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About Sidora

Sharing books, one neighbor at a time

Sidora is a simple idea: the book sitting unread on your shelf might be exactly what someone nearby is looking for. Sidora helps you find each other — without needing to know anyone, without an algorithm deciding what you should read, and without your home address ever being visible to a stranger.

It's built for the whole of Sweden, not just one city. It's free, it's not trying to sell you anything, and it's built on the assumption that most people, given an easy way to share, will.

How it works

List a book you're happy to lend — a title, author, and roughly which postcode it's in. That's it.
Browse the map to see what's available near you.
Found something you want? Request to borrow it. The owner can accept or decline.
Once the owner accepts, you're each given the other's preferred way to get in touch. You arrange the handover yourselves, however's easiest.
Meet up — or, if that's easier, just pop it in the post. Either way, the owner shares the code with you once the book's on its way, so it's official.
When you're done reading, arrange to hand the book back to its owner the same way.

What makes Sidora different

Sidora never knows exactly where you live. The only location we ever work with is a general postcode area — nothing more precise than that exists in the system, for you or for anyone else.

No chat, on purpose. Once you're connected, you talk to each other the normal way — Telegram, a text, whatever you'd already use. We just make the introduction; we don't sit in the middle of the conversation.

No leaderboard, no ranking, no score. Sidora isn't trying to be a competition. There's no public tally of who's "most active" — we'd rather it just feel like a neighborhood, not a game.

All of Sweden, in your language. Available in Swedish, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Credits: how borrowing actually works

Sidora runs on a small credit system instead of money:

Every new account starts with enough credit to borrow a book right away.
Lending a book earns you credit. Borrowing spends it. Listing your own books is really the only way to earn more — you take a book out, you put one in.
To keep books actually circulating, everyone can hold up to three books at a time — plenty of room to be reading a few things at once, without one person quietly taking a large share of what's available off the map.

If you don't have anything to list yet, that's completely fine — your starting credit covers your first borrow either way.

FAQ

Is Sidora free?

Yes, for everything it actually does — listing books, borrowing, browsing the map. There's no subscription and nothing here is for sale.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Sidora runs entirely in your browser. On most phones you can add it to your home screen for something close to a normal app experience, but there's nothing to install from an app store.

What if I don't have any books to lend?

You can still borrow — every account starts with enough credit for a first book. Beyond that, listing a book of your own is genuinely the way to earn more credit — take one out, put one in.

Is my exact address visible to anyone?

Sidora never asks for or knows your exact address, for you or for anyone else — the only location information anywhere in the system is a general postcode area.

Can I message people through Sidora?

Not directly. Once you're matched with someone, you connect through whatever app you'd normally use to talk to people.

What languages is Sidora available in?

Swedish, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese, with more possible down the line.

Is Sidora only for one city?

No — all of Sweden, wherever there's a postcode.

Is my data safe?

Sidora only asks for what it actually needs to work, and nothing more.

Who's behind Sidora?

A side project by one person who wanted neighbors to have an easier way to share books.

Support Sidora

Sidora isn't a company and it's not trying to become one — it's a side project built because sharing books with your neighbors is a nice idea that didn't quite exist yet. It'll stay free for everyone, always.

If you've enjoyed using it and want to help keep it running, you're welcome to buy me a coffee. It's entirely optional, and it goes toward keeping the lights on, not toward anything you'd need to pay for otherwise.