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 not an ebook reader, and that is deliberate. You read however you like: a paperback, a library book, one you found in a street cabinet, or an ebook in the app you already use. Minibieb is where the reading gets recorded, not where it happens. It keeps your place, your ratings, your notes, and what to read next.

Minibieb is for readers everywhere, and the app works anywhere in the world. Our map already covers over 47,000 public bookcases across 25+ countries on 5 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 four standard shelves: Reading, Want to Read, Read, and Did Not Finish. Create shelves like 'Favorites', 'Book Club', or 'Lent to Friends'. Go to Settings > Bookshelf > Manage shelves.

Yes. There is a real Did Not Finish (DNF) shelf, next to Reading, Want to Read, and Read. Books there never count as read in your stats or goals, and the days you spent reading them still count toward your streak. Importing from Goodreads or StoryGraph? Books marked DNF or did-not-finish land on the right shelf automatically.

Yes! Go to Settings > Bookshelf > Import books. We support CSV exports from both Goodreads and StoryGraph. Your reading status, ratings, and custom shelves will be preserved during import. You can also skip the file and photograph your shelf: tap the photo icon on the Add book screen.

Go to Settings > Bookshelf > Export my data to download your complete Bookshelf 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.

Yes, and it is free for every reader. Every book page has a share button that sends a beautiful card with the cover, or a simple link. The link opens a public page for that book, so your friend does not need an account. Your notes, quotes, and shelves stay private.

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.

Set a yearly goal in books first: it becomes a target for each month. Meet the target for a month and that month is marked done in your reading year. Twelve to fill.

Your Reading Portrait is a fingerprint of your reading habits across six slides, starting with Identity, your reader archetype. Unlock it by reading 3+ books. The other five slides, including your reading DNA and genre breakdown, are part of Minibieb Plus. 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 cities, 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, add every book on a shelf at once with unlimited photo scans, keep your momentum with 2 monthly freezes (fresh each month, they don't roll over), open all six chapters of your Reading Portrait and the deeper breakdowns behind them, enjoy a completely ad-free experience, and get priority support for any questions or issues. Choose monthly at €4.99 or save 33% with the annual plan at €39.99/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 buy extras in the streak protection shop. Shields give you 7-day protection and must be activated manually before you miss a day. Perfect for vacations or busy periods. You buy them in the same shop. 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.

On average, we estimate about 160 g of CO₂ avoided for every book you pick up from a minibieb. It's an estimate, not an exact measurement. 1. Making a new book. A Swedish study and estimates from Germany and France put one new printed book at about 1.1 to 1.3 kg of CO₂ (greenhouse gases, as CO₂-equivalent). We use 1.0 kg. 2. Would you have bought it new? Not every book you pick up replaces one you'd have bought. A study of second-hand book sales on Amazon found that about 16% did. Free books found by chance may replace new purchases less often, so the real figure may be lower. 3. Together: 1.0 kg × 16% = about 160 g per book. We don't count your trip to the minibieb, or books you leave (so the same book isn't counted twice). Lighter books likely save less, larger ones more. We review this method every year; next review October 2027.

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

Go to Settings > Danger zone > Delete account. You'll receive a confirmation email within minutes. Click the link to confirm deletion. Once you confirm, we delete your data straight away. Copies in our backups are gone 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 (anonymous usage statistics), 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 don't share your data 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). When you delete your account, we delete your data straight away. Copies in our backups are gone within 30 days. Payment records are kept for 7 years as required by Dutch law.