodreads while you migrate.
FAQ
Can I export my Goodreads data to another app?
Yes. Goodreads still supports a CSV export of your shelves, ratings, reviews, and dates. Every app on this list accepts the CSV directly. Reviews and shelves transfer best to StoryGraph and Hardcover.
What is the best free Goodreads alternative?
StoryGraph for stats, Hardcover for the Goodreads-style feed, and Literal for discovery and book clubs. All three have free tiers broad enough that paying is optional.
Is StoryGraph really better than Goodreads?
For stats, recommendations, and an Amazon-free experience, yes. For sheer catalogue size and social-network scale, Goodreads is still bigger. Most StoryGraph users keep Goodreads as a public profile and do real tracking on StoryGraph.
Can I scan book barcodes with a Goodreads alternative?
Yes. StoryGraph, Bookly, Hardcover, Bookmory, Libib, and BookBuddy all have working barcode scanners. Bookmory and Hardcover are the most reliable on non-US ISBNs.
Will Goodreads be shut down?
There is no public announcement. Amazon has stopped active development but the service is still online. Treat it as legacy: keep an export, migrate to one of the alternatives, and check back on Goodreads quarterly.
Is there an open-source Goodreads alternative?
BookWyrm is the closest open-source option (a federated, ActivityPub-based reading network), but it is web-only with no native Android app yet. StoryGraph is indie and operated by a small team, which is the next best thing.
