What I Already Own vs Babelio: which app to catalog your books?
Babelio is the large community of French-speaking readers: reviews, quotes, challenges, and a library where you sort your books as “read”, “to read” or “owned”. What I Already Own is a paid collection inventory for books and records: the exact edition, missing volumes, export at any time.
Facts current as of September 29, 2026, taken from the publishers’ official pages, numbered and dated at the bottom of the page.
Scanning is free. At your first add: 7-day trial at €0, card required, then €3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, cancel anytime. Your collection stays exportable.
In short
Stay with Babelio if what matters to you is reviews, lists, challenges and your reading journal: it’s all free. Use What I Already Own for the inventory of your shelves: every copy with its edition, condition and price, what your series are missing, a scan that answers without a signal, your records alongside your books, and self-service export.
Side by side
| Criterion | What I Already Own | Babelio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | What I Already Own€3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, tax included, after a 7-day trial. Books and records included. | BabelioFree: signing up costs nothing. 1 2 |
| Platforms | What I Already OwnAn app that installs on iPhone and Android from the browser, without the App Store or Google Play. On a computer, in the browser. | BabelioWebsite, iOS and Android apps. 3 2 4 |
| Barcode scanning | What I Already OwnWith the camera; when one barcode covers several editions, you pick yours. No barcode? Search by title. | BabelioBarcode in the app; on the website, adding by a list of ISBNs. 3 2 |
| Organizing | What I Already OwnShelves arranged your way; condition, price paid and purchase date for every copy. | Babelio“Read”, “to read”, “currently reading”, “owned”, “reminder” and “abandoned” statuses; tags and shelves; books borrowed and books to swap. 3 |
| Community | What I Already OwnNo. A private share link, with your wishlist if you like. | BabelioMore than a million members and two million reviews. 2 |
| Market value | What I Already OwnNo market value shown at this time. You can record the price paid and the selling price. | BabelioNo market value mentioned. 2 3 |
| Offline | What I Already OwnThe app knows without a signal whether you already own a book; scans made offline are processed once you’re back online. | BabelioNo offline mode mentioned in the app descriptions. 2 4 |
| Import | What I Already OwnExports from Discogs, CLZ and Libib, and any spreadsheet with a title and an ISBN or barcode. | BabelioOn the website: a text, Excel (not .xls), CSV, XML or HTML file containing ISBNs, a Goodreads file, or a list of ISBNs. 3 1 |
| Export | What I Already OwnCSV file and PDF inventory, from the settings, even without a subscription. | BabelioNo export mentioned in the website’s help pages. 1 |
| Privacy | What I Already OwnPrivate collection; shared only through a link you create. | BabelioLibrary visible to other members, unless you tick “private library” in your profile. 1 |
What Babelio does better
- It’s free. All of Babelio is free. 1
- The community. More than a million members and millions of reviews in French to help you choose your next read. 2
- Import. Any file containing ISBNs, wherever it comes from, including the Goodreads export. 3
- The reading journal. Reading dates, statistics, yearly challenges and a reading timer. 3
How What I Already Own is different
- Your records too. Vinyl, CDs and cassettes, in the same collection as your books.
- The exact edition, found by its barcode; when a barcode covers several, you pick yours.
- What your series are missing. For every series and every author you’ve started, the app lists the volumes and books you don’t have yet.
- An answer without a signal. In a used bookstore or at a flea market, the scan tells you whether the book is already on your shelf, even with no connection.
- Your data is yours. Self-service CSV export and PDF inventory, even without a subscription.
Scanning is free. At your first add: 7-day trial at €0, card required, then €3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, cancel anytime. Your collection stays exportable.
Frequently asked questions
- Babelio is free. Why pay for What I Already Own?
- For the inventory, which is not what Babelio is built for: every copy with its edition, condition and price, the volumes your series are missing, a scan that answers without a signal, your records in the same collection and self-service export. For reviews and reading, Babelio remains an excellent choice.
- What is the difference between Babelio and What I Already Own?
- Babelio is a network of readers, where you sort and review what you read. What I Already Own is the inventory of what you own, books and records, with no social network.
- Can I switch from Babelio to What I Already Own?
- Babelio’s help pages do not mention a library export. The simplest way is to scan your books: a scan takes a few seconds, and you pick the exact edition as you go. What I Already Own also imports any spreadsheet with a title and an ISBN.
- Can I export my library from What I Already Own?
- Yes, at any time, even without a subscription: a CSV file with the condition, price and shelf of every copy, plus an inventory you can print or save as a PDF.
- Can I use both?
- Yes: Babelio for your reviews and reading journal, What I Already Own for the inventory of your shelves, books and records.
The catalog, no account needed
The lists What I Already Own keeps up to date for you: discographies, bibliographies and reading orders.
Sources
The publishers’ official pages, with the date we checked each one. Prices and plans change: confirm them with the publisher before you subscribe.
- 1Babelio, aidehttps://www.babelio.com/aide.phpChecked on September 29, 2026.
- 2Babelio, ma bibliothèque, App Storehttps://apps.apple.com/fr/app/babelio-ma-biblioth%C3%A8que/id1449315145Checked on September 29, 2026.
- 3Babelio, Comment gérer sa bibliothèque avec l'appli et le sitehttps://www.babelio.com/article/2430/Quelle-application-pour-gerer-sa-bibliotheque-Checked on September 29, 2026.
- 4Babelio, ma bibliothèque, Google Playhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.babelio.babelioChecked on September 29, 2026.
This page is published by What I Already Own, one of the apps compared. We review it every three months. Spotted an error or a fact that has changed? Write to us at [email protected].