The world's living library
BookBean is building the world's largest reading community. Scan your books, grow a shelf you are proud of, and discover your next read in the bookshops, libraries and charity shops around you.
Free on iOS and Android.
One king, one obsession. Ships entering the harbour were searched, every scroll on board copied and shelved. All human knowledge, gathered in a single place.
The greatest library in history was not lost to fire or conquest in the end. It was abandoned. The world moved on and forgot to look back.
BookBean is finishing the job. Every book you scan, every shelf you build, every reader you meet adds to something that has never existed before, a living map of the readers, the books, and the places where they meet.
In 17th century London, the price of a single coffee bought you a seat beside scientists, philosophers and writers, all day, no invitation needed. People called them Penny Universities.
Lloyd's of London began in one. So did the stock exchange. The Enlightenment took shape in these rooms, not because of what sat on the shelves, but because of the people around the table.
Alexandria had the collection. The Penny Universities had the conversation. BookBean is the first time both live in one place.
Reading is not a duty. It is an adventure, and it belongs to everyone.
BookBean · The World's Living Library
Find.
Bookshops, libraries and charity shops near you, on a living map, including the hidden gems nobody has added yet.
Track.
Scan a book and it lands on your shelf, the right cover and the right size. Set goals, keep your streak, and remember every book you have read.
Connect.
See what friends are reading, share your finds, lend and borrow. Reading is better when it belongs to everyone.
Point at a barcode and the book appears on a beautiful visual shelf, cover, spine and all. Your library builds itself.
Arrange your reading across named, themed bookcases. Rich jewel, oak, pastel, dark academia and more.
BookBean+Track what you are reading, keep a daily streak alive, and see your whole year laid out like a story.
Playful quests that nudge you off the sofa and into real bookshops, with rewards for every find.
Follow friends, see what they are reading, and share the books and places you love.
Discover and check into bookish places, vote on the best spots to read, and put hidden shops on the map for everyone.
Import your whole reading life from Goodreads or a CSV in one go. Nothing left behind.
See your genres, your pace and your habits, insights that actually tell you something about the reader you are.
Keep track of the books you have lent out and the ones you have borrowed, so nothing ever goes missing again.
For bookshops, libraries and charity shops
They are on the map right now, searching for places like yours. Get listed and we will connect you to the readers who will love you.
Free on iOS and Android.