The proliferation of smart devices such as e-book readers, phones, and tablets has only fuelled the reading habit. You are now free from the limitations of bulky hardcovers and fragile paperbacks. You can now carry your favorite reading books on any device without worrying about adding to their weight, damaging the delicate paper, or losing them.
There is also no shortage of e-books to read, with almost every bestseller and classic now available in digital editions for you to enjoy. But free e-books?
It’s very different. They can be hard to find. Thankfully, a lot of apps and websites specialize in providing free ebooks or have sections where you can search for them.
Although you won’t find the latest bestsellers for free, you’ll likely see some public domain classics and newer, but less popular titles. Find your next book with the help of one of these services.
Best Websites and Apps to Download Free Books in 2024
1. Amazon
The king of e-book readers is, without surprise, one of the most solid ways to get free books. It’s one of the best ways to get free e-books for Kindle because they’re delivered straight to your device, unlike many other apps and websites.
Finding free books on Amazon isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but it’s not the most difficult either. If you’re using the website, you can go to a category of books, and then select Best Sellers. Select Top 100 Free to see a breakdown of the most popular titles in this category.
You can also search for “free books” to see what you’re looking for or limit it to a specific category. It’s possible to do this on the Amazon app as well, but you can’t currently buy e-books through the app because of disputes with Google and Apple.
2. Google Play Books
Google Play Books is often described as the worst sibling of Amazon’s Kindle service, but it’s not. Google Play Books is a good option if you want something different from the massive monolith that is Amazon. Generally, it has a lot of ebooks, but if you know what to look for, you can find some great free books too.
The app’s home page is the first place to find free books. Scroll down to the eBook charts and look for a category marked Free. Here, you’ll find the top 100 ebooks that are in other people’s libraries, which gives you a useful measure of their popularity.
Unfortunately, your options are pretty limited if you don’t want any of these or want something new. To find books you can search for “free books” or just the genre you want, then choose free from the price filter. Unfortunately, there’s no “free” section dedicated to browsing.
3. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg offers free downloadable classics. This website, which has been running since 1971, is the oldest online library in the world, with over 70,000 titles. It’s the best place to search for titles in the public domain, and you’ll find downloads of Moby Dick, Shakespeare’s collected works, and even many of Agatha Christie’s old classics. Downloads range from simple EPUB files to files tweaked to work on the Amazon Kindle.
However, the sheer number of file types on 0ffer can be a bit confusing. Do you want Kindle, EPUB3, or EPUB formats? Or is it better to read from the web? Most of the books here are in English, but there are some in other languages as well. This isn’t easy sometimes as some titles may not be free to download outside the US. Finally, if you want an app, there isn’t one as this is just a website.
If you’re looking for an old classic, though, this is where you should go first.
4. ManyBooks
ManyBooks offers a completely similar service to what the name suggests: it has a huge collection of books, coming from different periods and genres. There are more than 50,000 titles on the ManyBooks website, which generally includes a selection of public domain classics, but also plenty of books from new authors. You can read each book by downloading it to your e-book reader, or you can read them using the ManyBooks online reader instead.
You’ll need a free account to download or it will redirect you to Amazon. Also, contrary to what the website says, not all books are free. However, those books are marked and often available at a low price, so it’s easy to forgive.
5. Libby
It’s best to borrow books from your local library, but you can also just go in and borrow a digital e-book. But you can use Libby to borrow e-books from a local library.
Libby works similarly to what used to be called OverDrive. Get a library card from your local library and then sign up for Libby. It will tell you which books are available to borrow, just enter your library card details. It’s simple and free, and if you’re in the US it connects to Amazon Kindles, making them even easier to read.
Libby has some problems, of course. If you’re not in the US or don’t have a Kindle, it’s impossible to read your books using the Libby app. The app might not be to your liking or it might not be as easy to use as an e-book reader. There might be a wait to get the book, especially if it’s in demand because it’s a library copy.
A few drawbacks to Libby might make your job a little harder, but if you want free books and you already have the right library card, you don’t have to do anything except simply sign up and see what you get.
6. LibriVox
Reading books isn’t the only way to read, and audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular, especially among people who want to keep reading their favorite books while driving, driving, or working. It’s good that LibriVox exists because free audiobooks can be hard to find. LibriVox has free audiobooks in a huge number of languages and genres. Having such a large number of titles available for free is especially good for children’s books, and again, it’s good to rely on public domain titles.
