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Linux
OSX
Windows
Productivity
PDF
ePub
What are the best desktop readers?
14
Options
Considered
121
User
Recs.
Mar 5, 2023
Last
Updated
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14
Options
Considered
Best desktop readers
Price
Platforms
License
89
Calibre
Free
Windows, macOS, Linux
GPL-3.0-only
--
Zathura
Free
Linux
Zlib
--
Okular
Free
Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD
GPL-2.0-or-later
--
Sumatra
Free
Windows
GPL-3.0-only
--
BookReader
$9.99
macOS
-
See Full List
89
Calibre
My Rec
ommendation
for
Calibre
My Recommendation for
Calibre
Add Video or Image
All
9
Experiences
2
Pros
4
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Powerful book management software, very customizable and scriptable
Features include metadata editing and downloading, coverpage downloading., book tagging and categorization, webpage-to-ebook converter for popular websites, etc. Lots of plugins available to extend functionality.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Average, non-power users might find the interface somewhat daunting
The interface, while functional is not the most attractive or intuitive which may put some people off and discourage their use.
See More
DecentRhea's Experience
Conversions from Ebook (AZW, CHM, MOBI) to Electronic Publication (EPUB): Page Setup Output Profile: "Generic e-ink HD." Maintains original resolutions of images
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, macOS, Linux
License:
GPL-3.0-only
Top
Pro
•••
Cross-platform
Calibre is available for Linux, OS X, and Windows, 32-bit or 64-bit.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Can't save text highlights or annotate
See More
Yanis's Experience
Simple and efficient, great work.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Open Source
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Portable
Calibre has an optional portable build that can be stored on external media along with the users library. It can then be opened from the external media on any windows device.
See More
Hide
See All
Free
Recommend
35
4
--
Zathura
My Rec
ommendation
for
Zathura
My Recommendation for
Zathura
Add Video or Image
All
8
Pros
7
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Lightweight
Zathura is fast and can open a pdf file almost instantly.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Linux
License:
Zlib
Top
Pro
•••
Vim bindings
You can browse files via keyboard, using keyboard commands similar to vim (text editor).
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Clean interface
Inferface is clean and shows only a small statusbar.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Good documentation of configuration options
See man page "zathurarc".
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Detailed adjustment of dark mode
recolor-darkcolor recolor-lightcolor recolor-keephue recolor-reverse-video (see manpage zathurarc) Also, proper dark mode: colors are grayscaled not inverted.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Automatic document reloading
Zathura will automatically refresh the view when a document has been modified. (By contrast, Chrome requires a manual refresh and brings you back to the top of the document so that you have to scroll back down).
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Deactivation of all GUI elements
See More
Hide
See All
Free
Recommend
11
2
--
Okular
My Rec
ommendation
for
Okular
My Recommendation for
Okular
Add Video or Image
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD
License:
GPL-2.0-or-later
Hide
Free
Recommend
1
--
Sumatra
My Rec
ommendation
for
Sumatra
My Recommendation for
Sumatra
Add Video or Image
All
8
Experiences
1
Pros
5
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Reads many file types
Including PDF, XPS, DjVu, CHM, EPUB, Mobi, FictionBook, PalmDoc, and comic books.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Windows only
No Linux or OSX versions available.
See More
DaringAnubis's Experience
Best lightweight multipurpose reader for windows.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows
License:
GPL-3.0-only
Top
Pro
•••
Book updates on the fly
If Book font, style is changed, Sumatra will take the update instantly, No need to close first and import again! Huge time saver for self publishing.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Portable
The application consists of a single file that can be run without installation. You can put it on an external device, such as an usb thumb stick and run it on any Windows machine from the thumb stick.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Multilingual
It's available in 69 languages.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free and open source
Sumatra is available for free, licensed under GPL with source code available on GitHub.
See More
Hide
See All
Free
Recommend
11
1
--
BookReader
My Rec
ommendation
for
BookReader
My Recommendation for
BookReader
Add Video or Image
All
1
Specs
Specs
Platforms:
macOS
Hide
$9.99
Recommend
8
--
FBReader
My Rec
ommendation
for
FBReader
My Recommendation for
FBReader
Add Video or Image
All
7
Pros
4
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Closed Source
"FBReader is not open-source since 2015."
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Good customization options
The software allows customizing things like fonts, direction, bookmarks, hyphenation, scrolling, scrolling options, colors, margins, etc.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Top
Con
•••
Somewhat awkward interface
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Cross-platform and open source
FBReader is a completely free cross platform eBook reader that is also open source.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Simple and fast
FBReader, while offering many options is simple in design, with that allowing for fast use.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free, open source and cross-platform
FBReader is a free application for Windows, OSX, Linux, iOS and Android with source code available on GitHub.
