Perhaps you’ve seen an abundance of BookTok recommendations scrolling by without bookmarking them, quickly noted down titles from your favorite podcasts, or attempted to remember the book your friend mentioned during a third glass of Bourgogne aligoté? Certainly, writing them down in a notebook is one route, but there are also various apps available to monitor books you intend to read, are currently reading, or plan to read in the future.
Additionally, you may find fellow book aficionados there as well.
Here’s a collection of apps I regularly utilize to manage your TBR (to be read) list, the books you DNFed (did not finish), along with suggestions for your upcoming read. Some are more visually appealing than others, and most enable you to import your Goodreads information.
Fable
Possibly the most social-friendly and aesthetically pleasing of the book-tracking apps, Fable is aimed at readers wishing to engage with other book enthusiasts. Or those who value a stunning UX. Established in 2023 by Padmasree Warrior, the app allows you to participate in book clubs, post reviews on the main feed, craft delightful summaries of your monthly and yearly reads with Pedro Pascal stickers, and monitor what you are currently reading, wish to read, completed, and DNF. The book clubs are incredibly popular and cater to every niche, from clubs focused on Taylor Swift lyrics to those for individuals who haven’t yet discovered the classics (and you might even receive a complimentary ebook for these).
The only slight drawback of Fable? The app has not yet incorporated the ability to switch editions of the book you are currently reading, unlike other apps such as Goodreads, Storygraph, and Margins.
Storygraph
If you have an affinity for data, take a look at Storygraph. Established in 2019 by Nadia Odunayo, the app started as a book-tracker and has evolved into an online community. Operating similarly to Goodreads or Fable with TBR, DNF lists, etc., the app visualizes your reading patterns into visually satisfying graphs — your favored genres and moods, your reading pace, how many pages you typically consume. The app’s Reading Goal will inspire you to read a specified number of books annually and track your journey. Moreover, Storygraph’s buddy reads feature allows you to invite up to eight friends to read the same book and comment throughout, or you can create a public readalong to engage a broader audience.
Margins
Introduced in 2024 by Paul Warren and Nick Punt, Margins shares several similarities with its counterparts (want to read, currently reading, finished reading, stopped reading lists). However, it sets itself apart with a sleek design (those fonts!) and its “Search by vibe” capability. This feature enables you to input precisely what you’re seeking and generate a carousel of recommendations — I entered “summer horror by the sea” and it suggested Daphne Du Maurier’s The House on the Strand and Alma Katsu’s The Deep, a pretty solid find. The library also includes the option to add series and authors to your lists, and it features the essential Reading Recap tool with templates to create visually appealing social-friendly layouts of your monthly reads.
Libby
Established in 2017 by OverDrive, Libby is the ideal method to borrow e-books and audiobooks for free from your local library (a shoutout to BorrowBox as well). All you need to do is register with your library card, as the app collaborates with thousands of library partners worldwide. Your loans and holds can be found in the app’s Shelf tab, but it also offers excellent reading tracking capability through the app’s tag system. When you discover a book you want to read, you can save it with a tag of your choosing, whether you prefer organizing your reads by genre, emoji, or sticking with the conventional TBR, DNF, etc. It’s a fantastic way to obtain books for free while keeping track of them.
Book Buddy
Awkward name, excellent app. Essentially, Book Buddy allows you to catalog every book on your shelf into your in-app library — this could take some time if you possess a substantial number of books, but in a dream feature, you can scan barcodes for quicker entry. After logging your library, the most significant feature of this app is the random book suggestion tool, wherein the app will browse your library and propose your next read — go to Search, then tap the crossed arrows icon. This is perfect for those who find themselves staring blankly at their bookshelf in a state of bewilderment over which title to select. You can also track if you’ve lent books to friends who conveniently never return them. Book Buddy’s free version allows you to add up to 50 books, and to add more, it will cost £5.99 for a lifetime upgrade to Pro — and if you’re using this app, you likely have more than 50 books.
Goodreads
I use it, I don’t adore it. Yes, the design and