Libby is the best way to borrow library books. bookshelves.me is the best way to track everything you read. They're not competitors — they're companions.
Most readers use multiple sources: Libby for library borrows, Kindle for purchases, Audible for audiobooks, and physical books from the shelf. Libby is excellent at what it does — borrowing library ebooks and audiobooks. But it doesn't track your full reading life. That's where bookshelves.me comes in.
Your reading is split across Libby, Kindle, Audible, physical books, and more. No single place shows the full picture.
Libby tracks borrows, not your reading history. You can't see yearly stats, reading streaks, or progress across all formats.
Libby is a solo experience. There's no way to share what you're reading, join book clubs, or discuss with friends.
Libby is one of the best apps ever made for readers. We genuinely love it and use it ourselves.
Borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free with your library card. Libby connects to thousands of public libraries worldwide. It's genuinely one of the best things about having a library card.
The in-app reader is clean, customizable, and a joy to use. Adjustable fonts, themes, and bookmarks make reading on your phone or tablet feel natural.
Libby's built-in audiobook player has sleep timers, playback speed controls, and bookmarks. A full-featured player for free library audiobooks.
Libby's iOS and Android apps are beautifully designed with a playful UI that makes browsing your library feel delightful. OverDrive got this right.
Borrow on Libby. Track on bookshelves.me. Here's what you gain by using both together.
Track Libby borrows alongside Kindle purchases, Audible listens, physical books, and indie ebooks. Your complete reading history in one place, regardless of where you got the book.
See how many books you've read this year, track reading goals, view stats by genre, format, and month. The analytics layer Libby doesn't provide.
Write notes, reviews, and reflections on every book. Tag them, organize by shelf, and build a personal reading journal that grows with you over the years.
Share what you're reading, join book clubs with real-time presence, follow friends, and discover books through people you trust. The social layer Libby doesn't have.
Different tools for different jobs. See how they complement each other.
| Feature | Libby | bookshelves.me |
|---|---|---|
| Borrowing | ||
| Borrow library ebooks | ||
| Borrow library audiobooks | ||
| Library card integration | ||
| Built-in ebook reader | ||
| Hold & waitlist management | ||
| Tracking | ||
| Track all reading sources | ||
| Reading journal & notes | ||
| Reading stats & analytics | ||
| Custom shelves & collections | ||
| Reading challenges & goals | ||
| Kanban reading board | ||
| CSV/bulk import | ||
| Social | ||
| Book clubs | ||
| Real-time presence | ||
| Social following & feed | ||
| Workspace collaboration | ||
| Discovery | ||
| Book recommendations | ||
| Author profiles | ||
| General | ||
| Free to use | ||
| Mobile app | ||
= partial or limited. Last updated March 2026.
Not exactly. Libby is a library borrowing app — it lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free from your public library. bookshelves.me is a reading tracker and social platform. They solve different problems and work great together. Think of Libby as where you get your books, and bookshelves.me as where you track and discuss them.
Libby doesn't offer a direct export of reading history, but you can manually add books you've borrowed to bookshelves.me. Our search covers millions of titles, so finding your Libby reads is quick. You can also use our CSV import tool if you maintain a reading list elsewhere.
No. bookshelves.me is not a lending service. For borrowing library ebooks and audiobooks, Libby is the way to go. bookshelves.me focuses on tracking, organizing, and sharing your reading life across all sources.
bookshelves.me has a generous free tier for personal use. You can track books, create shelves, and join book clubs at no cost. Premium features like team workspaces and advanced analytics are available on paid plans. See our pricing page for details.
You can, but Goodreads hasn't been meaningfully updated in years. bookshelves.me offers a modern interface, real-time book clubs, workspace collaboration, kanban reading boards, and reading analytics that Goodreads doesn't have. Check our Goodreads comparison for the full breakdown.
Yes. You can track audiobooks from any source — Libby, Audible, Spotify, or anywhere else. Log listening progress, rate audiobooks, and include them in your reading stats alongside ebooks and physical books.
Your reading life is bigger than one app. Track everything you read — library borrows, purchases, and physical books — in one beautiful place.
No credit card required