10 Reading Trackers For All Types Of Readers
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Reading trackers are a great way to take note of the books you’ve read, want to read, books you’ve bought and books you have to review (if you’re a book influencer)
If you have you been all over the place with your reading, especially when life gets in the way, have a reading tracker can be super helpful to keep your reading organized.
I use multiple tools to track my reading and thought it would be helpful to share about it in this guide.
This reading guide explains – what reading trackers are, if reading tracking is for you and 10 types of reading tracking tools for you to choose from.
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What Is A Reading Tracker?
A reading tracker is a tool to keep track of your reading progress, reading goals and books you’ve owned.
A reading tracker can be in physical or digital format.
Reading trackers can be customised to the reader’s liking and therefore keep track of different elements of reading (speed, number of books read, most read genre, etc)
Should You Track Your Reading?
If you’re someone who likes setting reading goals, then tracking your reading will make it easier for you to see how far or near you are from your goal.
No matter what your reading goal is, it is most likely to be achieved if you have some sort of way to measure it.
The most common reason to track your reading is to actually track the number of books you’re reading monthly to achieve your yearly reading goal.
Some people read leisurely and don’t put much thought into any type of reading tracking, that is okay too!
Reasons to track your reading:
Reasons Why Tracking Your Reading Is Not For You
How do you know if using a reading tracker is something that will benefit you?
Tracking your reading is not for you if:
- You get too caught up with reading goals/progress (this might not be a good idea for your mental health, you might start to be unkind to yourself when you cannot meet your monthly reading goals, etc)
- You don’t take reading seriously (it is okay to read for fun and not care about tracking your reading)
- You’re not a book influencer (technically, if you don’t want to do it for yourself or others, there’s no point tracking your reading)
- You’re a mood reader.
Tips To Pick The Best Reading Tracker Tool For You
Reading tracking is something very personal. What works for you, might not work for another.
Here are a few tips to pick the best reading tracker for your reading journey:
- Decide whether it is going to be a digital or physical reading tracker.
- Decide what exactly you want to track about your reading (number of books, quotes, thoughts for self-reflection, books you own, book formats – physical, e-book, audiobook)
- Decide how simple or complicated (in-detailed) you want it to be.
10 Reading Trackers For All Types Of Readers
Here are 10 different ways to start tracking your reading habits:
1. Reading Tracker Apps
Tracking your reading through an app is probably the most common way.
This is because apps (especially free reading tracker apps) are accessible for people of all demographics.
All you have to do is have a digital device like a phone, laptop or ipad and you can start tracking your reads.
Goodreads
One of the best book tracking app almost every reader has heard of is, Goodreads!
It is a reading app that not only helps you track your current reads but you also get to rate the books you’ve read and leave a review.
Every year, Goodreads has a reading challenge where many readers all over the world participate. You just need to set a yearly reading goal for yourself and mark the books you’ve read as “read”.
Goodreads is a popular free reading tracking app. If you’re on your laptop, you can also check out their site.
Besides, you can also add friends, like their book reviews, create customizable bookshelves and follow your favourite authors.
The StoryGraph
The StoryGraph is an app that I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz on lately, especially in the bookish community.
It is a relatively new app, some say its user interface is more modern and stylish compared to Goodreads.
Some say that this app gives great book recommendations tailored to the reader’s reading choices.
The app also gives you more ways to measure your reading preferences (pie charts and graphs)
Bazmo
Bazmo is another reading app that gives us more reading stats. There’s a free version of the app and a premium version that costs $9.99 a month.
The free version limits your reading sessions a day, so you might want to get the pro version if you’re interested in this app.
Read the pros and cons list of Bazmo here.
2. Reading Tracker Printables
I know how difficult it is to keep track of your reading, especially if you’re a busy adult or student.
This is why I decided to gift my subscribers a FREE yearly reading journal! It is undated, simple to use and will not distract you from your reading goals.
Reading tracker printables are great for readers who prefer one or the other – physical or digital journaling.
Most reading tracker printables are reading journals, planners, charts and logs.
For some book journal templates, you’ll receive a digital copy when you purchase and therefore do not need to print anything.
You can add these digital files to note taking apps like goodnotes and then doodle plus write using your ipad or any tablet!
Here are some other free printable reading trackers/journals:
Some best-selling printable options:
- Digital Reading Planner
- Kids Reading Log
- Aesthetic Printable Reading Journal
- Best Selling Book Journal Planner
Read More: 12 Reading Journal Templates (Free PDF)
3. Reading Journal
A reading journal in my opinion is a notebook you carry around with you to brain dump thoughts/quotes from the book you’re reading so you can reflect on it later.
One of my favourite bookstagrammers keeps a reading journal. You can get a glimpse of it from her bookstagram posts.
4. Reading Tracker Bullet Journal
You might be wondering – what’s the difference between a reading journal and a bullet journal?
A reading journal can be more wordy, whereas a bullet journal is more creative and is lush with illustrations.
