Goodreads is the largest social network for readers and has belonged to Amazon since 2013. ShelfBuddy is a private library app from an independent studio in Germany. Both keep track of what you read; they differ in accounts, audiobooks, series and where your data lives.
| Feature | ShelfBuddy | Goodreads |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android and the browser | iPhone, iPad, Android and the website |
| Account | Not needed | Required (email, Apple, Amazon or Google) |
| Price | Free with ads, no book limit. Premium: one-time purchase, no subscription | Free, with ads |
| Barcode scanning | Yes, also several books in a row | Yes, barcode and cover scanner |
| Audiobooks | Own format with listening time and playback speed | Tracked as an edition; progress in percent or pages, not minutes |
| Series | Owned and missing volumes, alerts for new volumes and followed authors | Series pages; optional emails about new books from followed authors |
| Import | Goodreads, StoryGraph, Reado, any CSV or spreadsheet | CSV import and export, on the website only |
| Social features | None: a private library without a public profile | A social network: reviews, friends, groups, book clubs, yearly Reading Challenge |
| Where your data lives | On your device; sync through your own iCloud or Google Drive | On Goodreads' servers, in your account |
| App languages | English, German, Dutch, Spanish | English |
On the Goodreads website, open My Books, then Import and export, and export your library as a CSV file. Open that file in ShelfBuddy under Settings, Import library. Your shelves, reading status, ratings and read dates come along, missing covers and details are filled in, and the whole import can be undone in one step.
Details about other apps come from their websites and store listings, checked in September 2026. Spotted something out of date? Write to us via Inquiries.