The following tables compare general and technical features for a number of iOSe-book reader software. Each section corresponds to a major area of functionality in an e-book reader software. The comparisons are based on the latest released version.
Navigation features[edit]
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| Product | Developer | Pagination | Rotation Lock | Auto-scroll | Progress indicator | Backward/forward | Table of Contents | Bookmarks | Resume | Cloud synchronisation | Go To | Full text search |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader[1] | Beijing Founder Apabi Technology Limited | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Blio[2] | K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. | Yes | No | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bluefire Reader[3] | Bluefire Productions | Yes | Yes | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DL Reader[4] | Datalogics, Inc | Yes | Yes | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| eBookMobi[5] | Tien Thinh Vu | Yes | support on iPad, portrait only on iPhone | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Ebook Reader[6] | Ebooks.com Limited | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| i2Reader[7] | Yuriy Melyushin | Yes | Yes | Yes | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| iBooks[8] | Apple | Yes | No | Manual | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kindle[9] | AMZN Mobile LLC | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kobo Reading App[10] | Kobo Inc. | Yes | Yes | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Last place marker only | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| KyBook Reader[11] | Konstantin Bukreev | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| KyBook 2[12] | Konstantin Bukreev | Yes | Yes | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MapleRead[13] | Maplepop LLC | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Configurable | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Marvin[14] | Appstafarian | Yes | Yes | Yes | In library and in-book | Configurable | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| MegaReader[15] | Inkstone Software, Inc. | Yes | Yes | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| PocketBook reader[16] | Obreey Products | Yes | Yes | Yes | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ShuBook[17] | Ambibma Ltd. | Yes | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Stanza[18] | Lexcycle | Configurable | Yes | No | In library and in-book | Configurable | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| uBooks XL[19] | Nix Solutions Ltd | Mixed scrolling & pagination | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iBouquiniste[20] | Sandr | Yes | Yes | No | In-book only | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Developer | Pagination | Rotation Lock | Auto-scroll | Progress indicator | Backward/forward | Table of Contents | Bookmarks | Resume | Cloud synchronisation | Go To | Full text search |
Display features[edit]
| Product | Multi-column mode | Styles (bold/italic/etc.) | Page Turn Effects | Themes | Day/Night mode | Enable/Disable sleep mode | Brightness Control | Indent paragraph | Enable/Disable CSS | Enable/Disable hyphenation | Customize margins | Customize text alignment | Customize font | Customize spacing: line/paragraph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | Yes | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vertical swipe | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blio | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Justification only | Yes | No |
| Bluefire Reader | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Vertical swipe | No | Yes | No | Pre-set choices only | Justification only | Yes | Line only |
| DL Reader | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Pre-set choices only | Justification only | Yes | No |
| eBookMobi | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Ebook Reader | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | (Disabled by default) | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| i2Reader | Yes | Buggy | Yes | Yes | Using styles | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iBooks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kindle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Pre-set choices only | Yes | Yes | Line; pre-set choices only |
| Kobo Reading App | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Vertical swipe | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| KyBook | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Using themes | No | Yes | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| KyBook 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Using themes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MapleRead | Configurable | Yes | Configurable | Configurable | Configurable | Yes | Vertical swipe | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Marvin | Configurable | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vertical swipe | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MegaReader | Configurable | Buggy | Configurable | Yes | Using themes | Yes | Vertical swipe | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Line only |
