Comparison
A Goodreads alternative where you read the books, not just log them
Goodreads is where most readers keep the list: what they read, what they thought of it, what they mean to read next. It is enormous, owned by Amazon since 2013, and for many people it has turned into a place to log books rather than a reason to open one.
Last checked 11 Oct 2026. Prices and features change; the sources are at the end.
Doomreader is a different kind of app. It is a reader: more than 3,000 free classics in seven languages, plus your own EPUBs and PDFs, shown as short posts you scroll. It tracks the reading you do in it, with a daily goal and streaks, and it can bring your Goodreads library across in a minute. It is not a replacement for everything Goodreads does, and this page says plainly where Goodreads is the better choice.
Doomreader and Goodreads side by side
| What | Doomreader | Goodreads |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A reader: you read the books in the app | A catalogue and social network: you log books read anywhere |
| Price | Free; Pro adds sync and more, see the pricing page | Free |
| Books you can read in the app | 3,000+ free classics in 7 languages, plus your own EPUBs and PDFs | None; it links to shops and libraries unverified |
| Logging paper books or books read elsewhere | No | Yes |
| Star ratings and written reviews | Yes, 1 to 5 stars and reviews | 1 to 5 stars and reviews |
| Reading goal | A daily goal, streaks with a forgiven day a week, quests and badges | A yearly Reading Challenge, counted in books |
| Shelves | Your own shelves, plus Want to read from the import | Read, Currently reading, Want to read, and your own |
| Profiles and following | With Pro: a public reading profile you switch on, following and a Following feed | Profiles, friends and following |
| Talking about books | Comments on passages of free books | Reviews, comments and groups |
| Bring your library in | Imports your Goodreads export, read on your device | Imports a CSV library file |
| Take your data out | Notes and highlights as Markdown, Obsidian or Notion files (Pro) | Your library as a CSV file |
| Size of the community | New and still small | More than 150 million members (2023) |
| Account needed to start | No | Yes |
| Apps | Browser on any device, Android app; iPhone as a web app | iOS, Android, web |
Goodreads favourites you can read free today
A few of the classics that sit on the most Goodreads shelves, each free to read here. More in the best classic novels.
Where Goodreads is better
- Logging anything: every book you read, on paper, on a Kindle or from the library, can go on Goodreads. Doomreader only knows what you read in Doomreader.
- The crowd: millions of ratings and reviews, Listopia lists and groups for nearly any book in print. Doomreader has ratings and reviews too, but its community is new, so most books have only a few.
- New books: Goodreads covers what came out this year. Doomreader's library is free public-domain books, mostly published before 1930, plus files you add yourself.
Where Doomreader is better
- You read the books here. Pride and Prejudice, Crime and Punishment and thousands more open in one tap, free, with your place kept, instead of a link to a store.
- Tracking that comes from reading, not typing: every screen you read counts toward a daily goal, the days become a streak with one missed day a week forgiven, and finished books are counted on the day you finish. See the reading tracker.
- Your Goodreads history comes along. Import the export file and the classics on it land on your shelf, read ones marked finished on their Date Read and to-read ones on a Want to read shelf. The file is read on your phone and never uploaded.
- Private until you choose otherwise: no account to start, and your reading profile (part of Pro) is off until you switch it on, section by section.
Which to choose
If you want one catalogue of every book you read, with ratings, reviews and the biggest crowd to compare notes with, stay with Goodreads. Nothing here replaces that, and the two work fine side by side.
If what you actually want is to read more, especially the classics on your want-to-read shelf that you never start, try Doomreader: import your Goodreads export and see how many of them are already free to read. For a classic-heavy library it is often most of them; for this year's bestsellers it will be none.
Looking at StoryGraph as well? See StoryGraph vs Goodreads, and a free alternative.
Questions
Can I import my Goodreads library into Doomreader?
Yes. On goodreads.com, on a computer, open My Books, then Import and export, then Export library, and choose that file in Doomreader. It is read on your device, the classics it finds go on your shelf, and the rest are listed so you know what did not come across.
Will all my Goodreads books come across?
Only the ones in Doomreader's free library, which holds public-domain classics, plus books you have added yourself. A library of classics may match almost entirely; recent books never will.
Does Doomreader have star ratings or reviews?
Yes. You can rate and review any book you read in Doomreader, and see what other readers thought on each book's page. Your Goodreads ratings do not come across with the import, so they stay on Goodreads. You can also highlight passages, write notes beside them and comment on passages of free books.
Can I log books I read on paper?
No. Doomreader tracks the reading you do in it. For a log of everything, Goodreads or StoryGraph is the right tool.
Is Doomreader free?
Reading, the import and streaks are free. Pro adds a public reading profile, following other readers, sync across devices, search inside books and more; see the pricing page.
Sources
- Goodreads on Wikipedia: Amazon's purchase in 2013, more than 150 million members (September 2023), star ratings, reviews, shelves and the Reading Challenge; fetched 11 Oct 2026
- Goodreads import and export: the export of a library as a CSV file and the import of one; its columns checked against real exports on 11 Oct 2026
- Goodreads: that it is free and its apps
Doomreader's own facts are from the app as it is today and its pricing page. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@doomreaderapp.com.