Choose a reading tracker app by the job you need done

Before choosing a reading tracker, decide what you want to remember: your books, your time, your thoughts, or what your friends recommend. An app can cover more than one of these, but you do not need every feature to keep a useful reading record.

Published by Burrow, an app included below. We compared public product and pricing information checked on 20 October 2026; we have not independently tested every app. Features and offers can change.

Choose the main job first

For a catalogue, the useful test is whether you can add and find your own books. For a journal, it is whether you can save a thought on the right book and retrieve it later. For a routine, look at logging, timers and adjustable targets. For discovery, look at the recommendations and the people you actually want to follow.

None of these requires an app that supplies books. A reading tracker records reading done elsewhere. An ebook reader, audiobook player and library-borrowing app solve different problems. Start with the job that made you look for a tool rather than a long feature checklist.

Write down deal-breakers before browsing

Check device support, accessibility needs, account requirements, costs and whether the record can leave the service. If you move between devices, confirm exactly how sync works. If you need a private journal, inspect sharing defaults and privacy documentation rather than assuming “personal” means encrypted or never processed remotely.

For Burrow, iPhone and iOS 18 or later are explicit requirements. A paid subscription or lifetime purchase is required after the library preview. Android, a web library, import/export and multi-device sync are not promised in this review. The native privacy policy explains remote services used alongside device-local records.

A source-based shortlist by job

Scroll the table sideways to read all three columns.

This is not a scored league table. StoryGraph also has private notes; Libib also offers reading records; Bookmory also has goals and a timer. Jobs overlap. For more detailed strengths and tradeoffs, see Goodreads alternatives, which focuses on replacing or keeping an existing social catalogue.

Try this three-book check before paying

Add a currently reading book, one unread book and one finished book. These three states expose more of the everyday workflow than an empty demo library. Use your actual edition if pages matter. Record an honest progress update and, if journalling matters to you, one short note. Then close the screen and try to find both again.

Inspect backup and export options before making the app your only record. Try any must-have accessibility setting on your own device. Finally, inspect the actual purchase screen and cancellation terms. These are suggested reader tasks, not tests we claim to have completed across all six products.

Copy a selection worksheet

This original checklist is for your own evaluation, not a record of tests we ran. No signup or submission is involved.

My main job: catalogue / journal / routine / discovery
Must-have device and accessibility support:
Current book added and found again:
Unread and finished book added:
Progress update and note retrieved:
Backup, export and migration checked:
Required paid tier and cancellation terms:
Deal-breaker still unresolved:

Copy selection worksheet

Free download is not a free product

Ask which task you can complete for free, what is limited and which functions need payment. A no-cost install can still lead to a subscription or lifetime purchase. Compare a monthly commitment with the scope of the paid tier, not a currency figure copied from an old article. We deliberately use qualitative plan descriptions: current offers can vary by storefront and change over time.

Keep a record you already trust

A new app need not become the sole authority on day one. Keep your existing list while you verify any migration. If all you need is a thought beside a title, a paper notebook or a plain document may be enough: our journal template is freely copyable. If the problem is choosing a daily target, the calculator works without an account.

For a personal iPhone bookshelf, explore Burrow. For the other half of the routine, see reading goals and book-linked reflection. Public-source information in this guide was checked on 20 October 2026, not established through independent hands-on testing.

Download on the App Store ↗

A paid subscription or lifetime purchase is required after the library preview. Check current plans and any eligible offers in the app before purchase.