Goals worth keeping
A reading challenge app for more than one yearly number.
Fifty-two books in a year is one kind of goal. A Booker winner every month, every Le Guin on your shelf, or a challenge you read through with other people are others. ShelfLife tracks all of them, cheers you on, and never ranks you. Free on iPhone, Android, and the web.
Download the appThree kinds of reading challenge
ShelfLife calls a reading challenge a Feat. Every Feat starts from an example you can change:
- Timeframe. A number of books between two dates. "52 books a year," "8 books in May," or "3 books for Women in Translation Month."
- Recurring. The same commitment every week, month, or year. "1 book by a Booker Prize winner per month," or "20 books written by women in a year."
- A list of books. The exact books you want to get through, in any order. "The ten Booker winners on my shelf," or "every Ursula K. Le Guin I own."
Books count as you finish them
Check "Count books automatically as I finish them" and every book you finish inside the Feat's dates counts toward it, rereads included. A list Feat ticks each book off when you finish it. Progress bars show where you stand, and a recurring Feat shows each period you kept it.
ShelfLife doesn't guess which books fit a theme. For "books in translation" or "Booker winners," leave automatic counting off and add the books that belong.
Read toward it together, with no leaderboard
Keep a Feat between you and your followers, or open it to the community so anyone can join and read toward it with you. Members see what everyone else is reading for it, which makes a community Feat a good place to find your next book.
When a friend starts a Feat, reads a book that counts, or finishes one, it shows up in your feed and on the Feats Friends tab, and you can cheer. There are no rankings and no leaderboards, on purpose.
How other reading challenge apps compare
The Goodreads Reading Challenge is a single number: how many books you want to read this year. The StoryGraph sets goals by books, pages, or hours, and hosts community prompt challenges, including a version of the 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge. Hardcover sets yearly goals by books, pages, or format.
ShelfLife counts books only, and it has no prompt checklists. What it adds is the shape of the goal (a rhythm, a list of books you own) and a social side built around cheering rather than competing. Your friends' progress sits next to their reading, and following friends is how you see it.
Share your progress
Every Feat has a share card for Instagram or a group chat: a portrait image from the phone app, or a square image you can download on the website. And at the end of each month, Month in Books turns what you finished into a wrap-up card.
What it doesn't do
- No goals by pages or hours.
- No built-in prompt lists for challenges like PopSugar or Read Harder.
- No automatic sorting of books by genre, author, or award.
- No leaderboards or rankings.
Questions about reading challenge apps
What is the best free app for reading challenges?
It depends on the challenge. For a goal beyond one yearly number, like a book a month, a list of books you own, or a challenge you do with other readers, ShelfLife is free and does all three, with no leaderboards. For goals by pages or hours, The StoryGraph supports those. For a single yearly book count, Goodreads' Reading Challenge is the familiar choice.
What kinds of reading challenges can I set in ShelfLife?
Three kinds, which ShelfLife calls Feats. A timeframe Feat is a number of books between two dates, like 52 books in 2026 or 8 books in May. A recurring Feat repeats every week, month, or year, like one Booker Prize winner a month. A list Feat is a set of specific books, like every Ursula K. Le Guin you own.
Does ShelfLife count books toward my challenge automatically?
If you want it to. Turn on automatic counting and every book you finish inside the Feat's dates counts, including a reread. List Feats tick a book off when you finish it. For themed Feats, like books by women or in translation, you add the books that fit by hand, since ShelfLife does not judge which books match a theme.
Can I do a reading challenge with friends?
Yes. Open any Feat to the community and other readers can join it and read toward it with you. Everyone in a community Feat can see what the others are reading, and friends can cheer when you start, make progress, or finish. Nothing is ranked.
Can I track the PopSugar, 52 Book Club, or Read Harder challenge in ShelfLife?
Partly. ShelfLife has no built-in prompt lists, so you can't tick off a prompt like 'a book set in space'. You can track the count, such as 50 books in 2026, and add the books you pick for the prompts by hand. The StoryGraph hosts prompt-by-prompt versions of several of these challenges.
Can I set a reading goal by pages or hours?
No. ShelfLife's Feats count books. The StoryGraph and Hardcover both support page goals, and The StoryGraph supports hours too.
Will my Goodreads history count toward my challenges?
Yes. When you import from Goodreads or The StoryGraph, finished books with dates inside a Feat's window count toward it. The import doesn't announce each one to your followers.
Free, on iPhone, Android, and the web
Set one Feat for the rest of 2026.
Pick an example, change the number, and let the books you finish do the counting.
Download the app