Not everyone loves the hustle and bustle of party life—some of us prefer simpler things like reading books and playing board games after dinners with family. There is great news for big fans of reading as there has been a resurgence of awesome reading apps.
Want to cope with all the books striving for your attention or find interesting ones quicker? Read our guide to find the perfect app for a book lover such as yourself.
How to choose among different apps for book lovers
Apps for book lovers serve different needs. So, before diving into their variety and choosing your best bookmate, ask yourself a question: “What do I expect from an app?” What matters are your wishes, the platform, and the frequency of usage. If you know your preferences, this guide will be of use.
Here’s a list of the top 14 apps for book lovers, ranged by your possible interests:
- Goodreads, #1 among the best apps for book lovers,
- Libby by OverDrive, the connection with your library to read the best free books for iPhone offline,
- Wattpad, the communication platform between writers and readers,
- Inkitt, our recommendation among the best book apps for Android,
- Litsy, the great combination of social media and reading in the range of the best Android book apps,
- Shelfie, the representative of the best iPhone apps for book lovers for managing notes,
- Blinkist, the easiest way to master non-fiction and one of the best iPhone apps for book lovers,
- Audible, the top choice among the best book apps for listeners,
- Epic!, the representative of the best book apps for youth,
- ComiXology, the top choice among the best apps for book lovers if you’re a fan of comics,
- Scribd, a top subscription-based choice among apps for book lovers (Android and iOS),
- Serial Reader, a bite-size reading among Android apps for book lovers,
- The Paris Review, the top lit-crit choice and one of the best iOS apps for book lovers,
- Amazon Kindle eBooks, the leader among best Kindle apps for book lovers.
Free reading apps
1. Goodreads
The leader in the list of free book apps for book lovers.
Available platforms: iOS, Android, browser.
Top choice for everybody interested in books.
Interesting feature: mobile barcode scanner that allows adding paper books to your digital “to read” list.
Goodreads is the first platform in many rankings of best free reading apps for book lovers. Why so? It has plenty of information for various purposes: recommendations for you, recommendations from your friends, different collections (like Best Books 2019), a list of quotes, and a field for reviews. Also, it unites authors and readers, with 90 million users in general and more than a billion books.
2. Libby by OverDrive
The compilation of the best free books for iPhone from your public library.
Available platforms: iOS, Android, Amazon.
Top choice for true old-fashioned bookworms who miss their public libraries.
Interesting feature: Enter your library card information to feel the complete process of borrowing a book.
If you miss your favorite public library, you’re welcome to look through epub versions of its books in Libby! This app from OverDrive awesomely digitalizes the process of borrowing books, so it takes just a couple of seconds. If you use Libby in connection with Amazon, you can also enjoy the collection of audiobooks from your public library.
3. Wattpad
One of the best iPhone apps for book lovers and storytellers.
Available platforms: iOS, Android, web.
Top choice for amateur writers.
Interesting feature: You can join a niche to connect with your special interest club.
Wattpad is much more than just an app; it’s the entire community. On this platform, you can share your talent in writing and make friends with other people interested in reading and storytelling. It’s one of the best iPhone apps for book lovers.
4. Inkitt
One of the best Android apps to read books (iOS-friendly).
Available platforms: Android, iOS.
Top choice for people who love reading and writing.
Interesting feature: Has a huge library of free books in different genres.
Inkitt is an app from a publishing house that allows accessing numerous books online for free and keeps them in your offline digital library. Besides, it encourages the self-promotion of new authors. The great design and usability make Inkitt one of the best Android book apps.
5. Litsy
A social media for book lovers.
Available platforms: Android, iOS.
Top choice for extroverts who love reading and sharing their thoughts about books.
Interesting feature: You can create groups with other users enjoying this top Android app for book lovers. Also, it supports hashtags.
Litsy is an app where each feature is developed to help you socialize. You can see the “reading moments” of your friends, favorite authors, and popular influencers. This in-app community makes you feel connected with other people while reading. And of course, you can share your thoughts about books with them instantly!
6. Shelfie
The digital version of your bookshelf.
Available platforms: iOS, macOS.
Top choice for people who want to arrange and categorize their bookshelf.
Interesting feature: Simply point your camera at a book — and let this representative of top iPhone apps for book lovers work its magic!
If you’re the type of person who always buys books in each bookstore, this app is just for you! In Shelfie, you can browse books and arrange your already bought samples and reading notes in one place. The app syncs your library with other devices, so you can instantly access it anytime and stop yourself from buying something that wasn’t on your list.
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Book reading apps with monthly subscriptions
Let’s find out the top 7 reading applications with monthly subscriptions.
1. Blinkist
One of the best iOS novel reading apps for book lovers.
Available platforms: iOS, Android.
Subscription price: $7.49/month or $89.99/year with a 7-day free trial.
Top choice for iOS users who want to turn reading into a daily habit and lovers of non-fiction.
Interesting feature: Listening and reading mode — you’re free to choose the most comfortable format for you.
