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Alternatives

Literal alternatives for keeping your place in a book (2026)

The short answer

The highest-scoring alternatives to Literal on our weights are Magic Bookmark, Bookly and The StoryGraph. Literal scores 6.20 and ranks 4 of 7. Which one fits depends on your phone and how you read: see where each scores higher below.

By The Margin Desk · Smart Bookmark Compare · Published 2026-10-08

Desk research from public App Store and Google Play listings and the app makers' own pages. Vendor facts read September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial assessment; we did not test the apps hands-on.

Why do readers look for Literal alternatives?

  • It publishes no progress or place-keeping tools.
  • There is no Android app yet; Literal lists it as coming soon.
  • Literal said in May 2026 that it is sunsetting the current version of Clubs.

Which alternatives score highest?

  1. 1

    Magic Bookmark

    Magic Bookmark index tabs: exact place 10, recall 10, formats 7, any book 3, platforms 2, price 5, privacy 4

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Story recall

    Literal scores higher on: Works with any book, Phones and platforms, Price, Privacy

    Android: Not yet

    Head to head
  2. 2

    Bookly

    Bookly index tabs: exact place 7, recall 7, formats 9, any book 8, platforms 9, price 5, privacy 3

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Print, ebook and audiobook, Phones and platforms

    Literal scores higher on: Price, Privacy

    Android: Yes

    Head to head
  3. 3

    The StoryGraph

    The StoryGraph index tabs: exact place 5, recall 5, formats 7, any book 8, platforms 10, price 8, privacy 6

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Phones and platforms

    Literal scores higher on: Story recall, Price, Privacy

    Android: Yes

    Head to head
  4. 4

    Basmo

    Basmo index tabs: exact place 5, recall 8, formats 8, any book 7, platforms 7, price 5, privacy 3

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Story recall, Print, ebook and audiobook, Phones and platforms

    Literal scores higher on: Works with any book, Price, Privacy

    Android: Yes

    Head to head
  5. 5

    Fable

    Fable index tabs: exact place 4, recall 5, formats 7, any book 7, platforms 10, price 6, privacy 4

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Phones and platforms

    Literal scores higher on: Story recall, Works with any book, Price, Privacy

    Android: Yes

    Head to head
  6. 6

    Goodreads

    Goodreads index tabs: exact place 4, recall 2, formats 5, any book 10, platforms 10, price 9, privacy 4

    Scores higher than Literal on: Exact place, Works with any book, Phones and platforms

    Literal scores higher on: Story recall, Print, ebook and audiobook, Price, Privacy

    Android: Yes

    Head to head

When should you stay with Literal?

Stay with Literal if you want a free app with no ads where you save highlights from printed pages by camera, and you read on iPhone, iPad or the web.

Frequently asked questions

What is the top-scoring alternative to Literal?

Magic Bookmark at 7.10 on our weights. It scores higher than Literal on exact place and story recall.

Which Literal alternatives work on Android?

Bookly, The StoryGraph, Basmo, Fable and Goodreads.

Is there a free alternative to Literal?

Free with nothing to buy: Goodreads. Free to start, with an optional paid tier: The StoryGraph, Basmo and Fable.

Literal profileScores, reasons, prices and key facts.Smart bookmark rankingsAll seven apps with every score and reason.Pick-up calculatorRe-rank the apps for how you read.