Which reading app you should actually use
There are more reading tracker apps now than there have ever been, and they are genuinely different products serving different kinds of readers. If you are migrating off Goodreads, or just looking for something better, the choice comes down to what you actually want from a reading app: stats, social, simplicity, or something closer to a reading companion.
Here is how the main apps compare, side by side.
A note on bias: We make Pick Up, so judge our self-assessment with that in mind. We have tried to represent the other apps accurately, and we link to each one so you can verify the features for yourself.
How we checked this: We reviewed public app listings, help pages, and the current app experience available to readers in May and June 2026. For features that are account, platform, region, or paid-tier dependent, treat this as a starting point and check the app's own latest notes before switching.
The comparison
| Feature | Pick Up | StoryGraph | Goodreads | Bookmory | Bookly | Fable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Account required | No | ✓ | ✓ | No | No | ✓ |
| Offline-first tracking | ✓ | No | No | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Session timer / progress logs | ✓ | Progress updates | Progress updates | ✓ | ✓ | Daily progress |
| Focus / countdown timer | ✓ | No | No | No | No | No |
| Audiobook tracking | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Reading stats & pace | Advanced insights | Deep stats | Basic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice notes / transcription | ✓ | No | No | No | No | No |
| Dedicated character tracking | ✓ | No | No | No | ✓ | No |
| Post-session GIF reactions | ✓ | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ambient sounds | ✓ | No | No | No | ✓ | No |
| Shelf miniatures / visual shelf | ✓ | No | No | No | No | Shareable lists |
| Collections / shelves | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reading streaks | ✓ | ✓ | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Book clubs / social | No | ✓ | Largest network | No | No | ✓ |
| Goodreads import / migration | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bulk add / batch scan | ✓ | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Kindle integration | No | No | Native | No | No | No |
| Kobo integration | No | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Library borrowing (Libby/OverDrive) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| No ads in free tier | ✓ | ✓ | No | No | No | No |
| Web app / browser version | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No | No | ✓ |
| iOS app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paid upgrade needed for core features | No | No | No | No | Yes, 10-book cap | No |
Feature data correct as of June 2026. Apps update frequently, so check each app's site for the latest. Sources checked include public app listings and help pages. For account required, No means the core tracker can be used without creating an app account; optional backup or sync may still use a platform account such as iCloud.
Pricing at a glance
Pick Up, StoryGraph, Goodreads, Bookmory, Bookly, and Fable all have a free way to start tracking books. The difference is how quickly the free tier starts to feel cramped.
Pick Up keeps the core tracker free: unlimited books, no ads, sessions, progress logs, import, streaks, goals, shelf building, and offline use. Premium is more about sync and deeper companion features, like cloud backup, unlimited transcription, Reading Journal, and advanced extras.
StoryGraph has a strong free tier for tracking, imports, recommendations, stats, and challenges. StoryGraph Plus is for readers who want more customisation and deeper stats tools.
Goodreads is free for the core experience, with the trade-off that it is ad-supported and tied closely to Amazon's ecosystem.
Bookmory and Bookly are more likely to make the free tier feel limited. Bookmory's free app includes ads, while Bookly's free tier is tight for library tracking because public user reports point to a 10-book cap before Pro or earned unlocks.
Fable is free for core reading, lists, and social features, but Fable Plus now includes advanced reading stats, custom weekly and monthly goals, a profile badge, extra Monthly Wrap customisation, and an ad-free experience. Fable Plus also comes included with Everand subscription plans.
If you are comparing devices as well as apps, our Kobo vs Kindle guide covers how e-reader ecosystems affect tracking, borrowing, and ownership.
Who each one is actually for
Pick Up is for readers who want to track the act of reading, not just the books. Reading sessions, voice notes with transcription, advanced insights, streaks, audiobooks and physical books in one place. It also includes Lit Wit, a daily real-book-or-made-up game, and dictionary lookups you can save by book. Works fully offline. Best if you want a reading companion rather than a social catalogue.
