Looking for the best free reading apps? Wondering if there are free apps that allow you to read books on your phone or tablet? Or curious if there is an app to read books for free? You’re in luck, because there are several incredible reading apps that are both free to download and allow you to read a selection of ebooks for free as well!
The apps on this list include library apps (where you’ll need a library card to access the full functionality) as well as other general reading apps that you’ll find incredibly useful. And remember, all the apps on this list are completely free to download…so let’s get started finding some of your new favorite free reading apps!
1. Libby
One of the best apps for reading free books is Libby, a free reading app that allows you to download books from you library (or libraries) and read them on your phone or other devices!
This app is streamlined and easy to use, and I especially love its features for browsing books and how clean and beautiful the reading experience is on the app. If you have a library with ebook borrowing privileges, then you need this app for book reading!
2. OverDrive
OverDrive is both the name of an app, and the company that made the app Libby mentioned above. But if you’re looking for the best free apps for reading books, you will definitely want to have this one downloaded on your phone, tablet, or computer!
If you’ve tried Libby already, you might notice that these apps are remarkably similar. But while OverDrive also has library ebook downloading capabilities, I find that I prefer the interface of Libby when I’m only reading library ebooks. However, OverDrive is a dream to use if you want to read EPUB files that you’ve downloaded elsewhere (like the free EPUBs from Gutenberg, or the other free ebook sources on this list).
Libby doesn’t work to read ebooks from outside sources, so if you’re looking for free book reading apps that will allow you to read EPUBs from various locations, then OverDrive is definitely the way to go!
3. Hoopla
Speaking of library apps that you need, when you’re looking for an app to read books free then Hoopla is another one you’ll want to have on hand.
Like Libby, Hoopla requires a library card before you can read free books on it. Once you input a library card number, you’ll be given a certain number of downloads each month (my library allows 5 per month). With these downloads, you can read any ebook (or audiobook) of your choice for free immediately!
The fact that you don’t have to wait to read the books of your choice sets Hoopla apart from Libby, where you occasionally have to wait on hold if someone else has already checked out the book you want. However, I don’t find Hoopla’s reading interface to be quite as nice as Libby’s, so I recommend checking Libby first to see if they have what you want available there.
4. CloudLibrary
Before we move on from library reading apps, CloudLibrary is another app you may find useful depending on whether or not your library uses it. It works similarly to Libby, in that you input your library card and can use the app to read free books from your library!
However, I’ve found that CloudLibrary’s reading interface is sometimes glitchy and other times just not as easy or smooth of an experience as that found with the Libby/OverDrive apps, so when you’re looking for apps for reading books for free I recommend trying those before CloudLibrary. But if CloudLibrary is what your library gives you access to, then it is still worth using for sure!
5. Kindle
Kindle is another of the best free apps to read books; there is no cost to download the Kindle app to your phone, tablet, or computer. However, while some books are free on Kindle, there are tons of others that you will have to buy in order to read. So while the app itself is free, not every book you can find through the app is free as well.
But Kindle books are usually a fairly low cost, and there are always new free Kindle books being added as well. Additionally, you can read even more books free if you’re a Prime member or you can pay a low monthly membership fee to read as many Kindle Unlimited books as you want each month! So this reading app gives you lots of options of free to low cost reading, with an always-free Kindle app download.
6. Kobo
When looking for reading apps for free, one you’ll also want to consider is Kobo. This app is created by Rakuten Kobo, and is an app for reading books free as well as buying paid books (just like Kindle offers some free books and some paid).
So download the free Kobo app, check out their current free selection of ebooks, take a look at their paid books, and start reading!
7. Nook
When you’re looking for the best app for reading books, you’ll also want to take a look at Nook. Nook is the free reading app by Barnes & Noble, and alongside Kindle and Kobo is one of the best apps that have free books you can read as well as paid books.
After downloading the free Nook app, be sure to check out what free books are on Nook right now…or find a new ebook to buy on Barnes & Noble for your next read. This free book app is sure to keep you busy with all the free and paid ebooks on offer!
8. Google Play Books
Google Play Books is another good app to read books on, and it allows you to read books you download (for free or purchase) from Google Play as well as reading PDFs, EPUBs, etc. that you download from other places.
Because the app allows you to read PDFs as well as ebooks, that makes this one of the best free reading apps for iPhone and Android. It’s a convenient way to read any documents or books on your phone, whether downloaded through Google Play Books or not!
Plus, like other book reading apps on this list, this is also an app for reading free books if you can find any you want to download! There are, of course, paid options as well…but if you’re hoping to find apps for reading books free, this is an app that should be on your list!
9. Apple Books
Another of the best free books apps is Apple Books, formerly called iBooks. This reading app allows you to find and buy books and audiobooks in the Bookstore, store PDF files, and more!
If you’re hoping this is also an app for reading free books, then you’re in luck because Apple Books also has a section dedicated to free books on the platform. So check it out, see if there’s anything you want to download, and dive into a new book!
10. FBReader
If you’re just looking for good free reading apps for iOS or Android and aren’t looking for apps with free books as well, then FBReader (aka Favorite Book Reader) is the app for you!
This app is solely for reading and managing your ebooks on your devices, and it supports many different formats including EPUB, MOBI, FB2, HTML, RTF, and plain text. In addition to allowing you to read books on your devices, it also helps you store books on Google Drive, organize books by authors, series, etc., and even synchronize your book collections, reading positions, and bookmarks across devices.
So if you don’t need apps that offer free books and only need a free app for reading books you already own, then this can be a good route to choose!
11. LibriVox
If you’re looking for free apps for books but hoping for audiobooks as well, then LibriVox is one app you’ll want to look into! This app offers complete access to the free LibriVox catalog of audiobooks, and you can browse and download them directly from your phone. You can get it for Android or iOS to start listening to free audiobooks today!
12. Audible
Last but not least, if you’re looking for book apps for free then Audible is also one you’ll want to try. Like LibriVox, Audible is for audiobooks instead of ebooks…but with Audible, there are a few free audiobooks and a lot of paid audiobooks as well.
You can learn more about how Audible works here, but it is free to download the app and you can check out the latest free listens to find free audiobooks, podcasts, and more to enjoy. Prime members can also get a wider selection of free audiobooks on Audible, or you can choose to join Audible to get audiobooks at a huge discount.
And, of course, an Audible Plus subscription is an amazing way to listen to tons of audiobooks for a super low cost! So no matter whether you want to get the free app and only listen to free books, or if you want to take advantage of Audible’s low prices, this is one free book app that you should definitely download!
Save for Later
