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BookWyrm vs NeoDB: catalog facts
BookWyrm	NeoDB
Best for: Readers who want a Goodreads-style network without a corporate owner	Best for: People who want a federated alternative to Goodreads and Letterboxd
Free Free to join an instance or host your own.	Free Free and open source under the AGPLv3; public servers are open for registration.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
Reading status, goals and reviews in one place Federates with Mastodon and other ActivityPub services All 3 strengths for BookWyrm Reading status, goals and reviews in one place Federates with Mastodon and other ActivityPub services Per-post privacy controls	Covers books, films, music, games, podcasts and performances in one catalog Federates over ActivityPub and supports the AT Protocol All 4 strengths for NeoDB Covers books, films, music, games, podcasts and performances in one catalog Federates over ActivityPub and supports the AT Protocol Sign in with email, Mastodon or Bluesky ID Self-hosting through containerized deployment
Experience depends on the instance you join Self-hosting requires server administration	Smaller catalog and community than Goodreads or Letterboxd Running your own instance requires server administration
Self-hosted, Hosted service	Web application, Self-hosted
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0
Account needed	Account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for BookWyrm joinbookwyrm.com Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for NeoDB neodb.net Catalog checked October 1, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.