StoryGraph is for readers who want deep catalogue stats. Pacing charts, mood graphs, reading history over time. One of the strongest options if data is the point. Goodreads import is free. StoryGraph Plus is mainly for deeper stats and customisation: custom charts, extra stats filters, custom wrap-up graphics, stat comparisons, roadmap voting, and priority support. Less focused on the session-level experience than Pick Up.
Goodreads is for readers who want community. The largest network by far, the most reviews, the most reading challenges. Owned by Amazon, so it has the closest Kindle integration here. The app and UI are dated but the social layer is unmatched; if your friends are on a reading app, they are probably on Goodreads.
Bookmory is for readers who want simple, clean logging with little social noise. Its public listings focus on private tracking, collections, notes, timers, and calendar-style stats. The free app includes ads, with a paid option to remove them.
Bookly is for readers who like a focused timer-led habit app. It covers session tracking, page progress, audiobooks, goals, stats, reading streaks, collections, quotes, ambient sounds, and Goodreads sync. It is closer to Bookmory than StoryGraph: practical, mobile-first, and built around the daily act of logging. The trade-off is that the free tier is not roomy for an actual library: public user reports point to a 10-book limit before Pro or earned unlocks, and the free Android listing includes ads.
Fable is for readers who read in groups. Fable also has goals, stats, daily streaks, Goodreads import, and shareable custom lists, with advanced stats and custom weekly or monthly goals sitting in Fable Plus. The social layer is still its clearest strength. If you want to discuss books with friends or join a curated reading club, Fable is built specifically for that.
For a deeper look at each option, including how they handle offline use, data ownership, and which one to migrate to, see our full Goodreads alternatives guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Goodreads alternative in 2026? It depends on what you used Goodreads for. For catalogue-level stats, StoryGraph is the most direct replacement. For session tracking, advanced insights, audiobooks, and offline use, Pick Up. For the social layer, nothing has replaced Goodreads' community size, but Fable comes closest for group reading.
Is Pick Up free? Yes. Pick Up has a free tier for tracking your reading, logging sessions, importing your library, using streaks, and building your shelf. Premium adds extras like cloud sync, unlimited transcription, Reading Journal, and some deeper companion features, but the core reading tracker is usable without paying.
Does Pick Up work offline? Yes. Reading sessions are tracked locally and sync when you are back online. You can log sessions, record voice notes, and track progress without a connection, useful for commuting, travelling, or reading in places without signal.
Can I import my Goodreads library? Pick Up, StoryGraph, Bookmory, Bookly, and Fable support Goodreads import or migration in some form. What carries across depends on the app, but shelves or lists, ratings, reviews, and read dates are the fields to check before you commit.
What is the best reading app for tracking audiobooks? Pick Up, StoryGraph, and Bookly handle audiobooks more cleanly than most general reading trackers. Pick Up tracks listening sessions directly; StoryGraph can include audiobook progress and audiobook stats; Bookly supports audiobook tracking inside its logging flow. Goodreads can catalogue audiobook editions, but it is not built around session-level audio progress. Fable says linked Everand accounts can automatically update Everand reading and listening activity in Fable, but that is tied to Everand rather than open audiobook session tracking. For more on this, see Do audiobooks count as reading?
What is the best reading app for reading challenges? Goodreads has the most established annual reading challenge with the largest community. StoryGraph also has reading challenges with more nuanced prompts (read a book under 150 pages, a book published this month, etc.) and streak-style stats. Pick Up supports reading goals and daily streaks, which suits readers who want flexible targets plus habit-focused momentum.
Can I use more than one reading app at the same time? Yes, and many readers do. A common setup is Pick Up for session tracking and voice notes while reading, and StoryGraph or Goodreads for the social catalogue. The apps are not mutually exclusive, but every app handles data export differently, so check the current export path before you make one app your only source of truth.
Which reading app is best for library borrowing? None of these is a full Libby or OverDrive availability tracker. You will still need to check availability in Libby, OverDrive, or your library app.