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
5
1
--
Icecream Ebook Reader
My Rec
ommendation
for
Icecream Ebook Reader
My Recommendation for
Icecream Ebook Reader
Add Video or Image
All
5
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Con
•••
Windows Only
Available on Windows desktop or tablet only (not iOS nor Android).
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Pleasant reading experience
The app tracks how much of the book has been read, jumping between chapters or bookmarks can be done with a few clicks, and there's even a distraction-free mode that takes away all the interface and allows focusing on the book.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Free version is limited to 10 books.
To store more than 10 books in your library you have to get the pro version which costs $19.95.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Clean, customizable UI
The application has an easy to use and understand interface with important features such as search always within easy reach at the top. The interface can also be customized to best suit wishes. For example, font size can be changed, there's choice between single and double column view when reading books, or table and bookshelf view when managing the library.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Lightweight
See More
Hide
See All
Free/$19.99
Recommend
4
--
EPUBReader
My Rec
ommendation
for
EPUBReader
My Recommendation for
EPUBReader
Add Video or Image
All
2
Pros
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Does not require you to download the file
Instead of having to download and open the file in a separate program, EPUBReader will allow you to read online.
See More
Specs
Platforms:
Firefox, Chrome
Hide
Free
Recommend
1
--
Adobe Digital Editions
My Rec
ommendation
for
Adobe Digital Editions
My Recommendation for
Adobe Digital Editions
Add Video or Image
All
6
Pros
3
Cons
3
Top
Con
•••
Full of bugs. No longer supported
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Well-designed library management
All books are automatically divided in categories such as "not read", "borrowed", "purchased", "recently read", and "recently added" and additional categories can be added manually. They can be sorted by various criteria including "title", "author", "publisher", "date of addition", and "number of pages". Great for managing large quantities of books.
See More
Top
Con
•••
No support for Linux
Doesn't have a Linux version.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Can be used with a variety of screen readers
ADE supports JAWS, Window-eyes, NVDA and Voiceover.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Can't edit metadata
Lacks a built-in metadata editor.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Built-in annotation tools
You can highlight and leave notes in the app.
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
3
5
--
Microsoft Edge
My Rec
ommendation
for
Microsoft Edge
My Recommendation for
Microsoft Edge
Add Video or Image
All
5
Pros
2
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Closed Source
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Supports Ebooks
Can show PDF and Epub formats.
See More
Specs
Default Search Engine:
Bing
Available on:
Windows 10, iOS, Android, Mac
Browser engine:
EdgeHTML
Top
Con
•••
Windows 10 only
On desktop, for now it is available only on Windows 10.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Learning Tools
Built in Learning Tools are really handy for reader.
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
6
2
--
Amazon Kindle
My Rec
ommendation
for
Amazon Kindle
My Recommendation for
Amazon Kindle
Add Video or Image
All
7
Pros
5
Cons
2
Top
Pro
•••
Ease of use
Clean, simple user interface.
See More
Top
Con
•••
No support for EPUB files
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Whispersync
Synchronization between devices. Easily pick up on where you left off reading on your Kindle, smartphone, or tablet.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Not good for students research
The eBooks available from Amazon do not offer normal page numbers, printing or even copy paste, which makes using any of the ebooks for reports or papers pretty much impossible.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free
Available for free on Windows and Mac, and also a very good web app.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Built in store
The Kindle app for Android features an in built eBook store within the app that sells eBooks, magazines, newspapers, comic books and graphic novels. Amazon also offers one of it not the biggest eBook store available today.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Send to Kindle
The Kindle platform allows users to upload their own eBooks and documents to be read on any of the Kindle apps or devices.
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
6
3
--
Kindle for PC
My Rec
ommendation
for
Kindle for PC
My Recommendation for
Kindle for PC
Add Video or Image
All
8
Pros
5
Cons
3
Top
Con
•••
Works with .mobi format only
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Send to Kindle
See More
Top
Con
•••
Send to Kindle now has to be paid for
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Cross-platform
See More
Top
Con
•••
Need Internet connection to download a book
Of course, after the download, you wouldn`t need the Internet.
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Automatic syncing
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Compatible with all ebook formats
See More
Top
Pro
•••
Free
The best free ebook reader, whether you use Amazon or not.
See More
Hide
See All
Get it
here
Recommend
3
3
--
Adobe Acrobat Reader
My Rec
ommendation
for
Adobe Acrobat Reader
My Recommendation for
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Add Video or Image
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
2
1
--
Nook
My Rec
ommendation
for
Nook
My Recommendation for
Nook
Add Video or Image
All
2
Pros
1
Cons
1
Top
Pro
•••
Free
Available for free from the Windows Store.
See More
Top
Con
•••
Windows 8 & 10 only
No Linux or OSX versions are available.
See More
Hide
Get it
here
Recommend
2
1
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