Looking for a StoryGraph alternative?

When The StoryGraph is the sharper tool

The StoryGraph earns its name. It turns reading into something you can examine: moods, pace, formats, pages, progress, and patterns over time. Half and quarter stars give precise raters room to move. Community-sourced content warnings help readers choose safely, and the reading journal captures private notes along the way.

It's social, too. Buddy reads, larger readalongs, book clubs, and shared lists organize people around reading together. If charts, content warnings, or structured group reads are the heart of the experience for you, The StoryGraph is the better fit today.

When you want a shelf, not another chart

ShelfLife treats books as objects. Arrange their spines, build stacks, add shelf objects and backdrops, and share the result. Your Top 12 sits at the center: twelve books, no more, which is exactly what makes it hard.

Both apps can scan a barcode to find a book. ShelfLife's camera then has a second job: after choosing a book and edition, you photograph its physical spine so the copy on your virtual shelf can resemble the one in your hand. The barcode identifies the book; the spine photo personalizes it.

Let every reread keep its own review

ShelfLife records every read-through as a session with its own start and finish dates. Once that session is finished, it can carry its own rating and review. You can see how a book changed for you without flattening ten years of reading into one final star score.

Review passages can be marked as spoilers. ShelfLife masks them in excerpts while keeping the spoiler-free sentences visible, so you can share a candid opinion without ruining the book for anyone.

Social reading or social taste?

The StoryGraph's social tools gather readers around the same book: buddy reads, readalongs, and clubs. ShelfLife gathers them around taste. Follow a reader, browse the shelves they chose to make public, and see their activity in chronological order.

When you need a recommendation, Book Signal lets you ask in human terms: “a chilly novel about obsession, but not a murder mystery.” Readers whose taste overlaps yours can answer with a title and a reason.

Trying ShelfLife doesn't erase The StoryGraph

Export your StoryGraph data and import the file directly into ShelfLife. Supported statuses, ratings, dates, reviews, and edition identifiers come with it. Did-not-finish books become “left on shelf,” and quarter-star ratings round to the nearest half star.

Nothing about that import changes your StoryGraph account. Some readers will want the split: The StoryGraph for the charts, ShelfLife for the shelves and the people.

The StoryGraph or ShelfLife?

Choose The StoryGraph if you want:

• Detailed statistics, moods, pace, progress, and wrap-ups.
• Community-sourced content warnings and quarter-star ratings.
• Buddy reads, readalongs, book clubs, and private reading journals.

Choose ShelfLife if you want:

• A visual library that resembles the shelves and editions you own.
• Separate dates, ratings, and reviews for every reread.
• Spoiler-safe criticism, a Top 12, and human recommendations.
• A chronological social layer organized around taste rather than group reading.