This Reading Tracker App Is Like FitBit But For Reading, And Here's How It's Different From Goodreads

Hi all, I'm Farrah! If you don't already know, I'm a huge fan of books. I help run our books Instagram page — and you can catch me giving recommendations each week alongside my other book-obsessed colleagues.

While scrolling through TikTok, I noticed that I kept getting an ad served to me. It was for a reading app called Basmo. Naturally, I was curious. What was it? And how did it set itself apart from places like Goodreads and The Storygraph? So, I decided to download it and find out!

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According to their site, Basmo is meant to "enhance" your reading experience. If you like data and organization, they state that they can "help you set your reading goals, track reading progress, journal your reading experience and organize your bookshelves into collections."

It's also good for the goal-setting type. Much like FitBit or Apple Watch, it offers daily motivation by allowing you to create your own reading goals.

There's another side to Basmo that's different from Goodreads. First, it's not free (it's $5 a month). Also, on Goodreads, you can rate books and comment on threads others have posted. The Storygraph also allows you to track data, but it's mostly based on the data of the books and not your reading habits. On Basmo, it feels like a more intimate community experience. You're able to save paragraphs you enjoy, include your own thoughts, and share all of this with your friends — assuming they also use Basmo.

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Currently, Basmo is only available via app but according to their site, they're in the middle of creating a website experience.

Let me walk you through what happens after you download the app. First, you're going to set up your account.

Then, you'll complete a little survey so the app can gauge how you read.

It's a lot more thorough that I expected it to be!

I won't walk you through everything, but this will give you a taste as to what they ask you.

They weren't inclusive in their gender question, which...yikes.

This question was also a little vague. I assumed they meant how many quotes, thoughts, etc. you'll save, but I'm still unclear.

Once you answer all the questions, you're presented with a contract based on your answers.

And that's it! FYI, the "gifts" were the payment options for memberships. I decided to stick with the free 7-day trial.

This is what you get with the free trial. After 7 days, you're charged $60 a year or $5 a month. I'll let you all decide if that's worth it for your personal experience. We're all different!

Once I was officially logged into my account, I began uploading a few books I'm reading.

Here's an example of what it looks like when you "start a reading session." I've been reading this book on and off for about a year, and I really wanted to buckle down and finish it.

When you begin a reading session, a timer begins. One of the only cool features in this app is the ability to record notes, take photos of pages — which can also be transcribed as text, as shown below — write your thoughts, hi-light and color code your notes, and design and share images with quotes you discover while reading.

When you're done with your session, the app saves your progress and how long you spent reading.

It also keeps track of your reading streaks, which is what reminded me of an Apple Watch.

It will also send you push notifications to remind you to read!

Here's what my stats looked like after using this for a week. As a result, it didn't motivate me to read more. When I received a notification, I was usually in the middle of something else and then would forget to keep track of reading later on. I also didn't find any way to interact with any sort of community on the app, which was disappointing. As far as being in the top 10% of readers — WHAT readers? As in, other Basmo users? Who knows!

When I thought about it, I realized this app would have been incredibly helpful for me when I was in school. I could have created a set time to read my assignments, keep track of any notes or hi-lighted sections, and way more. But as a casual reader? It's not my style, therefore I won't be using it going forward. (It's just not worth $60 a year for me, but it might be worth it for you!)

What do you think? Would you try Basmo? Is there another reading app you swear by? Let us know in the comments!