Book Nook vs The StoryGraph

Updated 3 November 2026

Book Nook and The StoryGraph side by side

The StoryGraph is an independent reading tracker. The table compares the two apps on the 16 features we checked across nine reading apps.

The StoryGraph checked on 3 November 2026: App Store listing, roadmap.thestorygraph.com/requests-ideas/posts/reading-timer, roadmap.thestorygraph.com/requests-ideas/posts/storygraph-currently-reading-widget, roadmap.thestorygraph.com/requests-ideas/posts/monthly-book-wrap-up.

See also StoryGraph alternatives, Goodreads vs StoryGraph and Book Nook vs Goodreads.

Bookshelf view, themes and decorations

StoryGraph shows your books as lists and grids of covers. Book Nook draws each bookshelf with boards and a back wall, most themes add a frame around it, and your books stand on it as they do at home. A book can face cover-out or spine-out, tilt at an angle you set, or lie flat in a stack. You drag books to arrange them, and you can have as many bookshelves as you like.

• Five themes: Oak (simple wood), Midnight Study (dark academia), Fairy Cottage (cottagecore), Love Letter (coquette) and Matcha Cafe, or a custom theme where you choose the colours, the frame style, the back wall pattern, an ornament for the top and the font of the shelf title.
• 65 decorations to place between books, such as plants, candles, lamps, pumpkins, crystals and dragons.
• Shelf lights under the boards.
• Real book sizes, a switch in the bookshelf menu that stands each book at the height of the edition you own, so a mass market paperback stands shorter than a hardcover.

If you prefer a plain layout, the same books show as a List or a Mosaic of covers, and switching views moves nothing. The Bookshelf widget puts one of your bookshelves on the home screen. On iPhone it comes in medium and large sizes, and extra large on iOS 27. On Android it can be any size from 4 by 2 cells up to the whole screen. More in the virtual bookshelf guide, the bookshelf widget guide and ideas for an aesthetic bookshelf.

Adding books by search, barcode or by hand

Both apps scan barcodes. In Book Nook you tap Add book and search by title, author or ISBN, or point the camera at the barcode on the back cover, in the phone apps or the web app. The cover, author, page count and description come from Book Nook's catalogue, which draws on Open Library, ISBNdb and Google Books. A book with no barcode can be added by hand with your own photo of the cover. Each book takes a status (to be read, reading, finished or did not finish), page progress and a rating in quarter stars. How to catalogue a home library by barcode.

Reading timer and Lock Screen timer

StoryGraph has no reading timer; one is an open request on its public roadmap. Book Nook's timer records each session with its minutes and the page you reached.

• On iPhone the running timer shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as a Live Activity, with the cover, the time, and Pause and Stop.
• On Android it shows as a notification with Pause and Stop.
• On iPhone with iOS 18 or later, the Start Reading control starts the timer from Control Center, the Lock Screen or the Action button without opening the app. On Android, the Start reading tile in Quick Settings does the same.
• Both phone apps tell you when you reach your daily minutes goal, even with the app in the background.

Of the nine apps we compared, Book Nook is the only one with both a reading timer and book clubs. How the reading timer works.

Reading statistics and goals

Every Book Nook statistic is free: minutes and pages for the last 7 days, this month or this year, with a bar for each day or, for the year, each month, a reading calendar, streaks, genres and a chart of your ratings. StoryGraph keeps custom charts, extra filters and stats comparisons for Plus.

Book Nook has a yearly books goal and a daily minutes goal. The Today's Reading widget shows today's minutes against the goal with your streak, and the Yearly Goal widget shows whether you are ahead of pace. A daily reminder on iPhone and Android names the book you are reading, at 6:00 PM by default or a time you choose. Reading challenge ideas for 2027 and more on tracking your reading.

Reading Wrapped and StoryGraph's Wrap-Up

StoryGraph makes yearly and monthly Wrap-Up graphics, and any date range in Plus. Book Nook makes a Reading Wrapped for every month and every year, free: the books you finished with their covers, the hours you read, your biggest reading day, your top genres and authors, and your highest-rated books. The phone apps share each page to Instagram Stories or TikTok or save it to Photos. On the web you can open any earlier month or year that has reading, so the years you bring over from StoryGraph get their own Wrapped. More on Reading Wrapped.

Friends, reviews, book clubs and challenges

StoryGraph has book clubs, buddy reads, readalongs, challenges and friends you follow. Book Nook has friends, a feed, book clubs, private clubs for reading one book together, and reading challenges in its Feed and Community tabs, on the phones and the web.

• The feed shows what the readers you follow start, finish and review, with likes and comments.
• Every book page has reviews, sorted by Recent or Most liked, and a discussion thread. Spoilers are tagged inline and stay hidden until tapped. In the discussion thread they show in the clear for readers who have finished the book.
• Book clubs read one book at a time. Each comment records how far its writer had read and stays folded for members who have not reached that point, and notifications do not quote it. Start a private book club on any book page and invite friends to read that book with you.
• Challenges have a goal, a deadline and a leaderboard, and any reader can create one. The yearly reading challenge sits at the top of Community.
• Nooks are groups with a thread of posts. The New releases nook lists books out this week and coming soon.
• Points for reviews, posts, finished books and finished challenges, and stamps for milestones, show on your public profile.

How Book Nook book clubs work.

Platforms, sync and price

Both apps run on iPhone, Android and the web. Book Nook needs iOS 17 or later or Android 8.0 or later, and the web app is at trybooknook.com. One account syncs your bookshelves, books and sessions across all three, and you can export your data as a JSON file at any time.

Book Nook is free, with no subscription, no paid tier and no ads, and every feature on this page is included. StoryGraph has a free tier and a Plus plan at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year.

Readers with a physical bookshelf

Make a bookshelf for each real shelf, scan each barcode, and drag the books into the order they stand at home.

Which to pick

Pick Book Nook if you want your StoryGraph library on a bookshelf you can arrange, timed sessions and a shelf on your home screen. Export from StoryGraph and the import keeps your statuses, ratings, reviews and dates.

How to switch from StoryGraph to Book Nook

1. On app.thestorygraph.com, open your profile menu and choose Manage account.
2. Scroll to Manage your data, choose Export StoryGraph library, generate the export and download the file.
3. Sign up for Book Nook on iPhone, Android or the web.
4. Open Import books from Getting started, or from the settings icon on the Profile tab in the phone apps (Settings, then Import books, on the web). Choose StoryGraph and pick the file.
5. Check the books and choose where they go: a bookshelf for each status, a bookshelf named after each book's first StoryGraph tag, one new bookshelf, or a bookshelf you already have.
6. Tap Import N books (the button shows how many). Book Nook fills in missing covers, authors and page counts from its catalogue.

Statuses, including did not finish, come across with your star ratings, written reviews and the dates you added, started and finished each book. Books already on your shelves are skipped, or updated from the file if you choose, and you can undo an import for 7 days. The full import guide also covers Goodreads and Fable.