Best Reading Journal Apps 2025 — Notion, Bookstagram, Geueum, Bbitbbitbook Compared

If you want to track what you read, there are more options than you'd expect. I built Bbitbbitbook, so I have an inherent bias here. I'll disclose that upfront and try to give each app a fair look.

What I'm Comparing

• Notion — a general-purpose tool that people use to build custom reading trackers
• 북적북적 (Bookjukbookjuk) — a social reading record app
• 그믐 (Geueum) — a minimalist reading journal focused on quotes and notes
• Bbitbbitbook (삐삐북) — the app I built: barcode scanning, reading passbook, character collecting

Notion

More people use Notion for reading logs than you'd think. It has the highest flexibility. You design exactly what you want to track — read books, in-progress, favorite quotes, ratings, reviews.

Pros:

• Complete freedom — design your own system
• No extra app needed if you already use Notion daily
• Perfect sync across desktop and mobile
• Easy to share or collaborate

Cons:

• Setup takes time — you start from a blank page
• No book search or registration — you enter ISBN, cover images, titles manually
• No reading-specific features (stats, reading speed, page progress)
• Quick mobile logging can feel clunky

Best for: People already living in Notion who want to customize every detail of their reading tracker.

북적북적 (Bookjukbookjuk)

Among dedicated reading apps, Bookjukbookjuk has the strongest social features. You can browse other people's shelves and see what others thought of the same book.

Pros:

• Social features — friend shelves, reading community
• Easy book search
• Clean shelf management
• Simple rating and review

Cons:

• Note-taking is shallow — better for one-liner reactions than detailed notes
• No photo memo or OCR
• Social exposure can feel uncomfortable for private readers
• Some features require payment

Best for: Readers who enjoy sharing and discovering books through a community.

그믐 (Geueum)

A quiet, writing-first app. It strips away the noise and gives you space to record quotes and reflections.

Pros:

• Clean, distraction-free UI
• Good for saving quotes and passages
• Reading calendar to visualize days you read

Cons:

• No barcode scanning — book registration is manual
• Minimal statistics
• Small user base, limited community

Best for: Readers who want to capture quotes and brief reflections without friction.

Bbitbbitbook (삐삐북)

This is my app. I know it best and I'm most at risk of overselling it. The three defining features: scan a barcode to add a book in 30 seconds, completed books stack up like a bank passbook, and you unlock illustrated characters as you read more.

Pros:

• Barcode scan for instant book registration (ISBN auto-detected)
• Photo memo + OCR — photograph a page and extract text as notes
• Reading passbook — your reading history stacks visually like bank transactions
• Character collection — unlock Bbitbit characters based on reading volume
• Shelf status management (want to read / reading / finished)
• Page progress tracking for books in progress
• Reading statistics (by month, by category)
• Local mode — no sign-up required to start
• Completely free

Cons:

• No social or community features — entirely personal
• Android not yet released (iOS + web only)
• Less customizable than Notion

Best for: Readers who want fast logging, a visible sense of accumulation, and a touch of gamification — without needing community features.

Side-by-Side

Which App Should You Use?

There's no single best reading app — there's the one that fits your reading habits.

• Already in Notion and love designing systems? → Notion
• Want to share your reads and discover others? → Bookjukbookjuk
• Prefer short, focused quote-and-reflection logging? → Geueum
• Want quick registration, visual accumulation, and something a bit playful? → Bbitbbitbook

I built Bbitbbitbook, but if social reading is what you're after, Bookjukbookjuk is the better fit. Each app has a clear direction — pick the one that matches yours.

Bbitbbitbook on the App Store