FAQ

No! Browse the map and find minibiebs without signing up. An account lets you track your impact, save favorites, and log books.

Minibieb is for readers everywhere, and the app works anywhere in the world. Our map already covers over 37,600 public bookcases across 14 countries on 3 continents, and we're adding new countries and locations all the time. Spot a minibieb that isn't on the map yet? Add it in seconds.

Custom shelves let you organize your books beyond the standard Reading, Read, and Want to Read categories. Create shelves like 'Favorites', 'Book Club', or 'Lent to Friends'. Go to Settings > Library > Manage Shelves.

Yes! Go to Settings > Library > Import Books. We support CSV exports from both GoodReads and StoryGraph. Your reading status, ratings, and custom shelves will be preserved during import.

Go to Settings > Library > Export My Data to download your complete library as a JSON file. This includes all your books, custom shelves, reading sessions, and goals. Your data belongs to you and you can export it anytime.

Your streak counts consecutive days of reading activity. Log pages or mark a book complete to keep your streak alive. Streaks reset at midnight in your timezone. Plus members get 2 monthly streak freezes that automatically protect missed days.

Complete at least one book each month to earn a unique seasonal badge. Each month features a different design. Collect all 12 for the year!

Your Reading Portrait is a unique fingerprint of your reading habits across 4 slides: Identity (your reader archetype), DNA (6 reading traits), Genre (your preference breakdown), and Stats (monthly pace). Unlock it by reading 3+ books. You can share individual slides. Only your reading stats are visible, not personal details.

No. Little Free Library® is an independent non-profit based in the United States, and Minibieb isn't affiliated with them or any other organization. We admire what they've built and share the same goal of getting books into more hands. Minibieb is an independent app that maps book-sharing boxes of every kind, from American little free libraries to Dutch minibiebs, German Bücherschränke, and French boîtes à livres, and adds reading tracking, streaks, and recommendations on top. If you love little free libraries, you'll feel right at home.

Yes! Minibiebs operate on the principle of 'take a book, leave a book.' You can take any book you find without paying anything. It's completely free and there's no obligation to leave a book in return (though it's encouraged!).

Nope! Unlike a traditional library, minibiebs work on the honor system. Once you take a book, it's yours to keep, pass on to a friend, or return to any minibieb when you're done.

You can leave any books in good condition: novels, children's books, non-fiction, cookbooks, and more. Please avoid leaving damaged books, magazines, or materials that might be inappropriate for all ages.

Absolutely! Many minibiebs are started by residents in their front yards or communities. Check your local regulations, find a weatherproof bookcase, and register it on our map once it's set up!

Tap the + button in the app to submit a new location. We'll verify the submission before adding it to the map. Make sure to provide accurate location details!

Please report it through the app or contact us. We regularly update our database to ensure accuracy. Your feedback helps keep the map current for everyone.

Badges are awarded automatically based on your minibieb activity. Every time you visit a minibieb, whether you grab a book, leave one, or just stop by, it counts toward your badge progress. Explore more minibiebs across different places and countries to unlock them all!

There are three categories: Minibieb Visits badges (earned by visiting unique minibiebs, from your first visit up to 150), Place Explorer badges (earned by visiting minibiebs in different places, from 3 up to 15), and Country badges (earned by visiting minibiebs in each country we cover). Each badge features a unique medallion design.

Plus takes your reading to the next level. Create as many shelves as you need, keep your momentum with 2 monthly freezes (fresh each month, they don't roll over), explore detailed insights about your reading habits, enjoy a completely ad-free experience, and get priority support for any questions or issues. Choose monthly at €3.99 or save 27% with the annual plan at €34.99/year.

We accept iDEAL, credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard), Bancontact, and other methods via Mollie. All payments are in EUR. Your payment details are handled securely by Mollie. We never store your card or bank information.

Go to Profile > Settings > Subscription and tap 'Cancel Subscription'. You keep access until the end of your billing period. All your data (books, shelves, reading history) is preserved. Plus features simply pause until you resubscribe.

Streak freezes and shields both protect your reading streak, but work differently. Freezes give you 1-day protection and are applied automatically at midnight if you missed reading. No action needed. Plus users get 2 freezes per month (refreshed monthly), and anyone can purchase extras for €1.49 each. Shields give you 7-day protection and must be activated manually before you miss a day. Perfect for vacations or busy periods. Available for €4.99. Use shields proactively for planned breaks; freezes are your safety net for unexpected busy days.

Under EU consumer law, you have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of purchase. Email support@minibieb.app within 14 days to request a refund. Activated in-app purchases (streak shields, freezes) that have already been used are non-refundable. Your payment details are securely handled by Mollie. We never store your card or bank information.

Producing a new book generates about 2.0 kg of CO₂ in Europe. When a book finds a new reader through a Minibieb instead of being thrown away, we also avoid about 0.12 kg of disposal emissions. But not every book picked up replaces a new purchase. Some people grab books they'd never have bought. We use a conservative 35% displacement rate, well below industry benchmarks. That gives us: 2.12 kg × 35% = 0.74 kg CO₂ per book. That's more than a year of charging your phone every day. Sources: Wells et al. (2012), Journal of Industrial Ecology; Thomas (2011), Sustainability Science; CEPI Key Statistics 2024.

The CO₂ saving happens when someone picks up a book and it replaces a potential new purchase. If we showed savings to both the person placing and picking up, we'd count the same saving twice. When you place a book, we celebrate your contribution to the community instead. When someone picks it up, both of you made that saving possible together.

We use the average retail price of a new printed book in the Netherlands: €15.73 (KVB Boekwerk/GfK, Marktmonitor 2025). Since every Minibieb book is free, that's the value you received. Both the CO₂ and money figures are updated annually as new data becomes available, and we plan to survey Minibieb users directly to refine our displacement estimate over time.

Go to Settings > Danger Zone > Delete Account. You'll receive a confirmation email within minutes. Click the link to confirm deletion. Your data will be permanently removed within 30 days. Before deletion, you can optionally tell us why you're leaving. This feedback is anonymized and helps us improve.

Under GDPR, you have rights to: access your data (Settings > Export My Data), delete your data (Settings > Delete Account), and withdraw consent for optional services (Settings > Cookie Preferences). Contact support@minibieb.app for any privacy requests. We respond within 30 days.

Go to Settings > Cookie Preferences to change your choices. We have 4 categories: Necessary (always on, for login and security), Functional (AI recommendations, content warnings), Analytics (error tracking via Sentry), and Marketing (Bol.com affiliate recommendations). Changes take effect immediately.

AI-powered book recommendations require functional cookies. If you selected 'Necessary Only' during the cookie prompt, AI features are turned off. Go to Settings > Cookie Preferences to update your choice.

We use trusted EU-based services for hosting and payments. We never sell your data or share it with advertisers. Your payment details are handled securely by our payment provider. We never see or store your card information. For the full list of services we use, see our Privacy Policy.

While your account is active, we keep your data to provide the service. Inactive accounts receive a notice before deletion (after 2 years). After account deletion, data is removed within 30 days. Payment records are kept for 7 years as required by Dutch law.