15 Best Free Reading Apps for Android and iOS

15 Best Free Reading Apps for Android and iOS-feature image
April 12, 2023 8 Min read

As an avid reader, it can be quite challenging to bring your favourite books along while on the go, be it a tropical beach vacation or a peaceful escape to the mountains. The thought of leaving your favourite books behind can be a nightmare for any bibliophile. However, at the same time, it is not convenient to carry them around.

Fortunately, many different reading apps are available for Android and iOS devices, whether you prefer a smartphone or a tablet. We have curated a list of the best 15 free reading apps that will keep you hooked for hours. So, get ready to lose yourself in the magical world of these immersive book reading apps that will teleport you to a whole new world.

Reading apps convert phone or tablets into reading devices that can be accessed easily from any location. Many ebook apps are available for both Android and iOS devices, which configure the reading preferences as per your convenience.

List of 15 Best Free Reading Apps for Android & iOS Devices

ProductRatingReviewDownload Link
Kindle4.63.05 MAndroid | iOS
Barnes & Noble NOOKNANAAndroid | iOS
Scribd4.110 M+Android | iOS
Google Play Books4.52.17 M+Android | iOS
Goodreads3136KAndroid | iOS
Cloudshelf ReaderNANAHere
Kobo4281KAndroid | iOS
Aldiko3.6214KAndroid | iOS
Inkitt4.367.4KAndroid | iOS
Blinkist4.695.7KAndroid | iOS
iMoreNANAHere
Marvin Classic3.42Android | iOS
Realm3.7100K+Android | iOS
Oodles3.959.3KAndroid | iOS
eReader Prestigio4.5483KAndroid
  • Kindle

Free Ebook apps

Kindle is one of the most popular reading apps for free, introduced by Amazon to help readers download books, articles and such interesting content.

This book reading app has an inbuilt dictionary and text highlight option to ensure a great reading experience. Kindle ebook app is directly linked with Kindle store from where you can download books for reading and sharing.

It is a convenient reading option also because of its availability on almost all the mobile platforms.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Barnes & Noble NOOK

Barnes & Noble NOOK is one of those online reading apps for android and iPhone that is super easy to use owing to the cloud syncing with other devices connected through the same network.

You can download newspapers, articles, books and other relevant content on this free ebooks app for Android and iOS. Users find this free reading app convenient to use on small screen aside from various customisation tools it has to offer such as zooming, font changing, easy search, etc.

Compatibility: Android & iOS

  • Scribd

Free Ebook apps

Scribd is an ebook app used for online reading by users across the world. Download audiobooks, documents, magazines and books through this online reading app.

Online multi format document sharing is the unique feature of this ebook app. Interestingly, for those who are fond of writing, they can use this free reading app for uploading their content and sharing it with people around the world.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Google Playbooks

Reading apps for free

Use Google Playbooks ebook app for free to read everything that is available on Google as Google ebooks. There are several books available for free download aside from books that you can purchase online.

All you got to do is select the book, download it will be saved automatically in your Google books section. The app has one of the largest collections of ebooks with over a million book titles available for download.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Goodreads

Goodreads

Want a best book reading app for free with multiple features to enhance your reading experience? Goodreads free ebooks app could be an answer. Here, you can browse personalised recommendations, scan covers, use progress bar for reading challenge and add book covers in the update progress for an all-round reading experience.

Also, you can check for the latest literary events near you and read reviews of different books by different readers.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

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  • Cloudshelf Reader

Reading apps for Android

Cloudshelf Reader free e-reader app android lets you access books and digital publications in EPUB reading format. Auto-paginated text, fixed layout, video/audio content, augmented reality content are the core features of this popular yet free reading app.

You can also use the feature-rich SDK through customisable reading settings, such as highlighting, search, bookmarking, highlighting and search.

Compatibility: Android

  • Kobo

Reading apps for iPhone

Download the Kobo free ebooks app and upload hundreds of ebooks available here without paying any charges. You can also buy books from this ebook reader and customise the reading options by clicking on the Menu.

It allows adjusting the font size, night/day mode and reading style easily. The bookshelf option here is another interesting feature that stores the last read book in a separate column for the ease of access.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Aldiko

Ebook apps for free

Download Aldiko reading app for free and get books directly in your phone’s personal library for easy reference. This ebooks app will enrich your reading experience by configuring fonts, margin size, brightness, page turning, etc.

Users can also use inbuilt features within this novel reading app to check the progress of their reading, add bookmarks, adjust size of the screen display and manage library through tags/collections.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Inkitt

Inkitt reading app is a free ebook reader most popular for novels, especially the bestseller and upcoming ones. Yes, you read that right! If you are fond of novels then browse through several available listings and reviews to select the next read.

Based on your search history and reading preference, you will get the best suggestions for the next book that you can take up.

