Book apps to help set your 2026 reading goals

Maybe you’ve watched BookTalk recommendations fly by without saving them, frantically typed away titles discussed in your go-to podcast, or tried to remember that book your friend recommended over that third glass of Bourgogne Aliquot? Sure, you can write them down in a notebook, but there are also a bunch of apps that let you track books you want to read, are currently reading, or want to read in the future.

And, you might even find like-minded book friends there.

Here are a bunch of apps I use regularly that track your TBR (to read) pile, books you’ve DNFed (not completed), and make suggestions for your next read. Some are prettier than others, and most will allow you to import your Goodreads data.

fable

Possibly the most social-friendly and elegantly designed of the book-tracking apps, Fable is for readers who want to connect with other like-minded book lovers. Or those who enjoy very cute UX. Launched in 2023 by Padmashree Warrier, the app lets you join book clubs, post your reviews on the main feed, create beautiful round-ups of your monthly and yearly titles with Pedro Pascal stickers, and keep track of what you’re currently reading, what you want to read, what you’ve finished, and DNFs. Book clubs are extremely popular and are suitable for everything from clubs based on Taylor Swift songs to ones for people who have never read the classics (and you can even get a free ebook for these).

There’s a premium subscription called Fable Plus, which costs $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year, gives you weekly and monthly goal-setting and progress-tracking tools, and deep-read data insights if you’re a wrap freak. Only Small The downside of the fable? The app hasn’t yet introduced the ability to switch the version of the book you’re reading, like other apps like Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Margins.

pagebound

Founded by Lucy Zhao and Jennifer Dobak and launching in 2025, PageBound is a pro-indie, anti-AI platform that describes itself as “if Goodreads and Reddit had a baby” — and they’re not wrong. Possibly the most beautiful of book tracking apps, PageBound puts a modern spin on the Y2K internet aesthetic. As well as the regular book app necessities, there are some neat features here, like the ability to plan your TBR pile by month, Reddit-style upvoting on posts, half-stars and up ratings for reviews, and they’re passionate about indie publishers, so you’ll find more of your favorite independent titles here.

Like Fable, PageBound has discussion groups so if you’re into one of the online book clubs, this is a good option. Plus, there’s also a $10 per month premium version called Pagebound Royalty, which gives you a little crown on your avatar, priority customer support, and more benefits to be added.

Mashable Top Stories

storygraph

If you’re a data buff, check out Storygraph. Founded in 2019 by Nadia Odunayo, the app started as a book-tracker and has evolved into an online community. Working just like a Fable with Goodreads or TBR, DNF lists, etc., the app shows your reading habits in visually satisfying graphs – your go-to style and mood, your speed, how many pages you regularly read. The app’s Reading Goal will motivate you to read a certain number of books in a year and track your progress. Plus, StoryGraph’s Buddy Reads feature lets you add up to eight friends to the same book to read and comment, or you can create a public reading to include a wider range of users.

The premium version of StoryGraph, StoryGraph Plus, is $4.99 per month and gives you the ability to create your own custom pie and bar charts with tags and labels — a win for genre readers — additional statistics filters and comparison options, additional year-by-year charts, and priority customer support.

margin

Launched in 2024 by Paul Warren and Nick Punt, Margins is similar to its peers in many ways (want to read, currently reading, finished reading, stopped reading pile). However, it sets itself apart with its very attractive design (those fonts!) and its “Search by Vibe” feature. The latter allows you to type in exactly what you’re looking for and generate a carousel of suggestions – I typed “summer horror by the sea” and it suggested Daphne du Maurier. The House on the Strand and Alma Katsu’s deepA very good result. Library also has the option to add series and authors to your lists, and it has the all-important reading recap tool with templates that let you create beautiful social-friendly lay-ups of your monthly reads.

Libby

Launched in 2017 by Overdrive, Libby is the best way to borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free (thanks to Borrowbox, too). All you need to do is sign up with your library card, as the app has thousands of global library partners. Your loans and holds appear in the app’s Shelf tab, but it also has great reading tracking functionality through the app’s tag system. When you find a title you want to read, you can save it with any name tag you like, whether you want to categorize your reads by genre, emoji, or go with traditional TBR, DNF, etc. This is a great way to get free books while you’re tracking them down.

Bookshelf and Book Buddy

There are some apps like Bookshelf and Book Buddy that allow you to individually add each of your books to your in-app library – this may take a while if you have a lot of books, but both have a dream feature, allowing you to scan barcodes to add them. After logging into your library, the best features of these apps are the ability to create and organize shelves, get statistics and find new books according to your tastes, to view your friends’ shelves (to take a look and request to borrow what you want), and the ability to track books lent to your friends who easily never return them.

In a great hidden feature, BookBuddy has a random book suggestion tool, in which the app will go through your library and suggest something for you to read next – go to Search, then tap the crossed arrow icon. It’s perfect for those who stare at their book shelves in a panic about which title to pick up.

goodreads

I use it, I don’t like it. Yes, Amazon-owned Goodreads, one of the Internet’s legacy book-tracking apps, doesn’t have a good design and UX. And writers hate it, with many users leaving nasty reviews unnecessarily, like painting your nails. But one (1) thing that Goodreads does well is the Annual Reading Challenge, which lets you track the number of books you read in a year and motivates you to reach a target number.

Goodreads allows you to export your data to other apps, just in case you ever feel like quitting!

Perhaps you use a different book tracker? Let us know in the comments, I look forward to hearing what you make of the content you read.

Subject
Apps and Software Books