No Shelf Control

Goodreads is the book tracking app and community that everyone knows, but is The StoryGraph better? The StoryGraph is a newer reading tracker app that is quite similar to Goodreads. See the pros and cons below!! Also, just as a disclaimer, I use The StoryGraph, and I’ve only used Goodreads for a short period of time.

Pro of Goodreads

It’s a very large community

Goodreads is a HUGE reading community that’s been around for ages! This means that there are a plethora of reviews on basically every book ever written!

It’s been around for a while

Goodreads has been around for ages for a reason! A reading community wouldn’t have lasted for so many years if it was bad. Tons of people loves Goodreads, and it works!

Cons of Goodreads

Older design

As mentioned above, Goodreads has been around for a while! The format of the app/website hasn’t changed a whole let over the years, which means the style is somewhat outdated

People can write detailed book reviews

This may be a pro for you, but it’s a con for me. The reviews can contain spoilers without alerting the reader, which I am very against. The biggest thing I dislike about detailed reviews is that it may change my opinion of a book. Some reviews are very critical, and point out small flaws that make me appreciate the books less than before. I personally don’t like having to sort through so many reviews that contain so many differing opinions, but on some occasions it can be helpful!

Pros of The StoryGraph

Smaller, more concise community reviews

The community reviews on The StoryGraph are nice and summarized! They also don’t allow for community members to write reviews about the book. I really enjoy this because then others opinions won’t change my opinion about a book!

There’s content/trigger warnings

Before I discovered The StoryGraph, I always struggled to find accurate CW/TW for books, especially the lesser-known books I read! The StoryGraph makes it so easy to view these warnings (right at the bottom of a book) and I find them to be extremely accurate!!

Newer design

The design of The StoryGraph is very modern, intuitive, and sleek! When I first started using The StoryGraph, I was able to learn how to use the app/website very quickly. The design is also very pretty, which is something I find nice!

Built-in “shelves”

In The StoryGraph, there are pre-selected options such as “owned” or “did not finish.” Goodreads doesn’t have this, and you have to make your own shelves.

Cons of The StoryGraph

It’s a smaller community

The StoryGraph doesn’t have as big of a following as Goodreads. This means there are fewer reviews for more obscure books. Keep in mind that well-known books still have over a hundred thousand reviews!

Less books on the database

Every so often, The StoryGraph doesn’t have the right edition to the book I’m reading. While this is true, you can add books on The StoryGraph really quickly (sub 5 minutes), so having fewer books on the database isn’t a huge issue.

Conclusion

Both The StoryGraph and Goodreads are great book tracking apps! While they both have their pros and cons, it depends on what you value as a reader. While I prefer The StoryGraph because of the neat layout and the concise reviews, you should choose what you like better! Happy reading!

Follow me on The StoryGraph! My username is emma_noshelfcontrol!!