Goodreads logs what you read. Chatter reads it with you
Worth saying up front: they're not the same thing. If you want a huge catalogue to log every book you finish, Goodreads is better than Chatter. If you want to stop reading alone, keep scrolling.
Chatter is a Goodreads alternative built to keep you company while you read rather than to log what you already read. Goodreads is a catalogue of entries, lists and reviews; Chatter starts from the EPUB of the book in your hands and lets you discuss it chapter by chapter with a group and talk to its characters, spoiler-free.
What Goodreads does better
The catalogue and the memory. It has been collecting entries, ratings and reviews since 2007, and nothing comes close in size when you're deciding whether a book is worth buying.
The lists, too: want to read, read, yearly challenges, tagged shelves. It's an excellent archive of what you've already done.
What Chatter does better
Keeping you company while you read, which is when books get abandoned. Goodreads gets used before you start and after you finish; Chatter gets used in chapter seven, where everything is decided.
And it knows where you are. Nobody discusses the book ahead of your chapter, not the group and not the characters. In a Goodreads thread that guarantee doesn't exist.
What about StoryGraph, Babelio, Lecturalia…
StoryGraph is the strong alternative if what you want is statistics and mood-based recommendations. Lecturalia and Babelio have entries and reviews in Spanish, which is exactly what Goodreads lacks in that language.
None of the three does what Chatter does, and Chatter does none of what they do. Using them together is fine: one to pick the book, another to read it with company.
| What | Which one | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue and ratings | Goodreads | Millions of entries since 2007 |
| Logging what you've read | Goodreads | Shelves, tags, yearly challenge |
| Company while you read | Chatter | A group discussing your current chapter |
| Spoiler protection | Chatter | Nobody goes past the chapter you marked |
| Talking to the characters | Chatter | The book's own cast, in their voice |
| Your language | Chatter | Spanish and English, neither machine-translated |
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my Goodreads library?
Yes, onto your paper shelf: export the CSV from Goodreads and your books come in with their status, your rating and their cover. To discuss one chapter by chapter with the group, each read is added separately, with its EPUB or by hand, because Chatter needs to know which chapter you're on.
Does Chatter have reviews and ratings?
It isn't built for that. Chatter is conversation while you read, not an archive of what you've read. For rating and cataloguing, Goodreads or StoryGraph do it better.
Is it available in English?
Yes, and in Spanish. The group and the characters speak whichever language you choose.
Do I need friends on the app?
No. You can read with company from day one and invite people whenever you feel like it.