New this week: 6 head-to-head tests added, including Claude vs Gemini for long documents.
See what changed →If you’ve used Goodreads for years, you’ve probably noticed it hasn’t meaningfully changed since Amazon bought it in 2013. Still no half-star ratings. Still the same cluttered interface. Meanwhile, review-bombing scandals keep making headlines. You’re not the only one done waiting.
Here’s the good news: the best Goodreads alternatives are genuinely better now. Most are free. Almost all import your Goodreads library in minutes.
We compared 7 options on features, community, and how hard they are to import into, so you don’t have to guess. Every price was verified in August 2026.
Ranked by testing, current pricing and free-tier value. Details on every pick below the list.
Full Goodreads replacement
Free / $4.99 per moModern design, indie ownership
Free / $4.99 per moCataloging a physical library
FreeFull Goodreads replacement
You get half-star ratings, mood and pace filters, content warnings, and rich reading stats. It’s the smoothest Goodreads CSV import of any app here.
Free tier: Free plan covers tracking, stats, and imports
Modern design, indie ownership
You get a fast, modern tracker with recommendation match scores and a public API. It imports from Goodreads, StoryGraph, or any CSV.
Free tier: Free plan handles tracking and social features
Cataloging a physical library
It’s the librarian’s choice, pulling records from 2,200+ real libraries for you. Dated looks, but unmatched cataloging depth and ISBN barcode scanning.
Free tier: Fully free since March 2020, unlimited books
Book clubs and social reading
It’s the best app for running your own book club, with in-app chapter discussions. Goodreads CSV import is built in.
Free tier: Free plan includes clubs and tracking
Privacy-first, ad-free federation
Think of it as a decentralized Goodreads on ActivityPub, so it connects with Mastodon. Goodreads import works, but you must pick a server first.
Free tier: Fully free, open source, donation-supported
Minimalist design lovers
You get the prettiest reading tracker around, with clubs, highlights, and quote sharing. Just expect a small community and a slower pace of updates.
Free tier: Everything is free; optional supporter tier
Building a daily reading habit
You get a session timer and streaks tool here, not a social network. Expect manual entry rather than a painless bulk import.
Free tier: Free plan caps you at 10 books
| # | Tool | Best for | Free tier | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The StoryGraph | Full Goodreads replacement | Free tier | Free / $4.99 per mo |
| 02 | Hardcover | Modern design, indie ownership | Free tier | Free / $4.99 per mo |
| 03 | LibraryThing | Cataloging a physical library | Free tier | Free |
| 04 | Fable | Book clubs and social reading | Free tier | Free / $5.99 per mo |
| 05 | BookWyrm | Privacy-first, ad-free federation | Free tier | Free |
| 06 | Literal | Minimalist design lovers | Free tier | Free |
| 07 | Bookly | Building a daily reading habit | Free tier | Free / from $4.99 per mo |
Amazon acquired Goodreads in March 2013. Since then, development has mostly stalled. Readers have begged for half-star ratings for over a decade. They still don’t exist. The site’s design has barely moved since the acquisition.
Trust is the bigger problem. TIME reported in 2021 that scammers were review-bombing authors and demanding payment to stop. In December 2023, debut author Cait Corrain was caught using fake Goodreads accounts to one-star rival debuts, several by authors of color. She lost her book deal with Del Rey. Goodreads’ moderation failed to catch any of it.
Then there’s the Amazon factor. Every page pushes you toward a Kindle purchase. Independent bookstore staff have publicly quit the platform over it. Every rating you leave feeds data to the world’s biggest bookseller for free.
None of this means Goodreads is shutting down on you. With well over 100 million members, it isn’t. But the exodus to alternatives is real, and The StoryGraph in particular keeps gaining ground.
Here’s how the top alternatives to Goodreads stack up. Five of the seven are usable entirely for free.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| The StoryGraph | Full Goodreads replacement | Free / $4.99 per mo | Yes, generous |
| Hardcover | Modern design, indie ownership | Free / $4.99 per mo | Yes, generous |
| LibraryThing | Cataloging a physical library | Free | Yes, unlimited |
| Fable | Book clubs, social reading | Free / $5.99 per mo | Yes |
| BookWyrm | Privacy-first federation | Free | Yes, fully free |
| Literal | Minimalist design | Free | Yes, fully free |
| Bookly | Daily reading habits | Free / from $4.99 per mo | Yes, 10-book cap |
The StoryGraph is the default answer you’ll hear, and it earned that. Founder Nadia Odunayo’s team ships constantly. You get half-star (and quarter-star) ratings, mood and pace tags, content warnings, and beautiful reading stats.
