Is Goodreads free, and who owns it?
Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment
Bottom line.Yes. Goodreads is free to join and use, and it has no paid tier for tracking features. It has been owned by Amazon since 2013, when Amazon announced the acquisition on 28 March. You pay in other ways: its App Store privacy label lists data linked to you, including for marketing, its public API closed to new developers in December 2020, and only your library export file comes with you if you leave.
Facts checked 3 November 2026
Is Goodreads really free?
Yes. Creating an account, adding books, shelving them, rating and reviewing, joining groups, setting a yearly Reading Challenge and seeing your Year in Books all cost nothing, on the web and in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps. There is no subscription and no premium tier for readers.
That makes Goodreads unusual among the trackers we cover. Most of the others have a free core and charge for extras:
| App | Free to use? | Paid option | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | Yes | None for readers | Free |
| The StoryGraph | Core app free | StoryGraph Plus | $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year |
| Hardcover | Core app free | Supporter | $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year |
| Literal | Free, no in-app purchases | Optional membership | Plus $40 a year, Supporter $80 a year |
| Fable | Core app free | Fable Plus | $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year |
| BookBuddy | Free to start | Pro, one-time | $9.99 lifetime |
| Bookly | Free to start | Bookly Pro | from $4.99 a month |
| Basmo | Free to start | Premium | $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
Prices as published on the US App Store or the vendor's site, checked 27 September 2026 (Bookly 19 October 2026). See what book tracker apps cost for the detail.
Who owns Goodreads?
Amazon. Goodreads launched in January 2007 and Amazon announced it was buying the company on 28 March 2013. The App Store lists the maker as Goodreads, Inc., and Goodreads describes itself as an Amazon company.
Ownership shows up in the product. Goodreads connects to Kindle: its help centre has a guide to syncing your Goodreads and Kindle reading experiences, and many Goodreads book pages link to Amazon to buy. That suits readers who already buy from Amazon. It is the main reason some readers leave.
So what does Goodreads cost you?
Not money. Three things are worth knowing before you build a ten-year reading history there.
Your data
The Goodreads App Store privacy label lists data linked to you, including data used for marketing. That is a heavier label than Hardcover's, whose label says data is not linked to you, or Literal's, which says "No ads, no selling your data." Our note on reading app privacy labels puts all nine side by side.
Your ability to connect other tools
Goodreads deactivated its public API keys and stopped issuing new ones in December 2020. Tools that once read your Goodreads shelves directly can no longer do so. If you want software to work with your reading history, Hardcover's public GraphQL API is the alternative among the apps we cover.
What you can take with you
Your library export is a CSV file with one row per book: titles, authors, ISBNs, your ratings, shelves, dates and reviews. Every major tracker can import it. What does not come with you: friends, groups, comments, likes and your Reading Challenge history. Literal's import guide lists those among the things that do not transfer. Our guide to exporting your Goodreads library shows the steps and what to check in the file, and the Goodreads export columns resource explains all 24 fields.
What do you get for free?
More than any other tracker in some areas, less in others.
| Area | What Goodreads offers | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue | The largest book catalogue, so most books are already listed | Best of the nine |
| Community | Over 150 million members reported in September 2023; friends, groups, book clubs | Largest by a wide margin |
| Goals | Yearly Reading Challenge, Year in Books | Yearly only; Bookly and Basmo add daily goals |
| Stats | A few totals and the Year in Books | StoryGraph's charts go much further |
| Ratings | Half and quarter stars, announced 5 October 2026 | Now matches StoryGraph |
| Statuses | Want to read, currently reading, read, and a Did Not Finish shelf added in March 2026 | No paused status; StoryGraph has one |
| Data portability | CSV export; no API for new developers | Weaker than Hardcover or BookBuddy |
Should you stay on Goodreads?
Stay if your friends and book clubs are there, if you want the biggest catalogue and reviews in one place, or if you read mostly Kindle books and like the connection. Move, or add a second app, if you want deeper stats (The StoryGraph), a lighter privacy label and an API (Hardcover), a free app that says it shows no ads (Literal), or your data stored on your own device (BookBuddy). Our Goodreads alternatives page lists seven trackers on facts, without scores, and Reading Tracker Compare matches trackers to reader types if you are not sure which kind of reader you are.
Leaving does not have to be all or nothing. Many readers keep a Goodreads account for friends and challenges and log their reading in another app. If you do leave for good, export first: our guide to deleting your Goodreads account covers the order to do it in.
Questions
Q1Is Goodreads free to use?
Yes. There is no subscription and no paid tier for readers. The website and the iPhone, iPad and Android apps are free.
Q2Is Goodreads owned by Amazon?
Yes. Amazon announced its acquisition of Goodreads on 28 March 2013, and Goodreads describes itself as an Amazon company.
Q3Does Goodreads cost money for authors or groups?
Readers, groups and book clubs do not pay. We do not cover Goodreads' author and advertising programmes here.
Q4Can I use Goodreads without Amazon?
Yes. You can create a Goodreads account with an email address and never link Kindle. Your data is still held by an Amazon company.
Q5What is the best free alternative to Goodreads?
Literal is free with no in-app purchases and says it shows no ads; The StoryGraph and Hardcover have free core apps with optional paid tiers.