8 Free Apple Books Alternatives for iOS
Are you looking to turn your iPhone, iPad, or iPad Mini into a full-featured eBook reader? While Apple Books is a solid option, its bookstore might not always have the titles you’re looking for. That’s why we’ve put together this list of top Apple Books alternatives that can offer a more diverse and customized reading experience.
In this roundup, you’ll find reading apps packed with features like the Open Publication Distribution System (OPDS) for browsing free eBook catalogs directly within the app, as well as apps that support a wide range of eBook file formats. If you’re on the hunt for the best alternatives to Apple Books, these are the top reading apps for iOS that you should check out.
50 Websites to Download Free EBooks
Your gateway to endless reading with the best free e-book sites. Read more
Kobo
Kobo requires you to register for an account on their website to browse and download their catalog of free books. It supports the ePub file format and can detect chapters and table of contents, displaying the page count for each section.
The app also has a social aspect, allowing you to earn achievements and milestones while reading. You can share these achievements with your Facebook friends.
To enhance your reading experience, the text size can be adjusted, and you can change the fonts. There’s also a night reading mode, and you can choose between left-aligned or justified text.
Your library can be sorted by author, title, or recently read. The results can be viewed by book cover image or in a list view. You can also browse their website for more books, and whatever you add to your library there will sync to your mobile devices.
Nook by Barnes & Noble
If reading eBooks is your thing, you’re likely familiar with Barnes & Noble, the largest book retailer in the US. eBooks purchased from them can be read on their dedicated e-reader or on your iOS devices with this app.
With the Nook app, you can search for text within a supported file, add annotations, highlight text, and use an inbuilt dictionary, which can be downloaded separately. You can also adjust the font type and size, line spacing, and page margins to suit your reading preferences.
The app includes a night theme for a better reading experience and allows you to create your own theme by customizing text, background, link, and highlighted text colors.
However, the app does not support Japanese text when tested with an ePub file. Additionally, you cannot browse their bookstore through the app, as it is solely a full-featured eReader.
Kindle
If you don’t own a Kindle but want to shop for books on Amazon.com, this is the app to get. With an Amazon account, all your eBook purchases can be accessed and opened via the app. However, without the app, you’ll need to use an app like Dropbox to open the file on the Kindle app. The app also recognizes files imported through iTunes.
Note that you cannot browse the Amazon library with this app to make new purchases.
The Kindle app supports .mobi files, an eBook file format, and also has support for Japanese characters for vertical text and even manga. You can adjust the font and its size, and choose between normal, night, or sepia themes. There is also a brightness control within the reading settings.
Text can be highlighted or shared on Facebook or Twitter. You can also add notes, which can be saved in a list viewable under the book information page.
Your library can be sorted by title or author, and you can search for words within the text, adjust text size and font, and determine text alignment and spacing between paragraphs, lines, or letters.
If you like to pace your reading, this app allows you to place multiple bookmarks in the same book, all of which can be viewed under the book information section. However, as this app is merely a reader, there is no syncing between devices.
My Books
Books offers over 20,000 classics in its database of free eBooks, including popular titles like the autobiographies of Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln. After searching for a book you’re interested in, you can read a description or reviews before deciding to download it to your library.
The app supports ePub and PDF file formats, which can be imported via iTunes or an app like Dropbox. Books can be emailed and downloaded as a PDF file. As for reading settings, you can adjust the font size and color schemes, including a night mode.
The free version of the app may display ads, but they won’t hinder your reading experience.
Ebook Reader
This app is associated with eBooks.com, a website where you can search for and purchase books. The app won’t open other file types or import books via iTunes. By creating an account and purchasing a book from the website, your purchased books can be synced to this app. It comes preloaded with a few full books like Moby Dick and Beowulf.
The app lets you save multiple bookmarks in the same book, make notes and highlights, all of which can be viewed in a list. You can navigate through pages using the table of contents, and customize the font type, color, size, and background color.
Your bookshelf can be sorted by title or authors, and you can view your collection by book cover or a cover with the title.
MegaReader
If you prefer browsing free books or those in the public domain, MegaReader is a great option. The app comes preloaded with 25 full eBooks to get you started, and you can download more than 2 million other books from sources like Project Gutenberg, Smashwords, Feedbooks, and others. The app also works with Instapaper, allowing you to save web pages to read later.
You can filter books by title, author, category, or based on recommendations from other readers. The app also offers a highly customizable interface: choose preset color schemes, or personalize them along with font options and sizes, margin width, line spacing, and text alignment for a better reading experience.
It is also the first eBook app to let you see through your book to watch where you are going while you walk and read.
Zinio
Bored of books? Want a reading app for magazines instead? Zinio has you covered. Touted as “the world’s largest newsstand and bookstore,” Zinio offers online publications across 11 broad categories including Science & Tech, Sports, Lifestyles, Travel, and more. With thousands of issues available, plus daily free magazine previews, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
You can read magazines in high-fidelity mode, complete with rich colors, interactive content, and other multimedia enhancements, or switch to plain text mode for a simpler reading experience.
Manage your purchased subscriptions and issues with your iTunes account and sync them across all your devices. The app also allows you to bookmark your favorite pages, articles, and photographs, or share them with your friends via the app’s sharing options.
Wattpad
Wattpad is a community where writers and readers come together to share and enjoy stories written by aspiring authors. By registering, you can manage your library and start writing your masterpieces. Without an account, you can still browse through tons of books and read to your heart’s content.
Books are rated and commented on by other members of the community, so you can be sure you’re reading something worth your time.