Blinkist is the top choice for people who’ve just started to read during this quarantine. Also, it’s an awesome pick for those wanting to increase their professional skills on the go. The collection of books features more than 5,000 bestsellers. In short, Blinkist is fully packed with revolutionary ideas that can change your life.
2. Audible
One of the best book apps with audio content.
Available platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Amazon Kindle, Fire TV.
Subscription price: $14.95/month with a 30-day free trial to download one audiobook.
Top choice for fans of audiobooks.
Interesting feature: You can hear how an author reads his/her book. Alternatively, Amazon invites a Hollywood star for this.
Audible is the top recommendation for audiobooks. No wonder: the size of its library and the compatibility of its service are incredible. Audible is a frequent host in lists of best book apps thanks to its Audible Originals, the creative series product of the Amazon team. Besides, the app is compatible with plenty of formats — smartphones, smart home devices, Amazon products, tablets, computers, and mp3.
3. Epic!
The top choice for comics lovers.
Available platforms: iOS, Android.
Subscription price: $9.99/month and Free for educators.
Top choice for young readers.
Interesting feature: Quizzes at the end of each book for better learning and entertainment.
Epic! positions itself as the top digital library for readers younger than 12 years old. It has everything to become one of the best apps for book lovers in this category: the age-based library range, books for learning languages, and materials in audio and video format. It’s a great choice for parents who want to get their children into reading!
4. ComiXology
The top choice for comics lovers.
Available platforms: iOS, Android.
Subscription price: $5.99/month with a 30-day trial.
Top choice for manga lovers and fans of comics from Marvel and DC.
Interesting feature: For greater readability, the developers have included the abilities to zoom and focus on the interesting parts of the comics in the app.
ComiXology has a library of over 100,000 comics, which is a true gift for the fans of this genre. Specifically, you can find graphic novels, digital comics, and manga in this one of the best iOS apps for book lovers.
5. Scribd
The top reading platform that offers useful apps for book lovers (Android, iOS, cloud, etc.).
Available platforms: Android, iOS, web.
Subscription price: $9.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
Top choice for bookaholics who use various devices and read in various formats.
Interesting feature: The huge library that contains not only books but also magazines, documents, sheet music, and audiobooks.
Scribd is a comprehensive book app that will expand your reading far beyond the limits of books. If you’re interested in expert opinions, piano playing, and discovering news—this offering is for you. The massive library combines the best features of Audible and Kindle Unlimited. And the result is one of the leading apps for book lovers, Android- and iOS-friendly.
6. Serial Reader
15-minute reading in one of the best reading apps for Android.
Available platforms: iOS, Android.
Subscription price: Free with more sync opportunities for $2.99/month.
Top choice for Android users who want to turn reading into a daily habit.
Interesting feature: You can sync your reading progress with your Goodreads account.
Serial Reader is one of the best book apps for Android. It offers the same service as Blinkist but adopts it to classic literature instead. The digital library contains only 850 books but all of them are divided into easy-to-digest 20-minutes-max bites. With this download, you can fill the gaps in your school education hassle-free.
7. The Paris Review
The digital version of a top lit-crit magazine.
Available platform: iOS.
Subscription price: $30/year.
Top choice for people who are interested in literature criticism.
Interesting feature: Browse the magazine archives.
The Paris Review, one of the leading lit-crit magazines, has a digital version you must see! In its collection, you can browse any issue and look at your favorite book from a professional point of view. If you want to understand books better, subscribe to this app and you won’t regret it.
1-time payment book apps
And finally, let us introduce a 1-time payment reading solution.
Amazon Kindle eBooks
The representative of the best Android book reading apps for book lovers.
Available platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry.
Subscription price: Free from your Amazon account, but the price for books is different.
Top choice for people who shop books on Amazon.
Interesting feature: Page Flip — the navigation feature for working with bookmarks and viewing your book from a bird’s eye.
Amazon Kindle eBooks is the ebook app that is a perfect match for your Amazon profile — especially if it’s connected with Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime Reading. The app has many features for convenient reading: you can highlight text, search for meaning and translation of words in dictionaries, and change the font and size of the page. According to the rankings of Lifehack and Android Authority, Amazon Kindle eBooks is the top pick among the best Android apps for book lovers.
Summing It Up
We at Intellectsoft empower companies and their workforce with cutting-edge transformative solutions and data-driven insights. Are you and your organization ready to shift the mindsets and get the most out of innovations?
Our team always stays up to date with emerging technologies and market news. Talk to our experts and find out more about the topic and how your business or project can start benefiting from it today! You can also learn more about our mobile app development services.
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FAQ
What are the best free book reading apps?
If we talk about our top 6, we’d recommend the following ones:
- Goodreads;
- Libby;
- Wattpad;
- Inkitt;
- Litsy;
- Shelfie.
What is the best paid app for reading books?
If we talk about the universal solution, where thousands of books of different genres are collected, we recommend Audible.
What is the best digital platform to buy an audiobook?
Check out Amazon Kindle eBooks, where the biggest choice of books of various genres is presented.