| PocketBook reader | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| ShuBook | No | Buggy | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vertical swipe | Configurable | No | Yes | None, small, large | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stanza | No | Yes | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vertical swipe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| uBooks XL | No | Buggy | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iBouquiniste | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Multi-column mode | Styles (bold/italic/etc.) | Page Turn Effects | Themes | Day/Night mode | Enable/Disable sleep mode | Brightness Control | Indent paragraph | Enable/Disable CSS | Enable/Disable hyphenation | Customize margins | Customize text alignment | Customize font | Customize spacing: line/paragraph |
Edit/tool features[edit]
| Product | Highlight | Annotate | Edit meta-data | Online dictionary | Offline dictionary | Lookup Wikipedia | Translate | Share | TTS support (read aloud) | DRM support | Export to iTunes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Two Chinese websites only | No | No | Yes |
| Blio | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bluefire Reader | Yes | Yes | Author, Title, Publisher | Yes | No | No | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail | No | Yes | Yes |
| DL Reader | Yes | Yes | Author, Title, Publisher | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Adobe DRM | Yes |
| eBookMobi | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
| Ebook Reader | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, Google+ | No | Adobe DRM | Yes |
| i2Reader | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | |
| iBooks | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, SMS | yes, via VoiceOver | Apple FairPlay | Yes |
| Kindle | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Facebook, Twitter | No | Yes | Yes |
| Kobo Reading App | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Facebook, Twitter | No | Yes | Yes |
| KyBook | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, VKontakte | Yes | No | Yes |
| KyBook 2 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, VKontakte | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| MapleRead | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Marvin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, customizable | Yes | No | Yes |
| MegaReader | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| PocketBook reader | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail, SMS | No | Yes | Yes |
| ShuBook | No | No | Author, Title, Label | No | Yes | No | No | Whole book only, eMail | No | No | Yes |
| Stanza | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Facebook, Twitter, eMail | No | No | Yes |
| uBooks XL | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
| iBouquiniste | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Product | Highlight | Annotate | Edit meta-data | Online dictionary | Offline dictionary | Lookup Wikipedia | Translate | Share | TTS support (read aloud) | DRM support | Export to iTunes |
Book source management features[edit]
| Product | Book store(s) | Book search | In-app Epub import | Import via in-app Browser | OPDS catalog | Other import via | Tag books | Sort books |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | eMail (MIME type) Built-in web server | No | Yes |
| Blio | No | No | Yes | No | No | eMail (MIME type) | No | No |
| Bluefire Reader | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | No | No | No | eMail (MIME type) iTunes File Sharing Built-in Web Server | No | Yes |
| DL Reader | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | eMail (MIME type) | Yes | No |
| eBookMobi | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | eMail (MIME type) | No | Yes |
| eBookReader | No | No | Yes | No | No | Built-in web server | Yes | Yes |
| i2Reader | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Calibre (Bonjour) Built-in web server | No | Yes |
| iBooks | Apple iBookstore | Yes | No | No | No | eMail (MIME type) | No | Yes |
| Kindle | No | No | No | No | No | iTunes File Sharing | No | No |
| Kobo Reading App | No | No | No | No | No | eMail (MIME type) | No | No |
| KyBook | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | eMail (MIME type) Google Books Dropbox Google Drive Yandex Disk VK Docs Network folders iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| KyBook 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | eMail (MIME type) Google Books Dropbox Google Drive Yandex Disk OneDrive iCloud Could Mail.ru OwnCloud (WebDav) VK Docs Network folders (SMB/CIFS) Apple Folders App iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| MapleRead | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Built-in web server Calibre (Bonjour) eMail (MIME type) Dropbox iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Marvin | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Calibre (Bonjour) eMail (MIME type) Dropbox iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| MegaReader | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Calibre (Bonjour) eMail (MIME type) | No | No |
| PocketBook reader | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | iTunes File Sharing eMail (MIME type) | No | Yes |
| ShuBook | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Calibre (Bonjour) eMail (MIME type) iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Stanza | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Calibre (Bonjour) eMail (MIME type) iTunes File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
| uBooks XL | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | eMail (MIME type) iTunes File Sharing | No | Yes |
| iBouquiniste | Free ebook libraries only | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | eMail (MIME type) | No | Yes |
| Product | Book store(s) | Book search | In-app Epub import | Import via in-app Browser | OPDS catalog | Other import via | Tag books | Sort books |
Supported File Formats[edit]
See Comparison of e-book formats for details on the file formats.
