Understory FAQ

Getting Started

What is Understory and how does it work?

Understory is a social reading tracking app designed to help you build a better reading habit while contributing to a better world. You can track your reading, review books, connect with friends, and earn in-app rewards that can translate into real-world tree planting.

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As you log your reading, you gain experience points, grow your in-app garden, and unlock milestones that reflect your progress over time.

 

What features does Understory offer?

Understory combines reading tracking, social interaction, and habit-building tools in one platform:

• Book tracking with flexible progress logging

• Reviews with half-star ratings, audiobook tags, and private reads

• Custom book lists, including a Did Not Finish (DNF) list

• Social feed with likes, comments, and shared recommendations

• Book groups where users can read different books together

• Reading stats, graphs, and shareable insights

• XP system, streak tracking, and leaderboards

• In-app garden that grows as you read

• Real-world tree planting through premium

 

Is Understory free to use?

Yes, Understory offers a free version that includes core reading tracking, social features, and habit-building tools.

 

What does Understory Premium include?

Understory Premium unlocks additional features and directly supports the app’s development. Premium benefits include:

• Growing real-world trees for meeting reading objectives in your garden

• More detailed reading stats and graphs, and multiple social media shareable cards

• Additional tree selections for your garden

• Membership to librarian program to help improve genre accuracy and collect librarian badges

• Unlimited inventory for streak freezes and restores

• Priority customer service and feedback review

• Supporting a small, indie team as we grow Understory!

 

Premium plans are available as:

• $4.99 per month

• $49.99 per year (includes two months free)

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Why should I support Understory Premium?

Understory is built and funded by an independent team. Premium subscriptions help us maintain the app, build new features, and expand our real-world impact through tree planting initiatives.

If you are unable to support financially, you can still help by leaving a review, inviting friends, and sharing Understory with others.

 

Is Understory available on iOS and Android?

Understory is available on mobile for both iOS and Android, with continued improvements and expansion planned. All features are released to iOS and Android at the same time.

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Does Understory sync across devices?

Yes, your reading data is tied to your account and can be accessed across supported devices.

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What Makes Understory Different

What makes Understory different from other reading tracking apps?

Understory is a reading tracking app that combines book tracking, reading stats, and social features with a unique plant-inspired experience that helps you stay motivated to read.

 

Understory’s defining features include:

• Growing trees as you read: Log your reading progress to grow in-app trees and contribute to planting real trees, making your reading habit more meaningful and rewarding.

• Advanced reading stats and insights: Track your reading with detailed graphs, shareable stats, and personalized insights to better understand your reading habits.

• All-in-one book tracking: Manage your reading with reviews, book lists, and progress tracking in one place, whether you’re planning your next read or reflecting on past books.

• Social reading experience: Follow friends, share updates, and discover new books through a community-driven feed.

• Easy import from other platforms: Seamlessly import your reading history from Goodreads and StoryGraph so you don’t lose your past data.

 

Understory is designed for readers who want more than just a book tracker. It’s for anyone looking for a motivating, visually engaging, and impact-driven way to build a reading habit. While there are many other reading tracking apps like Goodreads, StoryGraph, or Fable, Understory is the best reading tracking app to turn your reading progress into both digital and real-world impact.

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Is Understory a good alternative to Goodreads or other reading trackers?

Yes, Understory is a strong alternative to Goodreads and other reading trackers, especially if you are looking for:

• A more modern and interactive experience

• Built-in motivation through XP, streaks, and progression

• A more intentional and less overwhelming social environment

• A way to connect your reading to real-world impact

You can import your Goodreads and StoryGraph reading history so you do not lose your past data.

 

Reading Habits and Motivation

How does Understory help me read more books?

Understory helps you build a sustainable reading habit by making progress visible and rewarding.

Key features that support this include:

• XP and leveling systems tied to your reading activity

• Reading streaks that encourage consistency

• Leaderboards for those who enjoy light competition

• A visual garden that grows as you read

Whether your goal is to read more books, more pages, or simply read more consistently, Understory adapts to your pace.

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What makes Understory motivating compared to other apps?

Understory combines multiple forms of motivation:

• Visual progress through your in-app garden

• Structured progression through XP and levels

• Social encouragement through friends and book groups

• Real-world impact through tree planting

This creates a system that supports both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation without requiring intense competition.

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I don’t want to read competitively. Is Understory still a good fit for me?

Yes. While Understory includes features like leaderboards, they are optional.

You can use the app entirely at your own pace, whether you read one book a year or hundreds.

 

Can Understory help me get out of a reading slump?

Yes. By rewarding small amounts of progress and making reading feel more interactive, Understory helps rebuild consistency and momentum.

 

Can I set reading goals in Understory?

