1. Libby 84/100
$0 with a library card · iOS, Android, Web
Free audiobooks and ebooks with a library card, in an app that is genuinely pleasant, and the friendliest ownership terms possible because you were only ever borrowing.
The catch: Holds queues on popular titles; the waiting is the price.
Read the full Libby review
INSTALL84/100
Almost everyone, first
- Reading and listening experience: 15 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 12 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 15 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 8 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 7 out of 10
- Price honesty: 10 out of 10
- Accessibility: 8 out of 10
- Staying power: 9 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
2. Hoopla 77/100
$0 with a participating library card · iOS, Android, Web
Instant borrows with no holds queue, capped monthly by your library, which makes it the perfect companion to Libby rather than a replacement.
The catch: Caps vary by library, commonly 4-10 borrows a month; catalog overlaps Libby only partly.
Read the full Hoopla review
INSTALL77/100
Impatient borrowers
- Reading and listening experience: 13 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 10 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 15 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 8 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 6 out of 10
- Price honesty: 10 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 8 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
3. StoryGraph 77/100
Free; Plus $4.99/mo — desk-checked, unverified · iOS, Android, Web
The tracker for readers who want stats and mood matching instead of a social feed, with an import that makes leaving Goodreads an evening's work.
The catch: Recommendations sharpen with logging effort; garbage in, garbage out.
Read the full StoryGraph review
INSTALL77/100
Stats readers escaping Goodreads
- Reading and listening experience: 14 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 11 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 12 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 8 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 9 out of 10
- Price honesty: 9 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 7 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
4. Serial Reader 72/100
Free; Select upgrade $8.99/yr — desk-checked, unverified · iOS, Android
Ten minutes of a classic delivered daily, which is the lowest-pressure route into a reading habit that anyone has shipped.
The catch: Public domain only; contemporary readers graduate out.
Read the full Serial Reader review
INSTALL72/100
Readers who keep bouncing off books
- Reading and listening experience: 14 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 8 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 13 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 7 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 6 out of 10
- Price honesty: 10 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 7 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
5. Goodreads 68/100
Free, ad-supported · iOS, Android, Web
The reading network everyone already uses, with a CSV export that lets you leave, wrapped in an app nobody has loved in a decade.
The catch: Cluttered, ad-heavy, and the challenge becomes shame math for streaky readers.
Read the full Goodreads review
SAMPLE FIRST68/100
Readers who need the crowd
- Reading and listening experience: 9 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 13 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 8 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 8 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 6 out of 10
- Price honesty: 9 out of 10
- Accessibility: 6 out of 10
- Staying power: 9 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL
6. Hardcover 70/100
Free; supporter tiers from $5/mo — desk-checked, unverified · iOS, Android, Web
A modern tracker with an open API and a fast trajectory, still young enough that some corners are visibly unfinished.
The catch: Young product; expect edges and a smaller crowd.
Read the full Hardcover review
SAMPLE FIRST70/100
Early adopters who want an open platform
- Reading and listening experience: 13 out of 20
- Library and catalog fit: 10 out of 15
- Ownership and lock-in: 12 out of 15
- Sync and cross-platform: 7 out of 10
- Discovery and tracking: 8 out of 10
- Price honesty: 8 out of 10
- Accessibility: 7 out of 10
- Staying power: 5 out of 10
DESK REVIEW · PROVISIONAL