Goodreads alternative: the comparison
A Goodreads alternative that proves you read
Goodreads records the books you mark as read. Vread validates them: one question every 30 to 40 pages, about the passage you read.
Comparison checked on October 10, 2026, official sources at the bottom of the page.
4.7 on the App Store (France) · 140 ratings
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
What type of branch does the Ghost of Christmas Past hold in its hand?
The answer is in the text: reply in the app.
In short
Two apps, two jobs
Goodreads describes itself as the world’s largest site for readers; Vread is a reading tracker that checks your progress. And your Goodreads library imports into Vread.
Goodreads is a better fit if…
- you want reviews from a very large community
- you read on Kindle and want automatic tracking
- you want a numeric yearly goal (Reading Challenge)
- you like groups, book giveaways and custom lists
Vread is a better fit if…
- you want your book count to include only books you really read
- you want to finish books, not just shelve them
- you like streaks, XP and badges, like a fitness app
- you prefer an app without ads
Feature by feature
Goodreads and Vread, feature by feature
Comparable features only. Every statement about Goodreads links to its source.
| Feature | Vread | Goodreads |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Reading tracker where progress is validated by questions about the passage you read | “The world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations”, an Amazon company since 2013[1][2] |
| How a book counts as read | Every 30 to 40 pages, an open-answer question about the passage you just read. Answer it right and the segment is validated | A book counts for a year when it has a “date read” in that year, set by the member; Kindle books can be shelved automatically[8][5] |
| Progress tracking | By validated segments, with a reading timer and your stats (books, pages, reading days) | Progress updates by page number or percentage, with an optional comment[6] |
| Goals and challenges | No numeric yearly goal in the app. Weekly streaks (one validation a week) with streak freezes, XP, levels and badges | Reading Challenge: annual goals, challenges and achievements[7] |
| Ratings and reviews | Quarter-star ratings and written reviews, once you have finished the book | Reviews; whole, half or quarter-star ratings in the app[3] |
| Shelves | To read, reading, finished and abandoned statuses. No custom lists | Want to Read, Currently Reading, Read and Did Not Finish shelves, plus custom lists[3] |
| Community | Follows, activity feed and likes, reading with a friend (Duo), a book chat open only to readers who finished it | More than 150 million members according to its App Store listing, groups and book clubs, giveaways[3][10][9] |
| Recommendations | No | Personalized recommendations[3] |
| E-reader | No integration | Kindle integration: automatic shelving, notes and highlights[5] |
| Ads | No ads in the app | The app contains ads[3][4] |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android apps | Website, iPhone and Android apps[7] |
| Price | Free to read and validate. Optional Premium: €6.99 a month or €39.99 a year (French App Store prices) | Free service[5][4] |
What it is
Vread: Reading tracker where progress is validated by questions about the passage you read
Goodreads: “The world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations”, an Amazon company since 2013[1][2]
How a book counts as read
Vread: Every 30 to 40 pages, an open-answer question about the passage you just read. Answer it right and the segment is validated
Goodreads: A book counts for a year when it has a “date read” in that year, set by the member; Kindle books can be shelved automatically[8][5]
Progress tracking
Vread: By validated segments, with a reading timer and your stats (books, pages, reading days)
Goodreads: Progress updates by page number or percentage, with an optional comment[6]
Goals and challenges
Vread: No numeric yearly goal in the app. Weekly streaks (one validation a week) with streak freezes, XP, levels and badges
Goodreads: Reading Challenge: annual goals, challenges and achievements[7]
Ratings and reviews
Vread: Quarter-star ratings and written reviews, once you have finished the book
Goodreads: Reviews; whole, half or quarter-star ratings in the app[3]
Shelves
Vread: To read, reading, finished and abandoned statuses. No custom lists
Goodreads: Want to Read, Currently Reading, Read and Did Not Finish shelves, plus custom lists[3]
Community
Vread: Follows, activity feed and likes, reading with a friend (Duo), a book chat open only to readers who finished it
Goodreads: More than 150 million members according to its App Store listing, groups and book clubs, giveaways[3][10][9]
Recommendations
Vread: No
Goodreads: Personalized recommendations[3]
E-reader
Vread: No integration
Goodreads: Kindle integration: automatic shelving, notes and highlights[5]
Ads
Vread: No ads in the app
Platforms
Vread: iPhone and Android apps
Goodreads: Website, iPhone and Android apps[7]
Price
Vread: Free to read and validate. Optional Premium: €6.99 a month or €39.99 a year (French App Store prices)
Goodreads: information from goodreads.com, its help center and its App Store (US) and Google Play listings, checked on October 10, 2026.
To be fair
What Goodreads does better than Vread
If one of these matters a lot to you, Goodreads is still the better choice.
The size of the community
More than 150 million members according to its App Store listing: for reviews of almost any book, no other app comes close.[3]
Catalog and recommendations
Goodreads lists far more books than the 8,500 books with questions in Vread, and it offers personalized recommendations.[3]
Kindle
If you read on Kindle, Goodreads can shelve your books automatically and count them toward your Reading Challenge.[5]
Yearly goal and custom lists
A numeric goal of books per year and custom lists: two features Vread does not have.[7][3]
What Vread does differently
In Vread, a book read is a book validated
On Goodreads, a book counts when you give it a date read. In Vread, it counts when its checkpoints are validated.
Read your book
On any medium: print, e-reader or audio. Vread does not show the text, it tracks your progress.
Answer one question
Every 30 to 40 pages, a question about the passage you read. Open answer, unlimited tries.
Your reading is validated
The segment counts toward your streak, XP and badges. A finished book is really finished.
Switch from Goodreads without starting over
Vread imports your Goodreads library export (CSV file): reading statuses, ratings and reviews. On goodreads.com, open My Books, then Import and export, download the file, then pick it in Vread’s settings under Import from Goodreads.
Only books that are in the Vread catalog are imported. You can also keep both: Goodreads for reviews, Vread for reading and validating.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my Goodreads library into Vread?
Does Vread have a Reading Challenge like Goodreads?
Is Vread free?
Does Vread have English books?
Is Vread affiliated with Goodreads or Amazon?
Method and sources
This comparison is written by Vread, which makes one of the two apps. We have an interest in it, which is why every statement about Goodreads links to an official source (website, help center, App Store and Google Play listings), checked on October 10, 2026.
Vread features are those of the app published on that date. Apps change quickly: if a line is no longer accurate, email tanguy@vread.fr and we will fix it.
- Goodreads, About us
- Amazon press release, “Amazon.com to Acquire Goodreads” (March 28, 2013)
- Goodreads, App Store listing (US)
- Goodreads, Google Play listing
- Goodreads, Kindle integration
- Goodreads Help: updating your reading progress
- Goodreads Help: What are Reading Challenges?
- Goodreads Help: Why are books missing from my Reading Challenge?
- Goodreads Giveaways
- Goodreads Groups
Goodreads and Kindle are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Vread is not affiliated with or endorsed by Goodreads.
Your next book, validated page by page.
Vread is free on iPhone and Android, and your Goodreads library imports from one file.