For bullet journaling, it is recommended that you use a dotted notebook that is able to open flat so it’s easier to illustrate and create bullet journal spreads.
Feel free to use pens, markers and highlighters to add colour to your reading bullet journal.
The only negative about keeping a reading bullet journal is that it can get time consuming to upkeep, especially if you’re planning to do daily and weekly spreads.
Here are a few reading tracker bullet journal spreads to inspire you!
5. Reading Tracker Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are one of the most organised ways to track your reading – this is because the sheet can be endless and filtered for easy reference.
Also with excel formulas, it is way easier to count how many pages you’ve read, how many books you’ve read, etc.
Besides just keeping track of books you’ve read, a reading stats tracker can help you keep track of all the books you own.
Especially if you have a large amount of books or you’re moving houses and need to keep track of where your books are.
Some bestseller reading tracker spreadsheets that are worth the hype:
Read More: 9 Free Reading Tracker Spreadsheets (2024)
6. Instagram Story Reading Tracker Template
This one is specifically for all you bookstagrammers out there. Even if you don’t have a bookstagram but have a personal instagram account, you can always use this method to track your reading.
I would recommend to save them on your Instagram highlights as a reading goal tracker for you to do monthly and yearly reflection.
If you want bookstagram story templates to track your reading and fit your reading aesthetic, there’s a whole lot of options on Etsy.
Here are some different aesthetics:
Read More: 40+ FREE Bookstagram Templates That Are Aesthetic (2024)
7. Note Taking Apps
Obviously, the notes app in your phone is not a reading tracker app, but it is still a quick and easy way to jot down your thoughts when reading.
It is not efficient for me to keep a reading journal or bullet journal (physical journals aren’t effective for me as I’m always working from different cafes – I am a freelance writer).
This is why I prefer the notes app or anything similar (like goodnotes).
If you want a more complex note taking app that allows you to organise your reading tracking, book lists and reviews – checkout Notion.
Here’s a great video teaching you how to use Notion for your reading.
I always have it on my phone or laptop and I can quickly braindump my thoughts or ideas for my next book blog post.
8. Starting A Book Blog
A unique book reading tracker idea would be to start your own book blog! Starting a book review blog is one of the best ways to track your reading.
Not only have I become better at keeping track of what I read and how I feel about it, but I’ve become more consistent in reading.
My blog makes me want to read and write more, it makes me happy.
Besides being a way to reflect on my thoughts and reading habits, I’ve also been a helpful resource to 30,000+ like-minded readers on the internet!
Some reasons why book blogging is the best way to track your reading:
- It’s super cheap to start a blog! Owning a domain and hosting allows you to own your content.
- You can write limitless content, structure your blog however you want for you to easily access your book reviews and other book content.
- You get free books by working with publishers, authors and book distributors.
Wanting to start a blog? Bluehost is having a sale! (just $2.95 a month for a new blog!) This helps you start blogging at minimal cost! Perfect for beginners.
9. Library Card Bookmark
Such a simple and smart way to track your reading in a year. It’s a smart idea because it’ll always be in the book you’re currently reading!
So you won’t forget to track the books you read and you can reflect on the books you’ve read so far this year at any given time!
It’s also an aesthetic way to keep track of the titles you’ve read this year.
Some come in vibrant colours while some are more neutral and aesthetic. The pastel one’s are pretty popular too.
You can also get a digital copy and print them out yourself!
10. Combination Of The Above Reading Trackers
Who says you need to stick to one type of reading tracker? To be honest, having 2-3 in the mix might be the best option.
For example, having the library card bookmark tells you at all times what you’ve read so far in the year, plus having a book blog to document your reading journey might be a fulfilling way of tracking.
In the meantime, brain dumping your thoughts into a reading journal or notes app can also be helpful before you draft out a blog post.
Mix and match a few types of reading trackers to get what works best for you!
FAQ: Reading Trackers
How To Track Your Reading Progress?
To track your reading progress, decide on how you would like to track your reading. Some popular reading tracking options are; keeping a book journal, using a reading tracker spreadsheet and downloading a book tracking app.
What Is The Best App For Tracking Reading?
The best app, used worldwide by many readers, is Goodreads. However, a relatively new reading tracking app The Storygraph is a modern version of Goodreads and is also preferred by many readers.
How Can I Keep Track Of My Books?
To keep track of the books you own, an inventory list in the form of a spreadsheet is probably the best way to do it.
Is There A Good Alternative To Goodreads?
The Storygraph is a widely used alternative to Goodreads among readers. It’s one of the best book tracking apps because readers can obtain data and charts on their reading habits such as reading format, authors read, genres and more.
Wrap Up: Best Reading Trackers, Apps, Journals and More!
I hope that this blog post on reading trackers has helped you find something that works for you.
This is just a guideline on what are reading trackers and which ones are the most common ones among the bookish community.
Feel free to stick to one tracker, mix and match a few or use none! It’s your reading journey, customise it for you!
