The best Hardcover alternatives in 2026
The best Hardcover alternatives in 2026 are StoryGraph for detailed stats, Goodreads for the biggest community, BookWyrm for an ad-free open network, Hikara for seeing how your books connect, and Fable for book clubs.
Hardcover combines a detailed tracker with a social network for serious readers. People look elsewhere for a bigger community, deeper stats, a network no company owns, or a tool that helps them understand their reading rather than log it.
Updated Prices and features checked By Hikara Team
How this list is ranked
Ranked by how much of Hardcover's job each one covers (a tracker with ratings, reviews and a social side), then by what it adds. All five are free to start.
We make Hikara, so it's ranked by the same criteria as everything else, and no app paid to be included. Prices are as listed on each app's own site on the date above.
#1
StoryGraph
A reading tracker with detailed stats and mood-based recommendations.
Best for: Readers who want the closest all-round match, with deeper stats.
Pros
- Charts of books and pages per month, moods, pace and ratings.
- Buddy reads and readalongs.
- iOS and Android apps; imports from Goodreads.
Cons
- Custom charts and extra stats filters need Plus.
Pricing: Free; Plus $49.99/year.
#2
Goodreads
The largest book community, owned by Amazon.
Best for: Readers who want the biggest social network for books.
Pros
- More than 150 million members.
- Public ratings and reviews.
- Free iOS and Android apps.
Cons
- Far fewer stats than Hardcover or StoryGraph.
- Owned by Amazon.
Pricing: Free.
#3
BookWyrm
An ad-free, open-source social reading network run by independent communities.
Best for: Readers who like Hardcover's social side but want no company in charge of it.
Pros
- Ad-free and open source.
- Federated: instances connect to each other and to Mastodon.
- Shelves, reading dates, progress, reviews, lists and groups.
Cons
- You choose an instance to join, which takes a moment to understand.
Pricing: Free.
#4
Hikara
A reading tracker that shows how the books in your library connect.
Best for: Readers who want to understand their reading more than share it.
Pros
- Finds how your books connect: echoes, challenges and bridges, each with a strength score.
- Reading habit tools: a session log, streaks with freeze credits, goals and pace insights.
- Imports a Goodreads export; a free analyzer shows what's in it before you sign up.
- No ads.
Cons
- No native phone app: it's a web app you can install.
- A small community compared with Goodreads or StoryGraph.
- AI features have monthly limits on the free plan.
Pricing: Free plan; Basic $3.49/mo; Premium $6.99/mo, with a 7-day free trial.
#5
Fable
A social app built around book clubs, covering TV too.
Best for: Readers whose social reading happens in clubs.
Pros
- Reading and watch clubs to join or start, free.
- Imports Goodreads lists and reviews.
Cons
- Streaks and advanced stats need Fable Plus.
- The free version has ads.
Pricing: Free; Fable Plus $5.99/month or $49.99/year.
Frequently asked questions
Which alternative is closest to Hardcover?
StoryGraph: a full tracker with ratings, reviews and a social side, with iOS and Android apps and imports from Goodreads.
Is there an alternative that no company owns?
BookWyrm. It's open source and federated, so independent communities run their own servers, which connect to each other.
What should I check before switching from Hardcover?
Whether the new app covers what you use most. Hardcover combines per-book privacy (public, private or friends-only) with moods, tags and content warnings on every book.
Curious about Hikara specifically?
The quickest way to see if it fits is to import your Goodreads export, or add a few books by search, and look at the connections it finds. The free plan needs no card.