Lumi vs Goodreads
Goodreads is where most readers start: a huge catalog, millions of reviews and the yearly Reading Challenge. Lumi is the opposite kind of app — a private, calm reading journal for iPhone with no account and no feed. Here's how they compare.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Lumi | Goodreads |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Social feed & friends | ✕ | ✓ |
| Community reviews | ✕ | ✓ |
| Ads | None | Yes |
| Reading session timer | ✓ | ✕ |
| Home & Lock Screen widgets | ✓ | ✕ |
| Live Activities | ✓ | ✕ |
| Save quotes with page numbers | ✓ | Highlights via Kindle |
| Audiobook progress in hours & minutes | ✓ | ✕ |
| Did Not Finish shelf | ✓ | Custom shelf |
| Reading stats & insights | ✓ | Basic |
| Import from Goodreads CSV | ✓ | — |
| Platforms | iPhone | Web, iOS, Android |
Compared October 2026 using each app's public listing. “—” means we couldn't confirm it. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we'll fix it.
Where Goodreads shines
- The largest book catalog and review community anywhere.
- Friends, groups, giveaways and the Reading Challenge.
- Available on the web and Android.
Where Lumi shines
- No account and no public profile — your reading is your business.
- A modern, native iPhone app with widgets and Live Activities.
- A built-in reading timer and real audiobook tracking.
- Quotes saved right next to the book, with page numbers.
- No ads, no feed, no algorithm.
Which should you choose?
Choose Goodreads if: You love reading reviews, following friends and joining big community challenges.
Choose Lumi if: You want a beautiful, private log of what you read that lives on your iPhone — and you can still import your whole Goodreads history.
More comparisons
Try Lumi as your Goodreads alternative
Lumi is free to start, and waiting on the first page.
Free · iPhone · iOS 17+