Why pick BookLoom over StoryGraph Buddy Reads
The StoryGraph is the most thoughtfully designed personal reading tracker on the market — moods, pace, charts, recommendations that aren't trying to sell you anything. Buddy Reads is the closest StoryGraph gets to a club: pick a book, read it with a friend or two, optionally line up your progress. It's lovely, but it's not a club. There's no ranked vote on the next read, no meeting, no RSVP, no per-member rating display, no recurring history. BookLoom takes the same privacy-respecting stance and builds the rest of the club loop around it.
- Full club model, not a buddy read. Many members, many books over many meetings, with proposal pool, vote, schedule, RSVPs, ratings, and a club history.
- Ranked-choice voting on the next book. One ballot per member, up to three ranked picks, ties shown clearly.
- Meetings with RSVPs and agendas. Date, host, optional video link, agenda field, reminder offsets, per-member "bringing" notes.
- Per-member ratings, side by side. Group sentiment as a structured display, not "your friend rated this 4 stars".
- Native iPhone, iPad & Mac. SwiftUI on every Apple platform — same UX density everywhere.
- iCloud invites, no account. Members join via iCloud share link; no email/password to remember.
What "full club" actually means
BookLoom is built around the recurring cycle: pick a book, read it, meet, rate, archive, repeat. Each step is a real screen, not a buddy-read overlay:
- Proposal pool. Anyone in the club submits books with ISBN lookup; cover, description, year auto-filled.
- Pick the next read. Random Loom Pick or ranked-choice poll with one ballot per member.
- Meeting + RSVPs + agenda. Date, host, location, optional URL, agenda, reminder offsets, per-member RSVP with status.
- Per-member ratings + private notes. 1–5 stars per member, visible to the club. Notes are yours only.
- Discussion mode. Starter prompts plus custom prompts your group writes — surface them at the meeting.
- Club history. Completed reads, past meetings, and ratings remain searchable across the life of the club.
How BookLoom compares to StoryGraph Buddy Reads
| Feature | BookLoom | StoryGraph Buddy Reads |
|---|---|---|
| Native iPhone, iPad & Mac apps | ✓ all three, SwiftUI | iOS & Android; web for desktop |
| Works without an account | ✓ iCloud identity | StoryGraph account required |
| Multi-member club model | ✓ any size group | Buddy Read — small group, often pairs |
| Shared proposal pool | ✓ | — (pick one book per buddy read) |
| Ranked-choice voting on books | ✓ structured polls | — |
| Random "pick from the pool" | ✓ Loom Pick rotation | — |
| Meeting scheduling + RSVPs + agenda | ✓ structured | — |
| Local meeting reminders | ✓ per-device | — |
| Per-member 1–5 ratings, side-by-side | ✓ | Personal star + quarter-star ratings |
| Private per-member notes | ✓ | ✓ personal review/notes |
| Discussion prompts (starter + custom) | ✓ Discussion Mode | Discussion / status updates within a buddy read |
| Reading-progress tracker (page/%) | Planned | ✓ per-member progress is the core feature |
| Recurring club history across reads | ✓ | — (each buddy read is a one-off) |
| Mood / pace / stat charts | — | ✓ StoryGraph's signature feature |
| No ads, no third-party tracking | ✓ Data Not Collected | No ads on free tier; StoryGraph Plus optional |
| Pricing | Free, no IAP | Free + StoryGraph Plus subscription |
Pricing
BookLoom
No subscription, no IAP, no ads. Sync runs through your iCloud, not our servers.
StoryGraph
Free tier covers Buddy Reads and most personal tracking; StoryGraph Plus subscription unlocks deeper stats and "stats squared". Pricing varies — see thestorygraph.com.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Buddy Reads and a full book club?
Buddy Reads in The StoryGraph are a small-group, mostly two-reader synchronized read — pick a book, read it together, optionally compare progress. There's no ranked voting on next picks, no meeting scheduling, no RSVPs, no per-member rating display, and no shared club history across reads. BookLoom is built for the full multi-meeting cycle.
Will I lose my StoryGraph stats and charts?
No — StoryGraph remains your personal reading dashboard. Many clubs use BookLoom for the active club workflow (proposals, voting, meetings, ratings within the group) and keep StoryGraph for personal stats, mood/pace tracking, and recommendations.
Does BookLoom track reading progress per member?
Not yet. Currently BookLoom marks a book as currently reading, completed, or skipped. Per-member page/percent progress is on the roadmap; if it's important to your club today, StoryGraph (or Bookclubs) will fit better.
Can I import my StoryGraph reading list?
There's no import today. BookLoom looks up books by ISBN or title via OpenLibrary and Google Books, so re-adding a book to the club's proposal pool is fast — but personal reading history stays where you keep it.
What about Android members?
BookLoom is Apple-only today (iPhone, iPad, Mac). If your club has Android members, StoryGraph Buddy Reads (cross-platform) may be the right fit for that subset.