GoodNovel - Booktok, Stories

GoodNovel Review: A Huge Serial Catalog, Sold One Short Chapter at a Time

Free opening chapters, then about 35 coins per chapter

Each book opens with free chapters; after that, every chapter is paid. The US App Store lists packs from 200 coins for $1.99 to 5,000 for $49.99, so 100 coins cost about a dollar. Play reviewers from 2024 to 2026 most often quote 35 coins per chapter, roughly 35 cents. Free routes exist: reviewers describe 20 Bonus for the daily check-in and 1 coin per rewarded ad, about one chapter a day. Several Play and App Store reviewers since April 2026 say unlocking chapters with ads stopped working for them after their first coin purchase. With serials running past 500 chapters, reading one for free takes weeks. Prices are regional and can change.

Flipping or Scroll: the reader, and why people lose their place

The reader screen in the store shots offers a brightness slider, three page colours, text sizes from a default of 16, Flipping or Scroll page modes, and typefaces including Merriweather and Roboto Slab; the Play listing also names a night mode. App Store and Play reviewers in September 2026 report no table of contents for jumping to a chapter, books reopening at chapter 1, and unlocked chapters vanishing after signing in to an existing account or changing phones. One reviewer who had reached chapter 731 was sent back to the start. Unlocks are tied to the account, so signing in before the first purchase keeps them in one place.

Weekly Membership at $19.99 and a 7-day refund window

Beyond coin packs, the US App Store lists a Weekly Membership at $19.99 and a Weekly Subscription at $9.99, renewed automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Reviewers say a membership still leaves some chapters behind coins, and several Play reviews describe unexpected renewals and trouble cancelling. The terms of use allow a refund only for a top-up order left completely unused, requested by email to contact@goodnovel.com within 7 days with the order ID; partly spent orders and expired Bonus credits are excluded. Disputes go to binding arbitration at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

Tracking identifiers, 15-day deletion and a 2022 contract alert

The publisher, Singapore New Reading Technology, also runs MegaNovel, BueNovela, GoodFM and GoodShort. Apple's privacy label lists identifiers used to track you across other companies' apps and sites; the Play form adds name, email, purchase and search history, and app interactions used for advertising. Account deletion takes up to 15 days and erases unlock records and any top-up balance. Writers should read the February 2022 Writer Beware alert by Victoria Strauss: the exclusive contract it analysed granted rights for the author's life plus 70 years and allowed exit after 36 months only by repaying earnings plus three or twenty times royalties. Several Play reviewers also say the app grants about 20 points for a review, so weigh the store rating accordingly.