Reading notes

Reading app privacy labels: what the App Store says about nine book trackers

How to read the App Privacy section on a reading app's listing, and what nine book trackers list there as of September 2026.

Best Book Tracker Apps editors · 21 August 2026 · 4 min read

Our take

Every App Store listing has an App Privacy section with up to three headings: data used to track you, data linked to you and data not linked to you. Among the nine apps we rank, Hardcover lists the least: only usage data and diagnostics, not linked to you. Bookly, Basmo and Magic Bookmark list identifiers under data used to track you. Developers fill the labels in themselves, so read them as the app's own account.

Contents

Why does a reading app's privacy label matter?

A reading history is personal. The books you shelve can say something about your health, your beliefs, your relationships and your plans. A tracker holds years of that, and many also hold your reviews, highlights and searches. That is why privacy is one of the five criteria in how we rank, with a weight of {w:privacy} out of 100.

What do the three headings mean?

The App Privacy section starts with a line naming the developer and saying the app's privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. Then come up to three headings.

Data used to track you: data that, in the label's words, may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. This is the heading to look for first.
Data linked to you: data that may be collected and linked to your identity, listed by purpose, such as analytics, app functionality, product personalization or advertising.
Data not linked to you: data that may be collected but is not tied to your identity.

Every listing adds that privacy practices may vary, for example based on the features you use or your age. Apple's App Store explainer also notes that the labels may not describe all of a developer's practices.

What do the nine apps' labels say?

Privacy labels as listed on the US App Store (Google Play for Fable), checked September 27, 2026, with our privacy score out of 10
App	What the listing says	Privacy score
Hardcover	Data not linked to you: usage data and diagnostics.	9
BookBuddy	Library saved locally on your device, with optional iCloud or Dropbox sync.	9
Literal	Contact info and user content linked to you. The listing states "No ads, no selling your data."	8
The StoryGraph	Contact info, identifiers, usage data and user content linked to you.	6
Fable	Google Play data safety notes that data may be shared with third parties.	5
Goodreads	Data linked to you includes contact info, identifiers, purchases, photos and search history, used for purposes that include marketing.	4
Bookly	Identifiers used to track you.	4
Magic Bookmark	Identifiers used to track you. Purchases, contact info, user content, search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics linked to you.	4
Basmo	Identifiers and usage data used to track you. Linked data is used for purposes that include third-party advertising.	3

What stands out?

Hardcover is the only app here whose App Store label links no data to you. Basmo's label is the heaviest: it lists identifiers and usage data under data used to track you, and third-party advertising among the purposes for linked data. Goodreads links a wide range of data to your identity, including photos and search history, and lists marketing among its purposes.

Magic Bookmark lists identifiers under data used to track you. It scores 4 on privacy, the same as Goodreads and Bookly.

BookBuddy and Literal reach strong scores by different routes. BookBuddy keeps your library on your device, with optional iCloud or Dropbox sync. Literal's listing says, in its own words, "No ads, no selling your data."

How do you check a label yourself?

Open the app's page in the App Store and scroll to App Privacy.
Read the first heading first. If Data Used to Track You appears, the developer says some data may be used to follow you across other companies' apps and websites.
Tap See Details to view each data type and the purpose it is used for.
Open the developer's privacy policy, linked from the same section, for anything the label does not cover.
On iPhone, you can say no when an app asks to track you. Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt has applied since iOS 14.5.
Look again after major updates, since labels change when features change.

What can a label not tell you?

A label is the developer's own account. We do not audit labels, and Apple notes that the data collected may vary from what the section shows. A label also does not tell you how easy it is to take your reading history with you. For that half of owning your data, see the import and export table and our lesson on moving your reading data.

Sources

How we rank Hardcover review StoryGraph vs Goodreads Glossary