Compatibility: Andrew and iOS

  • Blinkist

Ebook apps for Android

Blinkist is a free reading app used primarily for downloading non-fiction books. In fact, the very name of this ebook reader is based on an interesting feature the platform has. Blinkist offers key insights for every page of a book, which is called ‘blink here’ and hence the name, Blinkist.

Download from around thousands of titles available and save these for offline reading. You can also use the Evernote option to highlight the text and listen to audio versions of the same as well.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • iMore

Ebook apps for iPhone

Convert your tablet or mobile into an ebook reader with iMore reading app. Scrolling view, auto-hyphenation, full justification and margins advance are the key highlights of this app for reading.

You can also sort, hide/unhide books, create new bookshelves and sync your books library on Mac, iPhone and iPad. iMore ebook app for iOS was previously called iBooks app.

Compatibility: iOS

  • Marvin Classic

Format your books the way you like them through marvin Classic free reading app for iPhone. Here you can find books not just for yourself but for kids as well.

The reading app supports a large backup and provides functionalities such as speed reading, comic book support, auto act and text to speech. This free ebook app for iPhone supports cloud location sync, embedded fonts, reading timer and high-fidelity rendering.

Compatibility: iOS

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  • Realm

Reading apps

Download this free e-reader and access it through even your Facebook account. Serial Box reading app has compatibility over a range of devices with the automatic sync option between the web library and new downloads.

Not just read, you can also go through audio files of these texts. Interestingly, all the audio downloads are resumable, so you don’t need to worry about losing the data.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • Oodles

In case you are searching for an ebook app for free with thousands of books available for downloading, then Oodles reading app could be an answer. Find several classics for free here. Oodles supports multiple languages and the search filter option is its unique feature.

As a reader you can use different categories such as author, popularity, publisher, etc. to download the next interesting read. The interface is user friendly and saves one from the hassle of going through multiple options.

Compatibility: Android and iOS

  • eReader Prestigio

eReader Prestigio

eReader Prestigio is a free ebook app for Android with various text and formatting options. You can also use this reading app for loading ebooks from cloud storage devices. The text-to-speech functionality is used for reading ebooks aloud.

The scanning feature is its unique selling point, as here you could scan your device for downloaded documents or ebooks. Overall, eReader is easy to use and simple to understand.

Compatibility: Android

Comparison Table for Top 5 Reading Apps

ParametersKindleScribdPlaybooksOodlesBlinkist
CompatibilityBoth Android and iOSBoth Android and iOSBoth Android and iOSBoth Android and iOSBoth Android and iOS
Library Size6 million books1 million books5 million books50,000 books4,000 to 4,500 books
Audio FeatureAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailable
Offline ReadingAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailableAvailable
Reading FeatureInbuilt dictionary and text highlight optionMulti-format document sharingAbility to sync reading with multiple devicesOffers unique search filter optionOffers key insights for every page

Summary

Free reading apps offer book lovers an immersive platform so they can read and explore different storytelling genres without any cost. Whether you’re a literature buff or like non-fiction, these reading apps have something for everyone.

So, what are you waiting for? Download these free reading apps today and lose yourself in the magical world of words and stories.

FAQs

  1. What are reading apps?

    A reading app is a software application specially designed for smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices that enables the users to access and read books, magazines, newspapers, and other forms of digital content.

  2. What are some free reading apps?

    If you are searching for the free reading apps, you can consider Wattpad, Kindle, Kobo and Oodles.

  3. What are the best apps for reading books?

    Some of the best apps for reading books are Kindle, Google Playbooks, Scribd and Nook.

  4. What apps are good for reading?

    Some of the apps that you can consider for are Inkitt, Serial Box, Oodles and iMore.

  5. What are good reading apps for free?

    Some of the good free reading apps are Goodreads, Cloudshelf Reader, Marvin Classic and eReader Prestigio.

  6. What are the best reading apps?

    You can check out the following options if you are looking for the best reading apps – Blinkist, Aldiko, and Kobo.

  7. What are the best reading apps for adults?

    If you have a liking for books and words, you can consider the top reading apps for an enriching and wholesome reading experience. A few popular reading apps are Aldiko, Kindle, Scribd, FBReader, and Wattpad.

  8. Which are the best reading apps for students?

    Here is the list of the best reading apps for students: Prodigy English, Kindle, Tales2go, FarFaria and Raz-Kids.

  9. What are some good free reading apps?

    Some good free reading apps are Google Playbooks, Goodreads, Kobo, Scribd, Kindle and Blinkist.

Written by Somya Gupta

Somya is one of the most experienced technical writers in the team who seems to be comfortable with all types of business technologies. She is a sensitive writer who ensures that businesses are able to find the right technologies through her writings. She would leave no stones unturned... Read more

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