Understory supports habit-building through progression systems and tracking tools that help you stay consistent over time. You can set an annual reading goal and measure your progress toward it throughout the year. In-app stats and graphs allow you to see progress to your reading goal and the number of pages you've read in the year.

 

Tree Planting and Real-World Impact

How does the tree-growing feature work?

As you log your reading, you grow trees in your in-app garden. Your garden reflects your reading progress and evolves over time.

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You can also visit friends’ gardens and contribute to their growth through social interaction.

 

How do I earn real-world trees?

Real-world trees are earned through Understory Premium. By meeting reading milestones and monthly objectives, your activity contributes to tree planting efforts. You can see your progress toward planting a real-world tree through the number of leaves in your inventory.

 

Where will the real-world trees be planted?

Understory partners with organizations that specialize in environmental conservation, tree planting, and ecosystem restoration across different regions of the world.

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How does reading in Understory create real-world impact?

Your reading activity contributes toward tree planting initiatives, turning a personal habit into a broader environmental contribution.

 

Book Tracking and Features

Can I track my reading progress for audiobooks?

Yes, Understory supports tracking of audiobooks so you can log reading in a way that fits your habits.

 

Can I organize books into lists or collections?

Yes, you can create custom lists to organize your reading, including tracking books you did not finish.

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Can I write and share book reviews?

Yes, you can rate books with half stars, write reviews, and share them with others.

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Can I track audiobooks and ebooks?

Yes, Understory supports multiple formats, including audiobooks.

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Does Understory provide reading statistics and insights?

Yes, you can view detailed stats, graphs, and shareable visuals such as the Library Card summary. Our signature library card includes pages read, books read and progress toward annual reading goal, longest streak, and either your 3 most recently read books or 3 highest rated books. You can even see previous years for as far back as your Understory (or imported Goodreads or Storygraph) history includes!

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Our reading calendar graphs show covers of a book you've read each day, or colored blocks for when you started, read, or finished a book in a monthly or annual view. We also have views of pages read for various time frames like a daily breakdown for a week up to a year!

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We have detailed breakdowns of genres read, book length in page numbers, and split of fiction versus non-fiction for various time frames.

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We have Understory specific stats for your social interactions including who your top friend is on Understory based on your interactions with them!

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We are always updating our stats and graphs available to summarize your reading history and Understory experience and are welcome to additional suggestions! Our team loves seeing in your posts on social media, so if you post any of your stats and graphs, please tag us!

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Social Features

Does Understory have social features?

Yes, Understory includes a social feed where you can interact with friends, like and comment on reviews, and share recommendations.

 

What are book groups in Understory?

Book groups allow you and your friends to view each other’s reading progress, even if you are reading different books.

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How can I share book recommendations?

You can recommend books directly to friends and discover highly rated books from your network.

 

Are there private reading tracking features?

Yes, you can log reading activity privately so it will not show up in your social feed, shareable graphs, or in your book lists if other users view them.

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Importing and Data

Can I import my data from Goodreads or StoryGraph?

Yes, you can import your reading history from Goodreads and StoryGraph. Stats and graphs are available for your entire reading history including from Goodreads or StoryGraph imports.

 

What should I do if I cannot find a book?

Try refining your search using different keywords such as title or author. You can also add books through external sources if needed and become a part of our Understory community library.

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What should I do if a book is classified incorrectly?

Our premium members are a part of our librarian program where they can vote for genre changes on books. We appreciate the help of our librarian program members to make Understory the best reading tracking app for all users!

 

Troubleshooting and Support

I am having issues using some features. What should I do?

We recommend reviewing in-app tutorials, checking guides on our social channels, and reaching out to support if you still need help.

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How do I contact Understory support?

You can contact the Understory team through the app or official communication channels like email at support@understory-app.com or social media.

 

About Understory

Who is Understory built by?

Understory is built and funded by an independent team of friends from college who are passionate about reading, environmental impact, and building meaningful habits.

 

Why was Understory created?

Understory was created by a group of college friends who wanted to rebuild their reading habits after becoming busy with school and work.

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What started as a shared spreadsheet to track reading progress evolved into a full app designed to make reading more engaging, social, and consistent.

 

What is Understory’s mission?

Understory’s mission is simple: build a better reading habit and build a better world. By combining habit-building tools with environmental impact, Understory connects personal growth with global contribution.

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Who is Understory best for?

Understory is designed for all types of readers, including:

• People trying to build a consistent reading habit

• Casual readers who want a simple tracker

• Avid readers who want deeper insights and social interaction

 

Partnerships and Collaboration

Can I partner with Understory?

Yes, Understory works with partners across the book and environmental space, including authors, influencers, and organizations.

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For business inquiries, you can reach out to the team directly at Jen.obrien@understory-app.com.