| Product | total # of formats | .cbr/.cbz | .chm | .djvu | .epub | .fb2 | .html | .mobi | .pdb | .rtf | .txt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | 3 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Blio | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Bluefire Reader | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| DL Reader | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| eBookMobi | 10+ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ebook Reader | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| i2Reader | 6+ | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iBooks | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Kindle | 2 | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Kobo Reading App | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| KyBook | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| KyBook 2 | 16 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MapleRead | 2 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Marvin | 2 | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| MegaReader | 1 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| PocketBook reader | 8+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| ShuBook | 5+ | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stanza | 5+ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| uBooks XL | 5 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| iBouquiniste | 5 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Product | total # of formats | .cbr/.cbz | .chm | .djvu | .epub | .fb2 | .html | .mobi | .pdb | .rtf | .txt |
License[edit]
| Product | Free | License |
|---|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | Yes | |
| Blio | Partial (voices cost) | |
| Bluefire Reader | Yes | Proprietary |
| DL Reader | Yes | |
| eBookMobi | No | |
| Ebook Reader | Yes | Proprietary |
| i2Reader | No | |
| iBooks | Yes | Proprietary |
| Kindle | Yes | |
| Kobo Reading App | Yes | |
| KyBook / KyBook 2 | Yes | Proprietary, partially OS |
| MapleRead | Partial (CX edition is free) | |
| Marvin | Partial (ability to see more than one book in library cost) | |
| MegaReader | No | |
| ShuBook | Partial | |
| Stanza | Yes | Proprietary |
| uBooks XL | Partial Adware | |
| iBouquiniste | No |
Special features[edit]
| Product | Special features |
|---|---|
| Apabi Reader | Support for the CEBX ebook format VGA output support |
| Blio | Support for the visually impaired |
| Bluefire Reader | Optional PDF password protection Localized in English, French, German, Norwegian, Icelandic, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Danish Support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language epub3 format including Vertical writing mode and R2L page order Supports multiple concurrent Adobe user account activations, both Adobe ID and Vendor ID accounts Export notes and highlights to email Collections Feature for organizing user Library |
| DL Reader | Optional PDF password protection Localized in Japanese, English, German, French, Russian, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese |
| eBookMobi | Optional password protection Displays Microsoft Office documents Adjust screen brightness via swipe Localized in Japanese, English, German, French, Russian, Vietnamese Supports custom Stardict Dictionaries Supports online translation to 105 languages |
| Ebook Reader | Full Epub3 support for in-book audio and video. Online sync of all bookmarks, highlights, notes and reading position. Import DRM free PDF and Epub files. User created collections for organizing books. |
| i2Reader | Configurable status line Custom PDF engine |
| iBooks | iBooks can read text aloud to the user. |
| Kindle | Ebooks can be emailed to an auto-generated Amazon email address |
| Kobo Reading App | Strictly enforces registration with Kobo Support for magazine subscriptions. Extensive social media support via Facebook. Reading statistics and achievements. |
| KyBook | Localized in Russian, English Supports online translation via Yandex.Translate Allows loading user fonts Extensive options for library sorting Changing book covers via Google Image Search Supports use of Tor Network |
| KyBook 2 | Localized in English, Russian, German, Greek Supports online translation via Yandex, Microsoft and Auto translation Text to Speech technology Allows loading user fonts Extensive options for library sorting Changing book covers via Google Image Searchand other sources Supports Audio Books (mp3, m4a, m4b), comic books (cbr, cbz, cbt), Amazon format (awz) and archives (zip, rar, tar) Supports use of Tor Network |
| Marvin | Optional password protection. Customizable page warmth and tint. 'Deep View' automatically creates name lists, summaries, adds references to (Wikipedia) articles and pins web pages, reviews, etc... to the book. Specialized font to assist users with Dyslexia. Integration and annotation syncing with Calibre. Global & book-specific vocabulary. Export notes, highlights, vocabulary & other user modifications to XHTML and CSV files. Reading timer. |
