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Publishing · head to head

Goodreads vs Reedsy

Goodreads logo

Goodreads

Publishing

Amazon-owned book cataloguing, review and recommendation app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Reedsy logo

Reedsy

Publishing

Vetted marketplace of publishing freelancers with free writing and formatting tools attached

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Goodreads being owned by Amazon since 2013, the platform is structurally oriented toward driving Kindle and Amazon purchases rather than existing as an independent literary community, even though it remains free to use.; Reedsy it is a marketplace, so the outcome depends entirely on the individual you hire, and Reedsy vets credentials rather than guaranteeing the quality of any specific engagement.
  • They diverge on capability: Goodreads covers Reading tracking and shelves, Reedsy covers Vetted marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Goodreads and Reedsy actually diverge.

Attributes where Goodreads and Reedsy differ
AttributeGoodreadsReedsy
Pricing modelFree, no subscription or in-app purchases; funded by Amazon as a commerce and data feederFree tools; freelancers quote per project
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Goodreads

  • Reading tracking and shelves
  • Reviews and ratings
  • Reading Challenge
  • Groups and discussions
  • Author profiles and Q&A
  • Kindle and Amazon purchase links

Only in Reedsy

  • Vetted marketplace
  • Quote and compare
  • Reedsy Studio
  • Typeset export
  • Reedsy Discovery
  • Free courses

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Goodreads

  • A reader wanting a personal log of books read with ratings and notes over timenot Reedsy
  • Someone checking aggregated reviews before buying or borrowing a booknot Reedsy
  • A book club coordinating discussion in a dedicated group spacenot Reedsy
  • A reader setting and tracking an annual reading goal through the Reading Challenge featurenot Reedsy

Reedsy

  • A first-time author who can afford professional editing but has no way to judge whether a freelancer has genuine publishing experiencenot Goodreads
  • A writer who wants a print-ready interior and EPUB without buying formatting software or learning typesettingnot Goodreads
  • An author needing a specialist such as a translator or a genre-specific cover designer that a general marketplace would burynot Goodreads
  • A small press wanting overflow editorial capacity from screened professionals without running its own recruitmentnot Goodreads

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Goodreads

  • Being owned by Amazon since 2013, the platform is structurally oriented toward driving Kindle and Amazon purchases rather than existing as an independent literary community, even though it remains free to use.
  • Interface and feature development have seen limited meaningful investment since the acquisition, and long-standing user complaints about outdated design and moderation tools have gone largely unaddressed for years.
  • Review and rating manipulation, including review bombing and coordinated fake reviews, has been a persistent, documented problem with limited effective moderation response.
  • The recommendation engine and reading data are used to inform Amazon retail and advertising systems, which is a real data use consideration for readers who value privacy around their reading habits.
  • There is no official API for third-party developers since Amazon deprecated the previous public API, which has limited independent tools and integrations that used to exist around the platform.

Reedsy

  • It is a marketplace, so the outcome depends entirely on the individual you hire, and Reedsy vets credentials rather than guaranteeing the quality of any specific engagement.
  • The terms require you to keep communication and payment on the platform, so a professional you want to work with repeatedly stays inside a system that takes a commission on every project.
  • Vetting narrows the pool and raises prices, so authors on a small budget will find the same categories of work available for far less on open marketplaces.
  • The free editor offers only a handful of interior templates with little typographic control, so anyone who wants a specific look still needs a designer or a page layout application.
  • There is no distribution, no ISBN and no sales channel, so Reedsy solves the production half of publishing and leaves the entire commercial half to you.

Pricing, plan by plan

Goodreads

Free
  • GoodreadsFree
    • Full cataloguing, review and group features at no cost
    • No ads sold directly within the reading experience beyond Amazon purchase links
    • No premium tier exists

Reedsy

Free
  • ReedsyFree
    • Manuscript editor, collaboration and typeset export at no cost
    • Freelance work quoted individually by each professional
    • Reedsy commission built into the quoted price

Which should you pick?

Choose Goodreads if

  • You need reading tracking and shelves.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want reviews and ratings.
Goodreads review

Choose Reedsy if

  • You need vetted marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want quote and compare.
Reedsy review

Questions people ask

Is Goodreads or Reedsy better?
Neither clearly leads. Goodreads starts at Free and Reedsy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Goodreads or Reedsy?
Goodreads starts at Free and Reedsy at Free.
Does Goodreads or Reedsy run on more platforms?
Goodreads runs on iOS, Android, Web. Reedsy runs on Web.
Can I use Goodreads for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Goodreads best used for?
Goodreads is most often used for a reader wanting a personal log of books read with ratings and notes over time, someone checking aggregated reviews before buying or borrowing a book, a book club coordinating discussion in a dedicated group space, a reader setting and tracking an annual reading goal through the reading challenge feature. Of those, a reader wanting a personal log of books read with ratings and notes over time and someone checking aggregated reviews before buying or borrowing a book are not what Reedsy is typically brought in for.
What can Goodreads do that Reedsy cannot?
Goodreads covers Reading tracking and shelves, Reviews and ratings, Reading Challenge, Groups and discussions. Reedsy covers Vetted marketplace, Quote and compare, Reedsy Studio, Typeset export.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Goodreads: Is Goodreads free?

Yes, there is no subscription or premium tier; all cataloguing, review and group features are free.

Reedsy: What does Reedsy charge me?

Nothing directly for the tools. The commission on freelance work is included in the quote you are given, so the price you see is the price you pay.

Goodreads: Who owns Goodreads?

Amazon, which acquired it in 2013.

Reedsy: Can I hire someone I found on Reedsy and pay them privately?

It is against the terms while the relationship originated on the platform, and you lose the payment protection and dispute process. Professionals risk removal from the marketplace for agreeing to it.

Goodreads: Does Goodreads have an API for developers?

Amazon deprecated the previous public Goodreads API, so third-party tool development is now much more limited than it once was.

Reedsy: Is the free formatting tool good enough to publish with?

For standard prose fiction and most non-fiction, yes. For anything with complex layout, images, tables or a distinctive typographic identity, it is not.

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