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Ranking the best of African Literature
Discover the best apps to read books for free in 2025. Access thousands of free e-books and audiobooks on your phone or tablet.
Free books? Count me in!
Everyone loves freebies, and free works of literature are no exception. With digital books more popular than ever, several apps let users access libraries of books online, for free.
However, most of these apps are only “freemium”, needing often requiring users to make one time or monthly subscription payments to access all their books.
Check out our list of the top x best apps to read books for free online in 2025:
Wattpad has been around for so long now that it kind of feels like a publisher of its own. With more than 89 millon users, Wattpad is one of the biggest free online reading apps for lovers of literature. Since its 2006 debut, tons of writers have used Wattpad’s platform as a springboard to commercial success in publishing and movie adaptations.
While a premium subscription offers perks like using the reader app (available on Google Play and App Store) without ads and save an unlimited amout stories for offline reading, the core features remain free to use.
Where it excels:
The Wattpad webnovel app stands out for its rich library of young adult, dark fantasy and comporary romance genres, which is responsible for its 92% Genz/Millenial audience.
Best for:
Readers looking for an abundant library of great young adult fiction originals.
Storipod is a storysharing app where you can read free stories by various writers, across different genres. While some of the books on the app are locked behind a paywall, several hundred stories are available, free to read on Android or iOS devices.
Unlike many free online reading apps, Storipod’s reading interface isn’t designed to mimick ebook reader software. Rather, it draws inspiration from the immersive design in social media storysharing platforms like Instagram and Whatsapp.
Where it excels:
Storipod excels in providing a unique blend of social interaction and reading. Users can directly connect with authors and other readers, share feedback, and get involved in the creative process.
Best for:
Readers looking for a community-based reading experience and something different from native ebook reading interfaces.
Originally designed as an ebook reader supporting all popular ebook formats including fb2, epub and pdf, Cantook has a native catalogue that lets you read thousands of free ebooks in German, Italian, Spanish, French and English.
Its free ebook library has thousands of titles covering a broad horizon of categories including small press adult fiction, recent audiobooks, banned books and a curated section for books already adapted into movies.
Where it excels:
Premium ebook reading experience, with full interface customization options and offline reading.
Best for:
Readers looking for the best mobile book reading
Oodles is a a free book reading app with over 5 million user that offers over 50,000 free books and audiobooks.
The Android app and iOS apps provides access to classic literature across many genres, from fiction to romance and everything in between.
Where it excels:
Oodles excels in offering a massive collection of free books and audiobooks in over 100 categories, including fiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, history, and more.
The app allows users to read books offline and listen to audiobooks anywhere. With night mode for reading in low light, it also ensures a comfortable experience at any time of day or night.
Like its name suggests ManyBooks is a platform that provides access to a large collection of free e-books in multiple genres. The app allows users to download books in various formats, including EPUB and PDF.
With more than 50,000 free and discounted titles, ManyBooks lets you free classics, editor picks and trending fiction across several genres including science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction.
Where it excels:
ManyBooks excels in its diverse library and the ability to download books in multiple formats for different devices.
Share your experience with these apps in the comments!
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