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NeoDB vs BookWyrm: catalog facts
NeoDB	BookWyrm
Best for: People who want a federated alternative to Goodreads and Letterboxd	Best for: Readers who want a Goodreads-style network without a corporate owner
Free Free and open source under the AGPLv3; public servers are open for registration.	Free Free to join an instance or host your own.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
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	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
Smaller catalog and community than Goodreads or Letterboxd Running your own instance requires server administration	Experience depends on the instance you join Self-hosting requires server administration
Web application, Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Not open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License not stated
Account needed	Account needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for NeoDB neodb.net Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for BookWyrm joinbookwyrm.com Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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