A promotional banner for Hardcover on a dark background. On the left, large white text reads "Book Smart. Track, follow and discover new reads." below which it says "Join Hardcover.app" alongside Apple App Store and Google Play download buttons. On the top right, the Hardcover logo features a blue book icon next to the word "Hardcover." The right side features a blue-toned illustration of an owl flying above two people reading books, a bookshelf filled with books, and another figure selecting a book.

I'm always intrigued by book tracking apps but have never been all that consistent in adding my info. Goodreads is one of the most popular apps, I know, but I used it less and less because:

  • The interface feels clunky and outdated to me.

  • It was hard to resist checking on how my own books were doing on that platform, and that inevitably sucked me down into a black hole of despair šŸ˜œ and/or timesink.

Because apps like and have renewed my enthusiasm for blogging because they're FUN to use, plus connected with the Atmosphere ecosystem, I've started looking for apps that might replace Goodreads for my book tracking.

So far, I haven't found an Atproto book tracking app that is robust enough to make me want to invest the time and energy to switch yet again. Still, I'm keeping an eye on and sending feedback to the developer. šŸ¤žšŸ¼

For now, however, I've decided to focus on Hardcover aka . You can find me at https://hardcover.app/@Inkygirl. Here is my referral link, if you'd like to try it out and possibly help extend my Supporter status (thank you!).

A screenshot of the Hardcover profile page for Debbie Ohi (@Inkygirl), displaying her bio, profile picture, follower counts, and website links.

Things I like about Hardcover

  • Design: polished, user-friendly, feature-rich.

  • I can access it via the browser on my desktop computer OR mobile. It's cross-platform: iOS, Android, Web.

  • Flexible privacy controls re: my profile as well as reading life.

  • I can export my data.

  • Community is small compared to Goodreads but has grown steadily over the last few years.

  • Monthly transparency reports. See this latest post on Bluesky, for instance.

  • Love how Hardcover embraces the community aspect of reading.

Why some people may not like Hardcover

  • While you can track your reading, maintain an unlimited library, create custom lists, import from Goodreads etc for free, users need to opt for the Hardcover Supporter paid tier to unlock perks like specific dashboard customization, librarian edit access, and supporter community channels. You can see a comparison of the Free vs Paid tiers here: https://hardcover.app/supporter

  • Hardcover is not AT Protocol-native.

POLL: What about the rest of you? Do you track your books? If so, what app or apps do you use?

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Reply with a post of your own.

Find out more about Debbie at DebbieOhi.com, or browse her social blogs.