| MegaReader | Configurable tap zones (next/previous page, show menus, rotation lock, toggle heads up display) Optionally uses the rear camera for 'look-through' reading. |
| PocketBook reader | Export book info, notes, highlights to mail, sms, Facebook, Twitter. Localization in English and Russian. Single page, dual page or scroll viewing modes. Crop page margins manually or automatically to fit page content to the screen size. Allows zoom in or out a page via pinch and stretch gestures. Allows zoom to a particular text fragment via double touch. Adjust font size via pinch and stretch gestures (epub, fb2, txt). |
| ShuBook | Basic support for Microsoft Office documents (DOC, XLS, PPT) & RTF. Extensive East Asian support |
| Stanza | Cover Flow[f 1] Extensive options for library sorting Customizable background picture & transparency settings Has some stability problems on iOS >= 5.0 Stanza is not being updated any more |
| uBooks XL | Displays Microsoft Office documents Customizable background Extensive options for library sorting |
| iBouquiniste | |
| Product | Special features |
- ^Not on the iPad
Further reading[edit]
Discontinued e-book reader software
- The Readmill app, introduced in February 2011, read numerous formats on Android and iOS devices but shut down on July 1, 2014.[21]
See also[edit]
- Comparison of e-book formats - includes both device and software formats
- Comparison of e-book readers - includes hardware e-book readers
References[edit]
- ^'Apabi Reader'. Founder Group. Retrieved 2011-12-30.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Blio'. KNFB Reading Technology, Inc. Retrieved 2011-10-25.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Bluefire Reader'. Bluefire Productions, LLC. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'DL Reader'. Datalogics Inc. Retrieved 2010-01-16.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'eBookMobi'. Vu Tien Thinh. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Ebook Reader'. Ebooks.com Limited. Retrieved 2015-01-05.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'i2Reader'. Unsanity. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'iBooks'. Apple. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Kindle'. AMZN Mobile LLC. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Kobo eBooks'. Kobo Inc. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'KyBook'. Konstantin Bukreev. Retrieved 2013-10-10.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'KyBook 2'. Konstantin Bukreev. Retrieved 2017-10-03.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'MapleRead'. Maplepop LLC. Retrieved 2018-03-28.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Marvin'. Appstafarian. Retrieved 2012-12-05.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'MegaReader'. Inkstone Software, Inc. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'PocketBook reader'. Obreey Products. Retrieved 2014-02-16.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'ShuBook'. Ambibma Ltd. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'Stanza'. Lexcycle. Archived from the original on 2011-10-19. Retrieved 2011-10-20.Cite uses deprecated parameter
|deadurl=(help); Cite web requires|website=(help) - ^'uBooks XL'. NIX Solutions Ltd. Retrieved 2016-05-20.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^'iBouquiniste'. Sandr. Retrieved 2015-01-04.Cite web requires
|website=(help) - ^Bond, John-Michael (June 24, 2014). 'Readmill is closing its doors on July 1, 2014'. The Unofficial Apple Weblog.
Ebooks are a great way to enjoy literature – they’re cheaper than print books due to the lack of print and distribution costs (and completely free if the work is in the public domain), and you start reading seconds after buying one.
You don’t need a specialist device like a Kindle either thanks to the many free ebook readers available for your desktop. These are particularly good for students who want to reference texts in their work, add annotations, or refer to online resources.
So what makes a good ebook reader? For general use, a clear layout and the ability to sync your bookshelf across multiple devices are essential; for students, note-taking and bookmarks are essential; and for anyone who sometimes struggles with their eyesight, text-to-speech and one-click font customization are welcome additions.
- Thinking of buying a Kindle? Find the right one for you
1. Kindle for PC
The best free ebook reader, whether you use Amazon or not
Amazon’s official Kindle app for Windows (as well as Mac and mobile devices) is smart and stylish, and although it tempts you with reading suggestions from the Kindle store, the sales pitch isn’t too in-your-face.