The audiobooks are available for free as it is run by volunteers. However, this is a double-edged sword as the quality of one book can differ from that of another, depending greatly on the individual ability of the volunteer reading the book. This can make it a little more difficult than you might think, but if you find the right audiobook, all will be forgiven. The website and app are available on Android and iOS.
7. Open Library
The Internet Archive has many excellent e-books, but those titles are hard to find. That’s why we have an Open Library. Open Library takes what the Internet Archive has to offer and presents it in a much more user-friendly and easy-to-browse manner. There are lots of titles to choose from, including all the common public domain classics and some very well-known books, such as A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and Deep Six by Clive Cussler. Granted, these more popular titles will only be available via loan, but you can find them if you want.
You can also search by language, which is a nice addition; there are multiple download formats available too. However, sometimes a book will be listed as available but only borrowable in Spanish, so it can be difficult to find books available in your language. That’s fine if you speak Spanish, but not great if not. Regardless, it’s worth having on your radar. There are apps available on Android and iOS.
8. eBooks.com
eBooks.com is technically a seller, but it doesn’t shy away from providing a huge number of books for free. Four hundred of them are enough to keep even the most avid and active reader busy for quite some time.
They are available to download or read online, but it should be remembered that all of these free ebooks come as ACSM files, which means they are very tight with DRM. They can be read on mobile using any of the reading apps recommended by eBooks.com. This is disappointing, but you are getting some important free ebooks, so it’s hard to say that it’s worth doing some minor work to read them.
9. Free-ebooks.net
Free-ebooks.net, which lives up to its claim, offers a good amount of free e-books. There are plenty of old titles to new ones you’ve probably never heard of. This wide variety also comes with some audiobooks, giving you more choices.
What’s the problem? You have to register for free, and you’re only allowed to download five books each month. You can read at a slower pace, but if you read a lot, you’ll have to buy more books than you need.
10. Authorama
Authorama has one advantage over Quick and Dirty. It has almost only public domain books, but they are very good and republished. The website itself is very simple—it’s just a blank space with an alphabetical list of titles. That’s why it’s so simple to use; just scroll down to the bottom of the list and look for what you want.
There are many Drawbacks. It doesn’t have a lot of books in languages other than English and there are very few options. There are no advanced search features and there’s very little to look at. It’s almost entirely limited to reading on the website, which is possible. But despite these drawbacks, it’s a good list of free books.
11. Z-Library
For those who are not familiar with Z-Library, it is an online platform that gives access to a vast collection of books and academic papers. The Z-Library is an easy and useful alternative to traditional libraries, giving users the ability to access its collection of books and papers from anywhere around the world.
An important feature of Z-Library is its extensive collection of books, which covers a wide range of different subjects and topics. The platform will have what you are looking for, whether you are a student, researcher, or just want to read. Also, Z-Library constantly updates its collection with the latest books and papers along with new domains, giving users access to the most current information.
An added benefit of Z-Library is its user-friendly interface. The platform is designed to be easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly find the books they need. The platform also allows users to search for books by author, title, or keyword, making it easier for them to find the book they want.
It provides access to academic papers and research articles in addition to a collection of books. It is especially beneficial for students, researchers, and everyone who needs good academic information for their work or studies.
12. Wikibooks
Most textbooks are openly available on Wikibooks. This includes computers, engineering, science, languages , and more. Every book has a list of contents and other details, so you can find out more about the book.
Conclusion
Overall, the digital age has revolutionized access to literature; some countless websites and apps allow one to download books for free. There is a wide range of resources catering to different reading needs, ranging from broad repositories like Open Library and Project Gutenberg to specialized platforms like ManyBooks. For those who enjoy current topics, platforms like Free-Ebooks.net provide a wealth of indie and self-published articles, while older readers can rely on reliable sources like Books & Feedbooks and Google.
On-the-go apps like Libby integrate user-friendly interfaces with vast collections, ensuring a seamless reading experience for mobile users. Different platforms come with different features, so whether you’re looking for educational resources, contemporary fiction, or timeless classics, there’s a perfect option for you. Using these platforms not only expands access to a world of knowledge and entertainment but also supports multiple publishing channels, making literature more accessible than ever.