Book notes and quotes
Keep what stayed with you, pinned to the page.
Write down a thought, save a quote, and note the page it came from. Leaf keeps every note with its book, so when you finish you can read back through everything that struck you. Free for everyone.
How notes work in Leaf
- Write
Add a note to any book
Open a book and tap Add note. Write a thought, a takeaway, or a passage, up to 2,000 characters. It works on books you are reading, want to read, have finished, or set aside.
- Pin
Pin it to the page
Add the page number so you can find the spot again. Turn on "This is a quote" and the note gets a Quote badge, so passages you copied stay apart from your own thoughts.
- Look back
Read your recap
Every note on a book sits in one list on the book's page. Sort it by newest, oldest, or position in the book, and read back through what stayed with you after the last chapter.
A reading journal that lives with your books
Right after you log
When you log your pages, Leaf offers to add a note, already set to the page you just reached. Skip it and nothing changes: logging stays as quick as it was.
Quotes, marked as quotes
Flag a verbatim passage with "This is a quote". It carries a Quote badge in the list, so a line you copied is never mistaken for one you wrote.
Sorted your way
Newest first, oldest first, or by page from start to finish. Read your notes as a diary of the reading, or as a map of the book.
In the unit you read in
For an ebook tracked by percentage or an audiobook tracked by minutes, a note is pinned to the percentage or the minute instead of a page.
Share a passage
Turn one note, or several, into an image with the book cover, or send it as plain text. Handy for a book club chat or a story.
Yours to take with you
Your CSV export includes every note and quote with its page number. Import that file into Leaf again and they come back with their books.
Notes are part of the free app
Some reading apps keep notes behind a subscription, and some leave them out. In Leaf, writing, sorting, sharing, and exporting notes is free for everyone, with no account needed. Leaf Pro adds cloud sync, so your notes follow you across devices, but they never depend on it: without sync they stay on your device and travel in your CSV export.
Want the full picture of what is free and what is not? See pricing.
Start your reading journal
Download Leaf, open the book you are reading, and write down the line you do not want to lose. Notes are free on iOS and Android.
Frequently asked questions
Can I save quotes from a book in Leaf?
Yes. Write the passage as a note, add the page number, and turn on "This is a quote". Quotes carry a Quote badge in the book's note list, so you can tell them apart from your own thoughts at a glance.
Are book notes free?
Yes. Notes and quotes are free for everyone on iOS and Android, with no account needed. Only syncing them across devices is part of Leaf Pro.
Can I add notes to a book I have not started, or one I already finished?
Yes. Notes work on any book in your library, whatever its status: reading, to read, read, or dropped. A note on a to-read book is a good place to keep why it caught your eye.
Do my notes sync between devices?
With Leaf Pro, or while a Challenge Pass is active, your notes sync across your devices along with your books, and notes written offline sync once you are back online. Without sync, notes stay on your device, and the CSV export carries them to a new phone.
Can I export my book notes?
Yes. The CSV export in Leaf's settings includes every note and quote with its page number, alongside the rest of your library. Import that same file into Leaf later, on a new phone for example, and your notes are restored with their books.
Is there a quick way to add a note while reading?
Two. After you log progress, Leaf offers to add a note already set to the page you reached. And the Add Note widget on your home screen opens a new note on the book you are reading, or asks which one if you are reading several.
Can I share a quote as an image?
Yes. Pick one note or several and share them as an image, with the book cover if you like, or as plain text. Shared images carry a small Leaf mark, which Leaf Pro can hide.
Is Leaf a reading journal app?
Leaf is a reading tracker first: daily goals, streaks, and progress. Notes make it a light reading journal too, with your thoughts and quotes kept next to the book and the page they came from, and no separate notes app to keep in step.