There’s no setup necessary if you already have an Amazon account. Just log in with your usual username and password and your virtual shelves will be populated automatically (though you’ll have to click a book’s cover to download it, so bear this in mind if you’re planning some offline reading). Notes and bookmarks are synced across devices automatically, as are flashcards – an extremely useful addition for students using digital textbooks for revision.
Kindle for Windows also includes text-to-speech function, and changing font sizes and color schemes is as simple as clicking or tapping a button.
2. Freda
Premium features for free – Freda is a real rival to Amazon’s crown
Freda (from the delightfully-named Turnipsoft) is a superb ebook reader that integrates with Project Gutenberg, giving you access to thousands of free ebooks, and Smashwords, where you can find works from independent authors and publishers. Importing your own ebooks is a piece of cake too, with support for all the most popular formats. You can even connect Freda to your Dropbox account enabling you to access books from multiple devices.
Freda supports bookmarks, annotations and highlighting, making it a good choice for students. There’s also text-to-speech for anyone who has trouble with text on screens, as well as auto-scroll and speed-read – a tool that works much like Spritz, displaying words in quick succession so you can read without moving your eyes.
Freda is funded by ads, but these are discreet and are only visible on the bookshelf screen; they won’t interrupt your reading.
3. Calibre
An open source ebook reader that’s a great choice for students
Calibre is an open source ebook reader and manager that’s lightweight and lightning-fast. Unlike many free ebook readers, Calibre supports Amazon’s AWZ format (though it won’t open DRM-protected files) as well as all the other popular ebook file types, and if any metadata is missing (such as genre or cover art), you can add it yourself using the bookshelf’s options menu.
One of Calibre’s best features is Reference Mode, which displays the current chapter and paragraph number in the top left – ideal if you need to cite references in an essay. We also like Flow Mode, where text is shown as a continuous scrolling stream without page breaks; not as pleasant as simulated page-turning for recreational reading, but a handy time-saver to avoid flicking backwards and forwards through a textbook.
4. Sumatra PDF
A PDF, ebook and comic reader that's ideal for multiple PCs
Despite its name, Sumatra PDF is a great little ebook reader, capable of displaying books in EPUB and MOBI format, as well as comic books in CBZ and CBR comic books.
Sumatra PDF is a portable app, so you can save it to a USB stick or cloud storage service and use it on any PC. You can save your ebooks in the same place too, eliminating the need to sync your library.
It’s easy to adjust basic settings like font size, but Sumatra PDF’s advanced options can only be edited by opening a text file and typing in new values. If you want to change the page color, for example, you’ll need to find the hex code for your preferred shade and enter it on the appropriate line. It’s not difficult, but we’d prefer a graphical interface.
Ebook Reader Mac
There’s no way to add notes or highlights, but the convenience of carrying your ebook library and reader anywhere might outweigh those drawbacks for you.
5. Icecream Ebook Reader
A stylish free ebook reader, but lacking advanced features
Icecream specializes in smart, no-frills software, and Icecream Ebook Reader is no exception. It supports EPUB, MOBI, PDF and FB2 ebook formats, and once you’ve imported your books they’re arranged in a neat bookshelf with a choice of viewing options. One particularly handy feature is the ability to archive and export your ebooks; ideal if you use more than one PC and don’t want the hassle of importing your books twice. There’s no cloud syncing though.
The reader itself is similar to the Kindle app in appearance, with one-click (or tap) buttons for changing font size, color theme (day, night, or sepia), and viewing the table of contents.
Unfortunately, some of the options you can see in the menus are only available if you hand over US$19.95 (about £15, AU$25) for the Pro version. Premium features include importing multiple ebooks simultaneously, adding notes, editing metadata, and copying text.
The free version of Icecream Ebook Reader is quick and very easy to use, but only really suitable for recreational reading. Students will find the lack of note-taking and copying frustrating.
Free Mobi Reader For Mac
- Want to write your own ebook? Check out the best free software for writers