What is the difference between Goodreads and What I Already Own?

Goodreads tracks what you read: shelves, ratings, reviews, recommendations. What I Already Own catalogs what you own: every copy, its edition, its condition, what your series are missing. A book borrowed from the library belongs on Goodreads, not in your inventory.

Yes, and it’s the simplest setup: Goodreads for your reading, What I Already Own for your shelves.

Does Goodreads know which books I own?

Partly: an “I own a copy of this book” checkbox is ticked book by book, on the website. According to Goodreads help, the list of owned books is only shown on a computer, and this status is not included in the export.

Can I import my Goodreads library?

Yes: export it as CSV from the Goodreads website, then drop the file into What I Already Own (Settings, Import a collection); each book is found by its ISBN. The export also includes books you’ve read or want to read: first keep, in a spreadsheet, only the rows for the books you own.

Goodreads is free. Why pay for What I Already Own?

For what Goodreads doesn’t do: an inventory of your copies with their edition, condition and price, the volumes your series are missing, a scan that answers without a signal, and your records in the same collection. For your reading, Goodreads remains an excellent choice.

What I Already Own

What I Already Own vs Goodreads: track your reading or catalog your books?

Goodreads is built for what you read: Read and Want to Read shelves, reviews, recommendations. What I Already Own is built for what you own: every copy, in its edition, so you never buy the same book twice. The two complement each other.

Facts current as of September 29, 2026, taken from the publishers’ official pages, numbered and dated at the bottom of the page.

Try it free

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

Keep Goodreads to track your reading, rate books and find your next one: it’s free and the community is huge. Use What I Already Own for an inventory of what’s on your shelves: the exact edition, condition and price of every copy, the volumes you’re missing, and a scan that tells you in a bookstore whether the book is already at home. Your records too.

Side by side

What I Already Own and Goodreads, criterion by criterion
Criterion	What I Already Own	Goodreads
Price	What I Already Own€3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, tax included, after a 7-day trial.	GoodreadsFree. The Android app shows ads.^{1 2}
Built for	What I Already OwnAn inventory of what you own: copies, editions, condition, price paid, shelves.	GoodreadsTracking your reading: Read, Currently Reading and Want to Read shelves, ratings, reviews, Reading Challenge, recommendations.^{1 2}
Books you own	What I Already OwnIt’s the heart of the app: everything you scan is a copy on your shelf.	GoodreadsAn “I own a copy of this book” checkbox, ticked book by book on the website; the list of owned books is only shown on a computer.³
Barcode scanning	What I Already OwnWith the camera; the app finds the edition by its ISBN and tells you right away whether the book is already on your shelf.	GoodreadsBarcode and cover scanner in the apps, to add the book to your Want to Read shelf and read reviews.^{1 2}
What you can catalog	What I Already OwnBooks and records (vinyl, CDs, cassettes).	GoodreadsBooks.²
Market value	What I Already OwnNo market value shown at this time. You can record the price paid and the selling price.	GoodreadsNo market value mentioned.^{1 2}
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.	GoodreadsNo offline mode mentioned in the app descriptions.^{1 2}
Export	What I Already OwnCSV file with the condition, price and shelf of every copy, plus an inventory you can print or save as a PDF.	GoodreadsCSV, on a computer only. The “owned” status is not in the file.^{4 3}
Import	What I Already OwnExports from Discogs, CLZ and Libib, and any spreadsheet with a title and an ISBN or barcode, including the Goodreads export.	GoodreadsCSV, TXT or XLS files that include an ISBN, on a computer; Amazon book purchases in the US, Canada, India and Australia.⁴
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.	GoodreadsWebsite, iOS and Android apps.^{1 2}
Languages	What I Already OwnEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.	GoodreadsiOS app in English.¹

What Goodreads does better

It’s free. Goodreads costs nothing.¹
The community. More than 75 million members, who have added more than 2.2 billion books to their shelves: reviews of almost everything.²
Reading tracking. Shelves, ratings, reviews, Reading Challenge and personalized recommendations: things What I Already Own does not do.¹
Amazon purchases. In the US, Canada, India and Australia, books bought on Amazon land on your shelves automatically.⁴

How What I Already Own is different

Every copy. Condition, price paid, purchase date, the shelf where it sits; two editions of the same book stay two separate items.
The exact edition, found by its ISBN: paperback, hardcover and translation never get mixed up.
No more duplicates. In a bookstore or at a flea market, the scan tells you whether the book is already on your shelf, even without a signal.
All your data. The CSV export includes everything you own, with the condition and price of every copy.
Your records too. Vinyl, CDs and cassettes, in the same collection as your books.

Try it free

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

What is the difference between Goodreads and What I Already Own?: Goodreads tracks what you read: shelves, ratings, reviews, recommendations. What I Already Own catalogs what you own: every copy, its edition, its condition, what your series are missing. A book borrowed from the library belongs on Goodreads, not in your inventory.
Can I use both?: Yes, and it’s the simplest setup: Goodreads for your reading, What I Already Own for your shelves.
Does Goodreads know which books I own?: Partly: an “I own a copy of this book” checkbox is ticked book by book, on the website. According to Goodreads help, the list of owned books is only shown on a computer, and this status is not included in the export.
Can I import my Goodreads library?: Yes: export it as CSV from the Goodreads website, then drop the file into What I Already Own (Settings, Import a collection); each book is found by its ISBN. The export also includes books you’ve read or want to read: first keep, in a spreadsheet, only the rows for the books you own.
Goodreads is free. Why pay for What I Already Own?: For what Goodreads doesn’t do: an inventory of your copies with their edition, condition and price, the volumes your series are missing, a scan that answers without a signal, and your records in the same collection. For your reading, Goodreads remains an excellent choice.

The catalog, no account needed

The lists What I Already Own keeps up to date for you: discographies, bibliographies and reading orders.

Book series in reading order

March Trilogy Leatherstocking Tales Discworld Harry Potter Asterix Miss Marple In Death One Piece

Bibliographies

William Shakespeare Arthur Conan Doyle Charles Dickens Mark Twain H. G. Wells Jack London Jules Verne Jane Austen

Sources

The publishers’ official pages, with the date we checked each one. Prices and plans change: confirm them with the publisher before you subscribe.

1Goodreads, App Storehttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/goodreads-book-tracker-more/id355833469Checked on September 29, 2026.
2Goodreads, Google Playhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodreadsChecked on September 29, 2026.
3Goodreads Help, Track owned bookshttps://help.goodreads.com/s/article/000001436Checked on September 29, 2026.
4Goodreads Help, Import or export your bookshttps://help.goodreads.com/s/article/000001100Checked 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].