15 of the Best Places to Find Free E-Books

Where to Find Free E-Books Online

When you start looking for free e-books online, it won't be long before you start coming across less-than-reputable websites. Some may actually require you to enter payment information while others provide access to pirated content. Still, there are several websites and apps that you can use to download/read e-books legally and free. Among them are Project Gutenberg, Open Library, HooplaDigital and even Amazon. 

Loyal Books

Major Genres: Kids, fiction, fantasy, mystery
Best For: Classic titles, kids' books
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

Loyal Books is a great resource for finding both free e-books and free audiobooks. On the website, you can download the file format of your choice (text, EPUB, Kindle and more) or read the e-book directly in your browser. You can also download the Loyal Books app for iOS or Android. It has a rating of 4.4 on the App Store and 4.5 on Google Play. 

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg was founded in 1971, making it the oldest digital library. The website relies mostly on volunteers to upload digital files including e-books and audiobooks. At the time of writing, there were more than 60,000 free titles available. You don't even have to create an account to access them. 

When I checked out Project Gutenberg, I visited the website on my computer. You can also download the app on your Android device; it has an average rating of 4.1 on Google Play. Unfortunately, there isn't a version available for iOS. 

You can search for a specific title using the "quick search" bar at the top of the page. You can also browse available titles by scrolling over "search and browse." The frequently downloaded section has several top 100 lists, and the bookshelf category is a great way to browse by subject. Once you've found a title that interests you, you can click on it to see the available files or read the e-book online.

Feedbooks

Major Genres: Classic titles, science fiction, short stories
Best For: Public domain titles
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (download), e-readers (files)

Feedbooks is a digital library that focuses on both public domain texts and original work. While not all of the titles are available for free, you can click on "Free Public Domain Books" or "Free Original Books" to narrow your selection.

The partner app, Aldiko, is available for iOS and Android devices. It has a 2.6 rating on the App Store and a 4.0 rating on Google Play. When I visited the website, I thought it was fairly easy to use despite a couple of misdirected links.

Open Library

Major Genres: Classic books, romance, thrillers, textbooks
Best For: Variety, a large collection
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

Open Library is a project hosted by Internet Archive. Its goal is to make all published works available to everyone by collaborating with authors, librarians and people on the web. Open Library works like Wikipedia in the sense that you can edit the records yourself and add files/links to free books and e-books that aren't listed, which means you'll find an impressive collection. 

You can visit Open Library online or download the app for your iOS or Android device. Unfortunately, the app has relatively low ratings: 1.5 on the App Store and 2.5 on Google Play. Despite those ratings, I thought the website was relatively easy to use. 

Manybooks

Major Genres: Romance, mystery & thriller, science fiction, biographies, action & adventure
Best For: Best-selling modern and classic books
Platforms: Computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

Manybooks is another great resource for finding free e-books online. While there isn't currently an app available for iOS or Android devices, the website is really easy to use. Plus, there are a variety of file formats available to download including PDF and e-reader files. 

When you first visit Manybooks, you'll see a selection of popular genres available to browse. Or you can use the search bar at the top of the screen to look for a specific author, title or keyword. If you aren't sure what you want to read, I recommend checking out Manybooks' ultimate guide to the most popular free e-books. There, you'll find a top-five list for several genres including romance, mystery, science fiction and more. 

Digitalbook

Major Genres: Fiction, classics, history
Best For: Finding something new
Platforms: Computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

Digitalbook.io is a great resource for finding free e-books, audiobooks and podcasts. While there isn't currently an available app for either iOS or Android devices, the website is extremely easy to navigate. You can search for a title directly from the homepage, scroll down to see top-rated and trending books or browse by genre. 

BookBub

Major Genres: Romance, Fantasy
Best For: Discounted books, variety
Platforms: App (iOS), computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

BookBub is a little different from other resources on this list because it simply compiles links to e-books that are free for only a limited time period. You'll see free e-books from Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple Books, Google Play and Kobo. 

If you visit BookBub.com, you'll be prompted to create an account to access the website. However, you can visit BookBub's free e-book page to bypass this step. From here, you can access links to hundreds of free e-books. Once you've found a title you're interested in, simply click one of the links below the book's price to download it to your computer or device. Some retailers also let you open the e-book directly in your browser. 

The BookBub app for iOS devices has a 3.1 rating on the App Store, and there isn't currently an app available on Google Play. When I checked out BookBub, I accessed the website online and found that it was really easy to use once I bypassed creating an account.

Smashwords

Major Genres: Adventure, science fiction, romance
Best For: Self-published e-books
Platforms: Computer (online/download), e-readers (files)

Smashwords is a website that allows authors to self-publish e-books. While some authors choose to sell their e-books, others are available for free. There isn't currently an app available for Smashwords, but the website is convenient and easy to navigate. When you first visit the website, you can use the price filter at the top of the page to narrow your results so that you're seeing only free e-books. 

