Shelfola is a book tracker and reading community built around trust: spoiler-safe reviews and buddy reads, ratings you can actually believe, and a feed in plain time order.
Everything we heard readers ask for after years of cluttered, ad-driven book sites.
No sponsored posts, no “recommended for you” placements you can’t tell apart from real ones. You’re the reader, not the product.
Every tab is newest first, and Following shows only the readers you follow. No engagement algorithm deciding what you see. Private profiles approve every follower.
Reviewers tag spoilers by chapter. Anything past your current chapter stays hidden until you get there.
Quarter stars. Finished readers count fully, brand-new accounts and pre-release ratings don’t count at all, and we show you exactly how the score was built.
Drop in your Goodreads, StoryGraph or Hardcover export, or any spreadsheet (the route for Fable), and keep your shelves, ratings, reviews and read dates.
Every message is locked to a page until you’ve read that far, and club checkpoints open each section as members reach it. Nobody gets spoiled.
Shipped recently, alongside everything you’d expect from a book tracker.
Guess the day’s book in six tries. Each miss reveals a clue: genre, year, pages, the author’s initials, a blurred cover, then a line from the story. Keep a streak and share your grid.
Play today’s puzzleEvery message is stamped with a page and stays locked until you’ve logged that far. Start one from any book or inside a club, where checkpoints open each section.
Browse clubsCharts, streaks, your taste and this year against last. Only you can see them unless you choose to show them on your profile.
Every edition and translation sits under one book. Switch to the one in your hands and your progress carries over.
A Following tab with only the readers you follow, everything newest first, no engagement ranking. Tag @people and #books in posts, and mute anyone.
Email is bundled, held overnight in quiet hours and capped at 3 non-essential emails a day by default. Or keep everything in the bell.
Authors claim their page, get a verified badge, keep their bio and links current and host Q&A clubs with readers.
Set a yearly goal, join or create reading challenges, and look back with a Year in Books recap.
See challengesUpload a photo or keep your initials. Private profiles approve every follower, and your library starts private.
How we compare with the apps readers usually come from. We checked each one’s own help pages and changelogs, and where we couldn’t confirm something we say so.
| Feature | Shelfola | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Hardcover | Fable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No adsNo display ads or sponsored books | Yes: Never | No: Shows ads | Yes: Funded by Plus | Yes: Funded by supporters | Partly: Ads unless you pay for Plus |
| Quarter-star ratingsRate 3¾, not just 3 or 4 | Yes | No: Whole stars only | Yes | Partly: Half stars | Yes |
| DNF trackingA real Did Not Finish shelf | Yes: With how far you got | Yes: Added in 2026 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Moods & paceFind a book by how it feels | Yes: Moods, pace, content warnings | No | Yes | Partly: Moods | Partly: Mood-based picks |
| Easy importBring your library from another app | Yes: Goodreads, StoryGraph, Hardcover; Fable via a spreadsheet. Preview and undo | Partly: CSV upload | Yes: From Goodreads | Yes: Goodreads, StoryGraph, CSV | Yes: From Goodreads |
| Review-bomb protectionPile-on ratings don’t move the score | Yes: New accounts and pre-release ratings don’t count | Partly: Checks on pre-release ratings | Couldn’t confirm | Couldn’t confirm | Couldn’t confirm |
| Series & reading orderEvery series, in order | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly: Limited |
| Spoiler-safe buddy readsRead together without spoiling each other | Yes: Page-locked chat, on its own or inside a club | Partly: Groups and discussion boards | Yes: Comments locked by page | Couldn’t confirm: Book clubs in testing (roadmap) | Yes: Chapter discussion rooms |
| Editions & translationsOne book, every edition and language | Yes: Switch editions, progress carries over | Yes | Yes: Switch edition keeps your data | Yes | Couldn’t confirm |
| Lists & tagsYour own shelves, tags and public lists | Yes | Yes: Shelves and Listopia | Yes: Tags and lists | Yes | Partly: Lists |
| Year in books & challengesGoals, challenges and a yearly recap | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes: Goals and yearly Wrapped | Yes: Goals and monthly wrap |
| Verified author pagesAuthors claim their page and talk to readers | Yes: Verified badge and Q&A clubs | Yes: Author Program and Ask the Author | Couldn’t confirm | Couldn’t confirm | Couldn’t confirm |
| App, offline & barcode scanOn your home screen, scan a book in a shop | Yes: Installs from the browser, works offline, scans ISBNs | Yes: Native apps with scanner | Yes: Native apps with scanner | Yes: Native apps with scanner | Partly: Native apps; scanner not documented |
| Community catalogue editingReaders fix book data, with history | Yes: Any reader can suggest a fix | Partly: Volunteer librarians | Partly: Report to librarians | Partly: Librarians, a supporter perk | Couldn’t confirm |
YesPartlyCouldn’t confirm either wayNoChecked October 2026 against each app’s help pages, app-store listings, roadmaps and changelogs.
Shelves, ratings, reviews and read dates from Goodreads, StoryGraph, Hardcover or any spreadsheet (the route for Fable, which has no export). Preview every match, undo in one tap.
Every book page shows how its score was built: how many ratings counted, how many came from people who actually finished the book, and what we left out and why.
Export your library from Goodreads, StoryGraph or Hardcover (or list your Fable books in a spreadsheet), drop the file in, and Shelfola matches each book against our catalogue. Fix any misses with one tap, and undo the whole import if you change your mind.
Honest guides for switching apps, moving your library and reading together.
Free to join. You choose what to share. No ads.
Track, rate and talk books, honestly.
