Voluta vs Goodreads
Goodreads has been the default book tracker for two decades and is owned by Amazon. Voluta is an independent tracker that does the book part the same way, and puts films, TV and games on the same lists if you want them there. If you only ever track books, nothing about it nags you.
| Feature | Goodreads | Voluta |
|---|---|---|
| Books | Yes | Yes |
| Reviews on a given book | Almost always some, from a very large membership | Far fewer, and that is the honest trade |
| Films, TV and games | No | Yes, on the same lists, or not at all |
| Ratings | Whole stars | Quarter stars |
| Book clubs | Groups, largely unmaintained | Clubs with nomination, voting and chapter-gated threads |
| Buddy reads | No | Yes |
| Spoiler control | A checkbox on a review | Discussion gated by where you are in the book |
| Analytics | Yearly stats, books only | Per medium, free. Cross-media on Premium |
| Yearly goal | Reading challenge, books only | Several a year, counted in titles, hours or pages, on any medium |
| Year in review | Yearly stats | Rewind, monthly and yearly, across all media |
| Import | Export as CSV | Imports that CSV, plus StoryGraph, Letterboxd, TV Time, Kindle, Trakt and Steam. All free |
| Owner | Amazon | Independent (Norley Studios) |
The part that is the same
Statuses, start and finish dates, ratings, reviews, lists and a yearly goal. If you are leaving Goodreads you are not giving any of that up. Your Goodreads CSV export imports directly, with ratings and read dates intact.
Re-reads are kept as separate entries with their own dates and their own rating, so reading something again adds to your history instead of overwriting what you thought the first time.
One library
The part that is different
Films, TV and games are not a separate app. A single list can hold a novel, a film, a season and a game together, so "things to get through this winter" is one list rather than four.
- Clubs and buddy reads are built in rather than left to a forum. Discussion is gated by where you are in the book, so a thread about chapter twenty is not visible to someone on chapter three.
- Rewind compiles everything you finished into something shareable, monthly as well as yearly, and counts all media rather than only books.
What it costs
Tracking books, films, TV and games is free, along with lists, search, clubs, buddy reads, imports and the annual Rewind. Premium is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year and adds deeper analytics, the monthly Rewind, custom themes and supporter perks.
Questions
- Can I import my Goodreads library into Voluta?
- Yes. Export your library as a CSV from Goodreads, then upload it during onboarding or any time from settings. Ratings and read dates come with it.
- Is Voluta free?
- Tracking, lists, search, clubs, buddy reads, imports and the annual Rewind are free. Premium is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
- Does Voluta track anything other than books?
- Films, TV and games, on the same lists and in the same Rewind. Or nothing but books, if that is what you want. The other three are there when you want them, not a thing you have to use.
Books, films, TV and games. One library.
Free to track all your media. Import what you already have.
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