Now we have entered the new year, many of us will have made the new years resolution to read more, specifically for pleasure, which means setting a new reading goal to keep us on track. Goodreads has been the cult favourite reading log app but with a new app, Fable, on the block, which app is better? I have researched online as well as talking to friends to find the consensus.
By Alex Boersma, Literature Columnist 25/26
I'll begin with the cult classic. Goodreads is by far the largest and most famous book tracking app which also means it has the most people and books on it. It is easy to use as you can quickly search for a book and easily change to the edition you are reading. When logging the page you are on, it's swiftly converted into the percentage of the way through you are which I personally find very motivating. You can see how far along you are with your set reading goal too if you decide to set yourself the 2026 reading challenge in which you choose how many books you'd like to read in the year. The app is Kindle friendly with an easy linkage of notes and highlights so everything is in one place. If you're into the social side of book apps it's easy to see what your friends are reading though it is not the most aesthetic of apps. You can also create book groups, perfect for those wanting to join or start a book club however Fable seems to be the better option for groups and clubs. Another pro of Goodreads is that it can be used online as well as in app which makes it easily accessible and family friendly so your grandparents can see what you are reading or even read along at the same time.
The two main negatives of Goodreads are that it is owned by Amazon and that you cannot rate with half stars. This means that the book you don't think was as low as a 3 or high as a 4 cannot be a 3.5. You will have to resort to being a more generous or harsher critic!
Many long term Goodreads users are converting to Fable easily by importing their Goodreads data without having to do so manually which is a huge positive. Fable seems to be the younger, modern cousin of Goodreads with a huge focus on trends, think Book Tok books, and aesthetics. This includes quizzes to find books based on your mood and the book shelfie where you can customise your online bookshelf as I have done in the picture below.
As with Goodreads you can set and track your reading goal easily in the app however this cannot be done online unlike with Goodreads. The app also has a streak tracker where you can see how many consecutive days you have read for which would be good motivation for many. Fable seems to be the best option for bookclubs and online communities with a wide variety of topics to choose from such as Booktok groups, Novella nooks and Swiftie book clubs. The app also has many TV show groups which seem interesting and more community discussion based than the film and TV tracking app Letterboxd. It is also very easy to create your own book club and seems like a great group platform. The app also offers a couple of free ebooks which is a great idea though the options are limited and you'll likely find more in our library ebook collection!
From discussions with friends the majority still stick to Goodreads and don't have much desire to change, though I wonder is this is only because it is the well known original as opposed to being the best option. They said Goodreads was easy to use, has most friends and family on it and is good for easy tracking and changing book editions. They noted that they had heard of Fable but never felt pulled to try it out or find out more. Some noted they used Fable for book clubs and the more niche but interesting statistics offered up.
While researching for this article I also stumbled upon another book tracking app called Storygraph. The app seems to have more statistics than both Fable and Goodreads and informs on pace and tempo as well as filtered genres and mood; the latter is similar to Fable. They also offer good trigger warnings for all books and have a more precise rating system from 0.25,0.50,0.75 and full star options available. The app also allows you to track rereads and the books you own but are yet to read. Overall, Storygraph seems the best bet if you're struggling to choose what to read next or want to see more niche statistics such as how much of your book collection you've read and what formats you ahem read most.
Ultimately, Goodreads still comes out on top however I'd encourage you to look at the others to find some interesting statistics and see what all the hype is about!
Featured Image:Unsplash/ Natalie Kinnear
Which app will you try?