OverDrive

Major Genres: Biography, young adult, fiction, literature
Best For: Library titles, new titles, multiple formats
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (online/download), e-readers (varies by library)

OverDrive provides access to free e-books and audiobooks through your local public library or school. That means you'll need to enter your library card number or school/work email address in order to access free titles. Once you've signed in, you'll need to save information about your local libraries so that you can see the entire selection available to you. 

You can access OverDrive on your computer or as an app on your iOS or Android device. In addition to the OverDrive app (which has a 4.6 rating on both Google Play and the App Store) you can also check out the Libby app for iOS or Android. It's owned by the same company, provides access to the same titles and also has an average rating of 4.6. According to the website, the Libby app is the easiest way to get started, but if you have a device that's not compatible with Libby, you can use the OverDrive app for a similar experience. 

HooplaDigital

Major Genres: Modern classics, fiction, children's
Best For: Library titles, new releases and variety
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (online/download), e-readers (varies by library)

Hoopla is the digital service of Midwest Tape, which is a leading provider of entertainment and media to public libraries across North America. You'll find free e-books, audiobooks, movies, TV shows and more available from more than 1,500 libraries. You can visit the website or download the app the get started. At the time of writing, the app had a 4.8 rating on the App Store and a 4.7 rating on Google Play. When I checked out the service, I used the desktop version from my laptop. 

Amazon

Major Genres: Adventure, romance, self-published
Best For: Kindle owners, mobile experience
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), e-readers (Kindle)

Amazon offers a selection of free e-books that are available for anyone to download. The catch is that these e-books are free only on Kindle. But you don't have to have this specific e-reader in order to access the titles. Instead, you can download the Kindle app. 

The app is available for both iOS and Android devices. At the time of writing, it had a rating of 4.8 on the App Store and 4.0 on Google Play. To add e-books to your Kindle library, you can visit Amazon's website and search "free e-books."

Barnes & Noble

Major Genres: Historical fiction, romance, mystery, young adults
Best For: Kids' books, free magazines
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), e-readers (Nook)

Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble offers a selection of free e-books for its e-reader: the Nook. Fortunately, you can download the Nook app on your iOS or Android device instead of having to pay for the e-reader itself. The app has a 4.8 rating on the App Store and a 4.5 rating on Google Play. 

To find free e-books, you can visit Barnes & Noble's website and navigate to the free e-books page. There, you'll find a featured free e-book, top free e-books and additional categories. There are thousands of free e-books for kids as well as staff picks, classics and even magazines. 

Kobo

Major Genres: Romance, mystery & thriller, fantasy, horror, science fiction
Best For: Kobo owners, young adult books
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), e-readers (Kobo)

Kobo is a company that sells e-books, audiobooks, e-readers and tablets. Still, there's an impressive collection of free e-books that you can access online or from your mobile device. 

Similar to Amazon and Barnes & Noble, you'll need a Kobo e-reader or the Kobo app to read e-books from this resource. The app is free for iOS and Android devices. At the time of writing, it had a 4.6 rating on the App Store and a 4.3 rating on Google Play. To add free e-books to your Kobo library, you can visit the website online.

Once you've found the free e-books page, you can begin browsing titles by top picks, first in series, editor picks or genre. When you click on a title, you'll see a brief overview, how many pages and words the book contains and an estimation of how long it'll take to read. Additionally, you can read reviews/ratings from other readers. 

Google Play

Major Genres: Romance, personal development, textbooks, young adult
Best For: First books in a series
Platforms: App (iOS and Android), computer (online)

Google Play Books is another resource worth checking out if you're looking for free e-books. While not all of the titles are available for free, there is a selection of titles that you can read at no cost. Among these titles, you'll find self-help books, mysteries, thrillers, romance novels, young adult fiction and more. Many of these free e-books are the first in a series. 

Once you've signed in and added books to your library, you can select them and click the "read" button to open them instantly in your browser. Of course, you can also read them on your mobile device using the Google Play Books app. At the time of writing, the app had a 4.6 rating in the App Store and a 4.1 rating on Google Play.

Bookboon

Major Genres: Engineering, I.T., business
Best For: Student textbooks
Platforms: Computer (online/download)

Bookboon is an online publishing company targeted at students. You'll find textbooks specializing in engineering, information technology and business. In addition to textbooks, Bookboon also provides access to books that focus on both personal and professional growth. 

Final Thoughts

To see what's available at your local public library, be sure to check out HooplaDigital and OverDrive. For general public domain titles, try Project Gutenberg or Feedbooks. Loyal Books and Manybooks also offer a great selection of classic titles. If you're a student looking for textbooks, Bookboon is the website to visit.

No matter where you decide to hunt for free e-books, just make sure you're visiting safe and legal websites. You shouldn't have to download any software or enter any payment information in order to read e-books that are truly free. 

What are your favorite websites/apps for reading free e-books? Let us know in the comments below!

More Ways to Find Free Entertainment: 

• 10 of the Best Websites for Free Online Games
• 12 of the Best Places to Watch Free Movies Online
• 12 of the Best Places to Find Free Music Downloads

[ This article was originally published on Clark.com ]

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