Book apps to help set your 2026 learning goals

Maybe you’ve seen a bunch of BookTok recommendations fly by without saving them, the crazily written topics discussed in your go-to podcasts, or tried to remember a book recommended by a friend over that third glass of Bourgogne aligoté? Sure, you can write them down in a notebook, but there are also tons of apps that let you keep track of the books you want to read, are currently reading, or want to read in the future.

Plus, maybe you’ll find some like-minded book friends there too.

Here are a bunch of apps I use regularly that track your TBR pile (to be read), books you’ve DNFed (not finished), and offer suggestions for what to read next. Some are better than others, and most will let you import your Goodreads data.

A legend

Perhaps the most user-friendly and well-designed of book tracking apps, Fable is for readers who want to connect with other like-minded book lovers. Or those who enjoy a great UX. Launched in 2023 by Padmasree Warrior, the app allows you to join book clubs, post your reviews to the main feed, generate great quotes for your monthly and yearly titles with Pedro Pascal stickers, and track what you’re currently reading, wanting to read, finished, and DNF. Book clubs are very popular and are everywhere, from clubs based on the words of Taylor Swift to those for people who have never read the classics (and you can even get a free ebook from these).

There’s a premium subscription called Fable Plus, which costs $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, gives you weekly and monthly goal setting tools and progress tracking, and provides in-depth learning data insights if you’re a Folded person. One thing he is young A myth? The app doesn’t yet offer the ability to change the edition of the book you’re reading, like other apps like Goodreads, Storygraph, and Margins.

It is pagebound

Credit: Pagebound / Mashable

Founded by Lucy Zhao and Jennifer Dobak and launched 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. Perhaps the best of the book tracking apps, Pagebound puts a modern spin on the Y2K internet aesthetic. Some neat features here besides the usual book app needs are the ability to organize your TBR pile by month, Reddit-style polls on posts, half-stars and under-ratings for reviews, and they’re passionate about indie publishers, so you might find a lot of your other independent titles here.

Like Fable, Pagebound has discussion groups so if you belong to an online book club, this is a great option. There is also a premium version of $10 per month called Pagebound Royalty, which gives you a small crown on your avatar, valuable customer support, and other additional benefits.

A storygraph

Credit: Storygraph / Mashable

If you’re a data junkie, check out Storygraph. Founded in 2019 by Nadia Odunayo, the app started as a book tracker and has evolved into an online community. It works in the same way as Goodreads or Fiction with TBR, DNF lists etc., the app visualizes your reading habits into visually satisfying graphs – the types and shapes of your emotions, your pace, how many pages you read each time. The Reading Goal app will encourage you to read a certain number of books per year and track your progress. Also, Storygraph’s friend reading feature lets you add up to eight friends to the same book to read and comment as you go, or you can create a public reading to engage 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 brand readers – additional statistical filters and comparison options, additional year-by-year charts, and valuable customer support.

Margins

Credit: Margins / Mashable

Founded in 2024 by Paul Warren and Nick Punt, Margins is like its peers in many ways (want to read, read now, finish reading, stop reading piles). However, it sets itself apart with a very slick design (those fonts!) and its “Search by vibe” feature. The latter lets you type in exactly what you’re looking for and generates a carousel of suggestions – I typed in “summer horror by the sea” and it suggested Daphne Du Maurier’s. A house on the Strand and Alma Katsu’s Deepvery good result. The library also has the option to add series and authors to your list, and has a very useful Reading Recap tool with templates to let you create a nice social order of your monthly reading.

Libby

Credit: Libby / Mashable

Launched in 2017 by OverDrive, Libby is the best way to borrow e-books and audiobooks for free from your local library (shout out to BorrowBox too). All you need to do is register with your library card, as the app has thousands of library partners around the world. Your loans and deductions appear on the Shelf tab of the app, but it also has a great learning tracking feature, with the app’s tag system. When you find a topic you want to read, you can save it with a tag with any name you like, whether you want to separate the reading by genre, emoji, or go with the native TBR, DNF etc. It’s a great way to get books for free while tracking them down.

Bookshelf and Book Buddy

Credit: Bookshelf / Mashable

There are a few apps like Bookshelf and Book Buddy that allow you to manually add every book you own to your in-app library – this can be time-consuming if you have a lot of books, but in the dream feature of both, you can scan barcodes to add them. After entering your library, the best features of these applications are the ability to create and organize shelves, find statistics and find new books according to your interests, see the shelves of your friends (to see what you would like to ask to borrow), and track your borrowed books from your friends who will never return them.

In a nice hidden feature, BookBuddy has a random book suggestion tool, where the app will go through your library and suggest your next read — go to Search, then tap the cross arrows icon. This is perfect for people who are staring blankly at their bookshelf in a state of panic over what to choose.

Goodreads

Credit: Goodreads/ Mashable

I use it, I don’t like it. Yes, the design and UX of Amazon Goodreads, one of the internet’s best book tracking apps, is not good. And writers hate it, with many users dropping unnecessary reviews as routinely as painting their nails. But one (1) thing Goodreads does well is the annual Reading Challenge, which allows you to track the number of books you’ve read in a year and motivates you to reach your target number.

Goodreads lets you export your data to other apps, if you ever feel like going!

Maybe you use a different book tracker? Let us know in the comments, I’d love to hear what you track your reading with.