Bookly vs Hardcover: which gets you back into a book without spoilers in 2026?
Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 14 October 2026 · Editorial assessment
Bookly is ahead on the lead ranking weights, 6.85 to 4.65. Bookly scores higher on spoiler safety, getting back into the story and logging; Hardcover scores higher on price and privacy.
Bookly
Best reading timerBuilt around a reading timer that turns every session into stats, with a confusing set of Pro prices.
Price, checked Sep 27, 2026
- Free to start
- Bookly Pro: App Store lists options from $4.99 for one month to $29.99 for one year, plus a $79.99 Pro option
Hardcover
Best for owning your dataA polished reading tracker with a public API and one of the lightest privacy labels in this list.
Price, checked Sep 27, 2026
- Free core app
- Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (US App Store)
Verdict: Bookly overall; Bookly for spoiler safety and Hardcover for price.
Every head-to-head on this site compares on the weights of our one scored ranking, Best apps for getting back into a book without spoilers.
How do Bookly and Hardcover compare, criterion by criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Bookly | Hardcover | Better for this |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoiler safety | 30 | 8 | 2 | Bookly |
| Getting back into the story | 30 | 7 | 3 | Bookly |
| Price | 15 | 5 | 8 | Hardcover |
| Privacy | 10 | 4 | 9 | Hardcover |
| Logging | 15 | 8 | 7 | Bookly |
| Weighted total | 100 | 6.85 | 4.65 | Bookly |
Bookly: why these scores
- Spoiler safety: Shows no community content about the book, so there is nothing to spoil, but it has no spoiler controls.
- Getting back into the story: The timer and page log suit print, ebook and audiobook sessions.
- Price: Many overlapping Pro prices on the App Store.
- Privacy: App Store label lists identifiers used to track you.
- Logging: ISBN scan plus a timer that logs pages and time per session.
Hardcover: why these scores
- Spoiler safety: Shows community reviews; its public pages describe no spoiler control.
- Getting back into the story: No session timer or place-keeping features published.
- Price: Free core app; Supporter costs $49.99 a year.
- Privacy: App Store label: data not linked to you (usage data and diagnostics).
- Logging: Want to read, reading, read and did-not-finish statuses with lists and tags.
Where does Bookly win?
- Spoiler safety: 8 against 2. Shows no community content about the book, so there is nothing to spoil, but it has no spoiler controls.
- Getting back into the story: 7 against 3. The timer and page log suit print, ebook and audiobook sessions.
- Logging: 8 against 7. ISBN scan plus a timer that logs pages and time per session.
Where does Hardcover win?
- Price: 8 against 5. Free core app; Supporter costs $49.99 a year.
- Privacy: 9 against 4. App Store label: data not linked to you (usage data and diagnostics).
How much do they cost?
Bookly
Price, checked Sep 27, 2026
- Free to start
- Bookly Pro: App Store lists options from $4.99 for one month to $29.99 for one year, plus a $79.99 Pro option
Hardcover
Price, checked Sep 27, 2026
- Free core app
- Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (US App Store)
US prices as published, checked September 27, 2026. Compare costs for more than one reader in the calculator.
The facts, no scores
| Fact | Bookly | Hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Android, web |
| Price | Free to start; Bookly Pro: App Store lists options from $4.99 for one month to $29.99 for one year, plus a $79.99 Pro option | Free core app; Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (US App Store) |
| Goals | Yes | Yes |
| Stats | Yes | Yes |
| Clubs | Not published | Not published |
| Import/Export | Yes | Yes |
| Scan (barcode or page photo) | Yes | Not published |
Which should you choose?
- Choose Bookly if spoiler safety and logging matter most to you: it scores 8 and 8 there. Best reading timer.
- Choose Hardcover if privacy and price matter most to you: it scores 9 and 8 there. Best for owning your data.
Questions about Bookly vs Hardcover
Is Bookly better than Hardcover?
On the lead ranking weights, Bookly is ahead, 6.85 to 4.65. Bookly scores higher on 3 of five criteria and Hardcover on 2. We do not score trackers against each other on tracking features; the facts table below lists platforms, prices and published features.
Which is cheaper, Bookly or Hardcover?
Bookly: Free to start; Bookly Pro: App Store lists options from $4.99 for one month to $29.99 for one year, plus a $79.99 Pro option. Hardcover: Free core app; Supporter: $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (US App Store). On our Price and ads criterion, Hardcover scores higher, 8 to 5. Prices are US prices checked September 27, 2026.
Can I move my reading history between Bookly and Hardcover?
Bookly lists a Goodreads import on Google Play; we found no export published. Hardcover imports from Goodreads and publishes a GraphQL API with OAuth. The import and export table lists every option.