Goodreads has a huge community, but a lot of readers have started looking elsewhere. The site feels outdated and the interface hasn’t changed in years, since Amazon bought it in 2013. You can’t rate a book with half stars, the mobile app feels clunky, the reading stats are pretty basic, and review-bombing can sometimes drown out genuine opinions. It’s no longer the best place to keep track of what you’re reading.
The good news is that alternatives have never been better. Here are five apps worth a look. The first four can replace Goodreads outright. Fifth isn’t a tracker at all, but it works well alongside any of them.
One tip before you start: almost all of these apps can import your Goodreads library. Export a CSV from your Goodreads account settings and upload it to the new app. Goodreads doesn’t include the date you started each book in that export, though, so some of your history won’t carry over.
The StoryGraph: best all-rounder
The StoryGraph is probably the easiest switch, and in some cases the best place to start. It’s built by a small, self-funded UK team with no Amazon connection, and it takes what Goodreads does and simply does it better.
The big draw is mood and pace tracking. Books get tagged by how they feel (dark, emotional, tense, light) and how fast they read, so it’s easier to grab something that matches where your head’s at. The stats are good too: breakdowns by genre, mood, length, and pacing, plus monthly and yearly summaries. You also get half-star ratings, a proper DNF status, community-sourced content warnings, and solid recommendations. The iOS app even picked up an Apple App Store Award in late 2025.
The catch is the app itself. It’s basically a web app in a mobile wrapper, so it can feel slower and rougher than a native app. Social features are thinner than on Goodreads too. Neither is a dealbreaker.
Best for: readers who want great stats, recommendations, and a painless move off Goodreads.
BookPine: best for a fast, modern experience
The StoryGraph is the safe choice but BookPine is the book tracker that actually feels current. It’s a real native app on iPhone and Android (plus the web), and you can feel the difference in speed. The interface is clean, there’s a proper dark mode, and you can rearrange the home screen to show whatever you care about. There’s even a shelf view that looks like an actual bookshelf.
Privacy gets more attention here than in most trackers. You can use the app in guest mode without an account, keep individual books or whole shelves private.
The feature list runs long: stats on pages, books, reading time, streaks; half-star ratings; custom shelves; smart lists; reading goals; ISBN scanner; and import from Goodreads, StoryGraph, and LibraryThing. Recent additions like Shelf Groups, ownership tracking, and advanced filters help once your library runs into the hundreds. Reviews go beyond stars too, with tags for mood, pacing, emotional impact, and depth.
Reading Circles is the standout social feature: group reads where progress updates automatically hide anything past your current page, so no one gets spoiled.
BookPine is newer and smaller than the others on this list, and you notice that in the community size. But the app itself is the most polished of the bunch, and it’s translated into 16 languages.
Best for: readers who want a fast, well-designed tracker with real privacy controls.
Hardcover: best for community and tinkerers
Hardcover launched in 2021 as another independent Goodreads alternative. It’s ad-free, develops in the open with a public roadmap, and ships updates often.
Core features include multiple reading statuses (like DNF), half-star ratings, privacy controls, custom lists, a personalized feed, and a yearly Wrapped with backfilled stats. It also offers a public API for custom dashboards or integrations, and an active Discord community.
Like The StoryGraph, it’s web-first, so mobile feels less smooth than a native app. Load times can drag, and there is no reading timer yet. If you value openness and community over polish, none of that will bother you much.
Best for: readers who enjoy community features and want a platform they can tinker with.
BookWyrm: best for going fully independent
If your main problem with Goodreads is that Amazon owns it, BookWyrm goes the other way entirely. It’s open source, ad-free, and decentralized, on the same network as Mastodon. Volunteers run independent servers (“instances”) that connect to each other, and no company is in charge of any of it.
You can track reading, post updates, set goals, write reviews, and build lists, and it imports from Goodreads and others. It collects very little data and shows no ads, which makes it about as private as these apps get.
It’s also the least polished option. Choosing an instance can be confusing, communities are smaller, and performance varies by server. There is no official mobile app, only community builds. It’s a passion project, which is exactly the appeal for some users.
Best for: readers who want a fully independent platform with no corporate involvement.
Libby: best for free library books
Libby isn’t a tracker, but it belongs on this list anyway. It lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library with nothing more than a library card. Books download for offline reading, return themselves when they’re due, and sync across your devices.
Libby runs on the OverDrive system, and not every library uses it. Some use alternatives like BorrowBox, so confirm what your library supports first.
Pair it with any of the book trackers above and you have a steady supply of free books to log.
Best for: borrowing ebooks and audiobooks from your library at no cost.
The verdict
If you want out of Goodreads with minimal fuss, start with The StoryGraph. The import is painless and the stats alone justify the move. If you care more about how the app feels day to day, in terms of speed, design, and privacy, BookPine is the one to bet on long term. Either way, add Libby for free library books and you’ve got a complete reading setup with no Amazon anywhere in it.
