Readwise Reader vs Goodreads
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Readwise Reader is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 7.8. Readwise Reader wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Goodreads on 1.
Researchers, students and heavy readers who highlight and take notes
Readers who want to track books and see reviews from a huge community
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Readwise Reader | Goodreads |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reading & News | Reading & News |
| Category rank | #3 of 11 | #11 of 11 |
| Developer | Readwise | Goodreads, Inc. |
| Pricing | Subscription | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Readwise Reader better than Goodreads?
Readwise Reader is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 7.8. Readwise Reader wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Goodreads on 1.
Which is cheaper, Readwise Reader or Goodreads?
Readwise Reader: 30-day free trial, then $9.99 a month billed yearly, or $12.99 monthly. Goodreads: Free, with no paid plan; Goodreads is owned by Amazon. On value for money, Goodreads scores higher.
Do Readwise Reader and Goodreads work on the same devices?
Only Readwise Reader runs on Mac, Windows.
Which is more private, Readwise Reader or Goodreads?
Readwise Reader scores higher on privacy (8.2/10). App Store label: no tracking. Email, name, user ID, usage and diagnostics are linked to you for analytics and app functions. Google Play says no data is shared with third parties.
Strengths and weaknesses
Readwise Reader
- Handles nearly every format you read
- Highlights sync to your notes apps
- Apps for phones and desktops, plus the web
- No free plan after the 30-day trial
- Not included in the cheaper Readwise Lite plan
Readwise Reader pulls everything you mean to read into one library: saved articles, PDFs, EPUBs, newsletters, RSS feeds, YouTube transcripts and threads. Highlight anything and it flows to Obsidian, Notion or Logseq. Ghostreader, the built-in AI, summarizes, looks things up and answers questions across your library. It's the most capable reader here. It's also subscription-only after a 30-day trial, and not cheap.
Full Readwise Reader review
Goodreads
- Free, with a huge community of 150 million members
- Quick book scanner and reading tracker
- Reading Challenge and Year in Books recap
- Design and app feel dated
- Lots of data linked to your account
- Suggestions are simpler than The StoryGraph's
Goodreads has more than 150 million members, so your reading friends are probably already there. Shelve what you've read and want to read, set a yearly Reading Challenge, check reviews from millions of people and join book club groups. In 2026 it finally added a Did Not Finish shelf and half- and quarter-star ratings. It's free and works with Kindle, but the design feels dated next to The StoryGraph, and its suggestions are simpler than StoryGraph's mood-based picks.
Full Goodreads review
