Head-to-head · Facts only

Goodreads vs Hardcover: which reading tracker fits how you read?

Short answer

Goodreads and Hardcover both have goals and stats, a privacy label without tracking data, a way to use it without a subscription, an Android app and a web version on record. Hardcover has nothing on record that Goodreads lacks, while Goodreads has print book support, ebook support, audiobook support and clubs or shared reads. Neither is ranked above the other here: choose by the rows that matter to you.

By The Shelf Desk · Published 2026-10-08 · Facts read September 2026, updated 2026-10-11

Desk research from public app store listings, app websites and help pages, read in September 2026 and updated on 2026-10-11. Fact profiles, not scores; we did not test the apps hands-on.

Goodreads

Goodreads, Inc. (an Amazon company)

iOS · ANDROID · WEB

Print booksOn record
EbooksOn record
AudiobooksOn record
Goals and statsOn record
Clubs and shared readsOn record
Privacy labelOn record
Ways to payOn record
Picking a book back upNot in our sources

Facts read Sep 2026 · updated 11 Oct 2026 · On record: 7 of 8

Hardcover

Hardcover LLC

iOS · ANDROID · WEB

Print booksNot in our sources
EbooksNot in our sources
AudiobooksNot in our sources
Goals and statsOn record
Clubs and shared readsNot in our sources
Privacy labelOn record
Ways to payOn record
Picking a book back upNot in our sources

Facts read Sep 2026 · updated 11 Oct 2026 · On record: 3 of 8

How do Goodreads and Hardcover compare row by row?

Goodreads and Hardcover, row by row
Card row	Goodreads	Hardcover
Print books	On record Barcode scanner. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources Barcode scanning is not published on the pages we read. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026
Ebooks	On record Editions carry a format such as Kindle Edition or ebook, so you can shelve the ebook you read. Source Source: Goodreads help: setting an edition's format · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Goodreads help: setting an edition's format · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Ebook features are not on the pages we read. Source Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
Audiobooks	On record Editions carry a format such as Audible Audio, so you can shelve the audiobook you listen to. Source Source: Goodreads help: setting an edition's format · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Goodreads help: setting an edition's format · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Audiobooks are not mentioned on the pages we read. Source Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
Goals and stats	On record Reading Challenge and Year in Books. Source Source: Wikipedia: Goodreads · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Wikipedia: Goodreads · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Reading stats and goals. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Clubs and shared reads	On record Online book clubs and groups. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources Book clubs are not published. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026
Privacy label	On record Label lists data linked to you; data used to track you is not listed in our record. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Data Not Linked to You: usage data and diagnostics. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Ways to pay	On record Free, no subscription. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Free core app; Supporter is optional. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Picking a book back up	Not in our sources No place-finding feature published. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources No place-finding feature published. Source Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
Any social features	On record Friend activity, author follows and clubs. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Follow other readers. Source Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
Core features free	On record Free. Source Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Free core app. Source Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Android app	On record Goodreads on Google Play. Source Source: Goodreads on Google Play · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: Goodreads on Google Play · Read 11 Oct 2026	On record On Android. Source Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
Web version	On record goodreads.com. Source Source: Goodreads: About us · Read 27 Sep 2026 Source: Goodreads: About us · Read 27 Sep 2026	On record Full website at hardcover.app. Source Source: hardcover.app (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026 Source: hardcover.app (October 2026) · Read 11 Oct 2026

What do Goodreads and Hardcover cost?

Goodreads

Price (US App Store or the app's own page, read September and October 2026)

Free, no subscription
Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hardcover

Price (US App Store or the app's own page, read September and October 2026)

Free core app
Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year
Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026

Can you move your reading history between them?

Goodreads

Library export as a CSV file that StoryGraph, Fable, BookBuddy and Literal accept.
Source: Fable help: Goodreads CSV import · Read 27 Sep 2026
No new public API keys since December 2020.
Source: Wikipedia: Goodreads · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hardcover

Goodreads import.
Source: Hardcover on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Public GraphQL API with OAuth.
Source: Hardcover API documentation · Read 27 Sep 2026

What are the limits of each?

Goodreads

The public API stopped issuing new keys in December 2020.
Source: Wikipedia: Goodreads · Read 27 Sep 2026
The App Store privacy label lists data linked to you, used for analytics, personalization, app functionality and marketing.
Source: Goodreads on the US App Store · Read 27 Sep 2026
Stats center on the Reading Challenge and Year in Books rather than charts.
Source: Wikipedia: Goodreads · Read 27 Sep 2026
The Google Play listing says the app contains ads.
Source: Goodreads on Google Play · Read 11 Oct 2026

Hardcover

No book clubs on the pages we read; social is following readers.
Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026
No print, ebook or audiobook features on the pages we read.
Source: hardcover.app · Read 27 Sep 2026

Which one fits you?

Choose Goodreads if

you read print books and want to scan or photograph them
you read ebooks and want them in your log
you listen to audiobooks
you read with a club or a buddy
Readers whose friends already log their books there.

Choose Hardcover if

Readers who want their data to stay theirs and light on tracking.

Common questions

Is Goodreads better than Hardcover?

Neither is better for every reader. Hardcover has nothing on record that Goodreads lacks, while Goodreads has print book support, ebook support, audiobook support and clubs or shared reads. The tracker finder shows which one matches your own answers.

Which is cheaper, Goodreads or Hardcover?

Goodreads: Free, no subscription. Hardcover: Free core app; Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. These are US prices read in September 2026 and updated on 2026-10-11.

Can I use Goodreads and Hardcover together?

You can, but most readers keep one reading log. If you plan to switch, compare the import and export facts above first.

Goodreads profile Hardcover profile Try the tracker finder See both in the full table