Import is the easiest here: export your Goodreads CSV, upload it, and you’re done. Most libraries process in minutes. The free plan covers everything essential; Plus ($4.99/mo or $49.99/yr) adds advanced stats and personalized recommendations. Weak spots: no Kindle sync, and the social feed is quieter than Goodreads.
Hardcover will feel to you like Goodreads rebuilt for this decade. You get recommendation match scores, per-book privacy controls, and a public API developers actually use. It’s indie-owned and community-funded.
It imports directly from Goodreads, StoryGraph, or any CSV, and it transfers your ratings and reading status reliably. Free to use; the Supporter tier is $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr. The catch: a smaller community and thinner coverage of niche titles.
LibraryThing predates Goodreads and went completely free in March 2020. It pulls book records from the Library of Congress and 2,200+ libraries, so your editions and translations get handled properly. The mobile app scans ISBN barcodes for you.
Goodreads CSV import is supported, though matching a big library takes some cleanup on your part. The interface looks old. Pick it if you own a lot of physical books and want a real catalog, not a feed.
Fable is built around clubs: chapter-gated discussions, polls, and celebrity-run reading groups. It also gives you honest ‘spice’ ratings if you read romance. Goodreads import via CSV is built in.
One caveat: in January 2025, Fable’s AI-generated year-in-reading recaps produced offensive, biased summaries, and the company pulled its AI features after the backlash. The free plan is solid; Premium is $5.99/mo. If clubs aren’t your thing, StoryGraph is a better tracker for you.
BookWyrm is open-source and federated over ActivityPub, so your reviews can reach Mastodon. No ads, no algorithm, no Amazon involved. Each server sets its own culture and moderation.
Import from a Goodreads CSV works well, but the setup is the hurdle: you first choose a server (instance) to join, which confuses newcomers. Free, funded by donations. Best for you if you already like the fediverse.
Literal is a design-first tracker with clubs, highlights, and shareable quote cards. It’s free for you, with an optional supporter contribution. Goodreads CSV import is supported.
The trade-off is momentum: the community is small and updates arrive slowly. Treat it as your beautiful personal tracker rather than a social hub.
Match the app to how you actually read:
On a budget? You don’t need to pay anything. LibraryThing, BookWyrm, and Literal are entirely free. StoryGraph and Hardcover’s free tiers cover everything most readers need. Paid tiers only add extra stats, AI recommendations, or club perks.
For most readers, yes. Exporting your Goodreads library takes two minutes (Settings, then Export). StoryGraph and Hardcover will swallow that CSV with your ratings, shelves, and dates mostly intact. Just know Goodreads exports can drop some data, like reviews’ formatting and certain dates, so spot-check yours after import.
Stay on Goodreads if your reading life depends on its scale: huge friend networks, giveaways, or the largest review pool for obscure books. If you’re an author, you may also need a presence there regardless.
A practical middle path: run The StoryGraph alongside Goodreads for a month and see for yourself. Most switchers never go back.
The questions people actually ask on Google, Reddit and Quora — answered with what we verified this month.
How we testThe StoryGraph is your best overall Goodreads alternative in 2026. It has half-star ratings, mood-based recommendations, detailed stats, and a near-effortless Goodreads import. Hardcover is the strongest runner-up if you prefer a more modern, social design.
Yes, most alternatives will cost you nothing. LibraryThing, BookWyrm, and Literal cost nothing at all. The StoryGraph and Hardcover offer generous free plans, with optional paid tiers at $4.99 per month for extra stats and recommendations.
Yes. Export your library as a CSV from Goodreads’ Import/Export settings, then upload it to The StoryGraph. Your ratings, shelves, and read dates carry over automatically, and most libraries finish processing within minutes to a few hours.
Yes. Amazon acquired Goodreads in March 2013 and still owns it. That ownership is a top reason readers like you switch, since the platform steers purchases toward Amazon and has seen little feature development since the acquisition.
No. Goodreads remains the largest book platform, with well over 100 million members, and there’s no indication it’s closing. Readers are leaving by choice over its dated interface, weak moderation, and Amazon ownership, not because it’s disappearing on you.
For tracking and discovery, yes. StoryGraph gives you half-star ratings, content warnings, and mood filters that Goodreads still lacks in 2026. Goodreads only wins on community size, so if you’re socially active you may want to keep both.
See how the top picks square off head to head, or browse every alternative guide we publish.