Storyfeel vs StoryGraph: which reading app fits you?
We make Storyfeel, so this is not a neutral review. We have tried to make it a fair one: everything we say about StoryGraph comes from its own pages or recent independent reviews, linked at the end, and checked in October 2026. Where StoryGraph is the better choice, we say so.
StoryGraph and Storyfeel both talk about mood, and both are a long way from Goodreads. But they answer different questions. StoryGraph asks what a book is like. Is it dark or hopeful, fast or slow, what should you read next? Storyfeel asks what a book did to you. Which line undid you, how you felt when you closed it, what it meant to read it at that moment of your life. One is built to help you choose books. The other is built to help you remember them.
At a glance
| StoryGraph | Storyfeel | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Tracking, stats and finding your next book | A private diary of how each book felt |
| Mood | Describes the book: community tags such as dark, emotional, fast-paced | Describes you: what a quote or a whole book made you feel, in your own colours |
| Community | Reviews, book clubs, buddy reads, content warnings from other readers | None, on purpose: no profiles, feed or followers |
| Recommendations | Yes, from your history, moods and pace | No |
| Stats | Detailed charts; more with Plus | Year stats, a calendar of covers, Book of the Year |
| Quotes and journal | Private notes while you read | Quotes, highlights and diary entries, each coloured by feeling |
| Privacy | Profile visibility: private, community or public | End-to-end encrypted diary: we cannot read it |
| Free | Generous free tier | 20 books, 4 series, 3 Story Maps |
| Paid | Plus: $4.99/month or $49.99/year | $4.99/month or $49.90/year |
| Apps | Web, iOS and Android | Web app, installable on any device |
Where StoryGraph is better
- Choosing what to read next. Its recommendations use your history, your moods and the pace you like, and reviewers rate them well above Goodreads'. Storyfeel does not recommend books at all.
- Statistics. StoryGraph's charts are the best known reason people switch to it: genres, moods, pace, page counts, month by month, with even more in Plus.
- Other readers. Reviews, community content warnings, book clubs and buddy reads. If reading is social for you, StoryGraph has a place for that and Storyfeel deliberately does not.
- A big free plan. You can track an entire library for free. Storyfeel's free plan holds 20 books.
- Native apps. StoryGraph is in the App Store and Google Play. Storyfeel installs from the browser.
Where Storyfeel is better
- Remembering how a book felt. Save a quote, a highlight from your Kindle or Kobo, or a whole diary entry, and colour it by what it made you feel. A year later, the passage is still there with the mood you read it in. StoryGraph's moods describe books for everyone; Storyfeel's describe your reading, for you.
- Privacy that does not depend on settings. On StoryGraph, privacy is about who can see your profile. On Storyfeel, the diary is encrypted on your device before it is saved, so it syncs between your devices and nobody else can read it, including us.
- Series and long stories. Every book of a series in reading order, with the next one marked, and Story Maps to draw who is who and how they connect, so you can come back to book four after a year away.
- A year you can see. A calendar that fills with covers, gentle challenges like a reading bingo or an A–Z of authors, and a Book of the Year bracket.
- Your language. Storyfeel is fully available in English, Spanish, French and German.
Can you use both?
Yes, and it is a good combination. Use StoryGraph to discover books and keep the big picture of your reading, and Storyfeel as the private place where you keep the lines and feelings worth remembering. Both can import your Goodreads export, so you do not have to type your history twice.
Which one should you choose?
- You want recommendations, stats and other readers: StoryGraph.
- You want to track a big library for free: StoryGraph.
- You want a private, encrypted diary of what books made you feel: try Storyfeel free.
- You want both: use both. They do different jobs.
Still deciding? Read our comparison of private Goodreads alternatives, or how to keep a reading journal.
Sources
StoryGraph details checked in October 2026: The StoryGraph (Wikipedia) · StoryGraph on the App Store · This Splendid Shambles review · Book Riot review · Bookwise review · Storyfeel plans.