How do you move from Goodreads to Hardcover?

Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment

Bottom line.Export your Goodreads library as a CSV file on a computer, then upload it on Hardcover's Import Library page. Hardcover retries failed imports automatically and keeps an import history. Expect one gap: Goodreads exports carry only the most recent finish date for each book, so add start dates and earlier reads by hand under Dates Read. Hardcover is free, ad-free, publishes an API and lets you set each book public, followers-only or private, but we found no book clubs published.

Facts checked 29 October 2026

Why do readers move to Hardcover?

Data: Hardcover publishes a GraphQL API, and its App Store privacy label lists only usage data and diagnostics, not linked to you.
Privacy per book: every book you save, and every list and goal, can be Public, Following (visible only to readers you follow) or Private.
No ads: its FAQ says it does not use traditional advertising and does not sell user data.
Series: a Series Tracker in Labs shows your progress through each series and can sort by next release.

What you give up is community size and clubs. Goodreads is the largest reader community, and we found no book clubs published by Hardcover. See the Hardcover review and Goodreads alternatives for the full picture.

What are the steps?

On a computer, export your Goodreads library: My Books, then Import and export under Tools, then Export Library. Download the .csv file when the link appears. Detail: exporting your Goodreads library.
Create a free Hardcover account if you do not have one.
Open Hardcover's Import Library page (hardcover.app/account/imports) and upload the CSV file. On Android, you may need to switch from Recent Files to Downloaded Files to find it, according to Hardcover's FAQ.
Wait for the import to finish. Hardcover says that if an import fails it tries again automatically, and the import history shows the error and whether it was retried.
Check the result as described below, and leave your Goodreads account in place until you are happy.

What needs fixing after the import?

Common gaps after a Goodreads to Hardcover import, from Hardcover's FAQ, checked 29 October 2026
What you see	Why	Fix
Only one finish date per book; no start dates	Goodreads exports include only the most recent finish date, with no start dates or earlier reads.	Add dates with the Book Button, then Dates Read.
A book did not count toward your goal	Hardcover counts a book once a Date Finished is saved.	Add the finish date under Dates Read.
The wrong edition or format	Hardcover separates a book from its editions (physical, audiobook or ebook).	Open Dates Read for that read and choose the right edition.
Stats look out of date	Stats refresh in the background and can take a few hours after an import.	Wait a few hours before checking.
Some books failed to import	Missing, unclear or conflicting data in the export file.	Check the import history; Hardcover's librarians help on its Discord.

How should you set privacy after moving?

Decide before your library fills up. Hardcover applies a privacy setting to each saved book, list and goal: Public for anyone, including signed-out visitors; Following for readers you follow; Private for you alone. You can set defaults at the account level. If you used Goodreads publicly but want a quieter shelf, set the default to Following or Private before importing, then open up the books you want to share. Our note on reading app privacy labels explains what Hardcover's App Store label says.

Should you keep Goodreads?

Many readers keep it for the community, groups and the Reading Challenge, and Goodreads has added a Did Not Finish shelf and half and quarter star ratings this year. Logging in two places is a chore, so pick one main log. Hardcover does not sync from e-readers natively, though its FAQ lists community-built tools for Kobo; if you read on Kobo and want automatic progress, The StoryGraph's Kobo sync is the published option, covered in moving from Goodreads to StoryGraph.

Questions

Q1Can Hardcover import my Goodreads library?

Yes. Upload the CSV file you export from Goodreads on Hardcover's Import Library page. It also takes StoryGraph exports, and a custom CSV format in beta.

Q2Why are my Goodreads read dates missing on Hardcover?

Goodreads exports include only the most recent finish date for each book, with no start dates or earlier reads. Add the missing dates in Hardcover under Dates Read.

Q3Is Hardcover free?

Yes. Hardcover says it is and always will be free to use; the optional Supporter plan is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year on the US App Store.

Q4Does Hardcover have book clubs?

We found no book clubs published by Hardcover. You can follow readers and browse their shelves, and keep a club elsewhere.

Q5Can I make my Hardcover library private?

Yes. Each book, list and goal can be Public, Following or Private, and you can set defaults at the account level.