The 4 Best Reading Apps and Ebook Readers in 2026
Your to-read pile is taller than your nightstand, and your wallet has opinions about that. Good news: plenty of great books are already paid for.
The short answer
Libby Best overallThe best reading app for most people is Libby. With a library card it lends you ebooks, audiobooks and magazines for free, downloads them for offline reading and works on iPhone, Android and the web. If you buy ebooks, the Kindle app is the best ebook reader app for that store. To track what you read, use The StoryGraph.
Which one is for you?
Best overallLibbyReaders and listeners with, or able to get, a public library card
2
Best for bought ebooksKindleReaders who already buy ebooks from the Kindle store
3
Best book trackerThe StoryGraphReaders who love stats and want a gentle exit from Goodreads
4
Best for highlightersReadwise ReaderStudents and researchers who read to take notes
- Libby wins: free ebooks, audiobooks and magazines with a library card, and no tracking.
- Kindle is the reader for books you buy, with your place, highlights and notes synced everywhere.
- The StoryGraph tracks your reading; Readwise Reader suits PDFs, EPUBs and heavy highlighters.
The best reading app depends on where your books come from. Borrow from the library? Buy ebooks? Listen on the commute? Want a tidy record of every book you've finished or abandoned? These picks cover all four, starting with the one that costs nothing.
Keep reading
They're ranked on what you can read, how pleasant long sessions are, price and how much each app tracks your reading habits.
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Best overall
1. Libby
0Your library card becomes a free bookshop, audiobook app and magazine rack in one.
- Free
- iPhone · Android · Web
- No subscription
You hear about a great novel on Monday and place a hold in Libby the same day. When it's ready, you get told, download it and read offline on the train, or listen at a faster speed with a sleep timer for bedtime. All of it is free with your library card.
More about Libby
You can link several library cards, and partner libraries now switch on automatically so search checks availability across them. In the US, loans can go to a Kindle. The catch is patience: popular books often have long hold queues, and the catalog depends on your library.
Great forReaders and listeners with, or able to get, a public library card
The catchPopular books can mean a long wait in the hold queue
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Best for bought ebooks
2. Kindle
0Start a chapter on your phone, finish it on a laptop, and never lose your place.
- Free
- iPhone · Android · Mac +2
- Works offline
You read a chapter on your phone in the checkout queue, then pick up on a laptop at home on exactly the right page. The Kindle app syncs your place, highlights and notes across phone, tablet, computer and the web, and X-Ray, dictionary and Wikipedia lookups explain anything you skimmed past.
More about Kindle
Real page numbers and translation are built in, and if you own both versions you can switch to the Audible narration. The catch: you can't buy books inside the iPhone app, your books are locked to the Kindle ecosystem, and its privacy label ties a lot of data to you, including for marketing.
Great forReaders who already buy ebooks from the Kindle store
The catchLocked ecosystem, and a privacy label that ties lots of data to you
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Best book tracker
3. The StoryGraph
0Tells you what to read next based on your mood, not just what everyone else liked.
- Free + paid plans
- iPhone · Android · Web
You just finished a heavy thriller and want something light and quick next. The StoryGraph recommends books by mood and pace, not just star ratings. Rate in quarter stars, log the books you didn't finish without guilt, and check content warnings before you start.
More about The StoryGraph
Charts show your reading habits, buddy reads hide spoilers in reactions, and it now syncs your progress from Kobo. Moving from Goodreads is easy with an import. The catch: free users see ads, deeper stats need Plus, and the social side is lighter than Goodreads.
Great forReaders who love stats and want a gentle exit from Goodreads
The catchAds on the free tier, and the best charts need Plus
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Best for highlighters
4. Readwise Reader
0Read EPUBs and PDFs with a highlighter in hand, then find every note in your notes app.
- Subscription
- Web · iPhone · Android +2
- No ads
You're reading a nonfiction book for work and highlighting half of it. In Readwise Reader, EPUBs and PDFs sit in the same library as your saved articles, and every highlight flows to Obsidian, Notion or Logseq. Ghostreader, the built-in AI, can look things up or summarize for you.
More about Readwise Reader
Text-to-speech voices read aloud when your eyes are done, and it works offline on phones, desktops and the web. The catch: it's subscription only after the trial, it isn't cheap, and it's built for study more than for curling up with a novel.
Great forStudents and researchers who read to take notes
The catchNo free plan after the trial, and not cheap
Side by side
| # | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Libby |
Best overall |
| 2 |
Kindle |
Best for bought ebooks |
| 3 |
The StoryGraph |
Best book tracker |
| 4 |
Readwise Reader |
Best for highlighters |
How to choose
What makes the best reading app for you?
Start with where your books come from. Library borrowers want Libby, Kindle store buyers want the Kindle app, and PDF or EPUB collectors want Readwise Reader. Then check the basics: offline downloads, synced place and highlights, and audiobook controls if you listen.
If you want to remember what you read, add a tracker like The StoryGraph alongside your reader.
What is the best ebook reader app if you don't want to pay?
Libby, as long as you have a library card. It's free, has no ads and lets you read or listen offline. The Kindle app is free too, but you pay for each book unless you add an optional subscription.
Get Libby first: it's free with a library card and covers ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. If you'd rather buy books and read them instantly on every device, the Kindle app is your shelf.
See why Libby is #1Compare the top picks
Questions people ask
What is the best free reading app?
Libby is the best free reading app: it lends ebooks, audiobooks and magazines with a library card and has no ads or in-app purchases. The Kindle app is free too, but you buy most of the books you read in it.
Libby or Kindle: which is better?
Libby is better if you want free books and don't mind waiting for holds. Kindle is better for books you buy, with instant access and syncing across nearly every device, and in the US Libby can even send loans to a Kindle.
What is the best app to track the books you read?
The StoryGraph is the best book tracker here, with mood-based recommendations, quarter-star ratings and reading charts. It imports your Goodreads library, so switching is easy.
Can I listen to audiobooks in these apps?
Yes: Libby lends audiobooks free with a library card, with speed control and a sleep timer. The Kindle app can switch to Audible narration if you own both versions, and Readwise Reader reads text aloud.
