Comparison
HowLongToBeat is the web's authoritative source for how long games actually take to finish. Dungeon Logbook is a personal game journal — different problem, different shape. Many players use both. This page explains where each fits and when to pick which.
At a glance
| Feature | Dungeon Logbook | HowLongToBeat |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Personal game journal | Playtime data + backlog tracker |
| Playtime data quality | Self-reported only | Aggregated from thousands of users — industry standard |
| Aesthetic / interface | Dark-fantasy, designed | Utility-first, dated |
| Social / profile | Character sheet you can share | Basic profile and follow lists |
| Cross-platform tracking | PC, console, handheld, tabletop | PC, console, handheld |
| Free of ads | Yes, no ads ever | Free tier has ads; ad-free needs supporter tier |
HowLongToBeat answers 'how long will this game take?' It's a calculator backed by a huge community dataset, indispensable when you're deciding whether to start a 100-hour CRPG. Dungeon Logbook answers 'what's the story of how I play?' — a journal of your finished campaigns, dropped quests, and current obsessions. Different jobs.
HLTB's interface is utility-first. Tables, numbers, dropdowns, ads. Functional, dated. Dungeon Logbook is built like a hobby tool — rarity-colored game ratings (your own), AvQest title typography, atmospheric panels, an auto-generated 'character sheet' profile with derived titles like 'The Completionist' or 'The Hoarder'. If you treat your gaming history as a thing worth curating, the interface matters.
Both apps let you mark games as Backlog, Playing, Finished. HLTB shows you projected hours remaining; we don't, because we lean on RAWG metadata rather than crowd-sourced playtime estimates. If 'how many hours until I'm done with my backlog' is the metric you care about, HLTB wins outright. If 'what's in my tome and how do I feel about each one' is what you want, we win.
HLTB's free tier shows display ads; an ad-free tier exists as a supporter perk. Dungeon Logbook is ad-free at every level and always will be. Monetization is donations and affiliate links on game cards — never ads, never subscriptions.
When HowLongToBeat is the better choice
Use HowLongToBeat if you want accurate, community-aggregated playtime estimates before starting a game; if 'how many hours is this' is the question that matters most to you; or if you want to compare game lengths across thousands of titles using real data.
Visit HowLongToBeatQuestions
We surface basic metadata from RAWG. We don't aggregate community playtime estimates — that's HLTB's specialty and they do it well. Many users use both apps: HLTB to decide what to play next, Dungeon Logbook to log how it went.
Not yet. CSV import is planned. For now, our RAWG-powered search makes adding games one click each.
Because they answer different questions. HLTB is a reference tool for game length. Dungeon Logbook is a personal journal. There's no overlap to consolidate.
Possibly, if we ever get enough users to make crowd-sourced numbers meaningful. For now, your own playtime entries are private and only used for your own stats.
Begin your tome.
Free, forever. Your library, your way.
Start Your QuestNo card required. No paywall. Ever.
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