23 of the Best Open Source Ebook Reader Apps, Softwares and Tools

by | Sep 9, 2021 | Ebook Readers, Tools & Softwares | 0 comments

23 of the Best Open Source Ebook Reader Apps, Softwares and Tools
You don’t need a special device like a Kindle thanks to the many free ebook readers available for your desktop and any other devices that you have. These are particularly good for readers 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, note-taking and bookmarks, and for anyone who sometimes struggles with their eyesight, text-to-speech and one-click font customization are welcome additions.

You’ll find lots of ebooks online that you can buy or download for free, but if you don’t have a dedicated eReader, how can you read them? Fire up an ebook reader app on your phone or tablet. Whether you have Mobi, EPUB, or PDF files, there is an eReader app that will work for you. In this list, we have listed down 23 of the best open source ebook reader apps, softwares and tools. Open source simply means the source code of the app is provided. Read on for your best options.

01

Calibre

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files

Calibre

Calibre is an e-book manager. It can view, convert, edit and catalog e-books in all of the major e-book formats. It can also talk to e-book reader devices. It can go out to the internet and fetch metadata for your books. It can download newspapers and convert them into e-books for convenient reading.

02

KOReader

Android, Cervantes, Kindle, Kobo, Linux, Pocketbook, reMarkable

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AGPL-3.0 License / Source Files

KOReader

An ebook reader application supporting PDF, DjVu, EPUB, FB2 and many more formats, running on Cervantes, Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook and Android devices.

03

Polar Bookshelf

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files

Polar Bookshelf

Polar is personal knowledge repository which supports advanced features like incremental reading, annotation, comments, and spaced repetition. It supports reading PDF, EPUB, and the web content.

04

Foliate

Linux

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Foliate

A simple and modern eBook viewer for Linux desktops.

05

Lector

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Lector
Qt based ebook reader. Currently supports pdf, epub, djvu, fb2, mobi, azw / azw3 / azw4, cbr / cbz, md.
06

Bookworm

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Bookworm
A simple ebook reader for Elementary OS. Read the books you love without having to worry about the different format complexities like epub, pdf, mobi, cbr, etc.
07

Duofolio

Android

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Duofolio
An ebook reader that helps you read books in other languages. Made for linguaphiles.
08

Eplee

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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MIT License / Source Files
Eplee
Eplee is an ePub reader focused on clean distraction-free reading experience with simple and beautiful UI.
09

Kavita

Server, web browser

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Kavita
Kavita is a fast, feature rich, cross platform reading server. Built with a focus for manga and the goal of being a full solution for all your reading needs. Setup your own server and share your reading collection with your friends and family.
10

OkReader

Kobo

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OkReader
Free/libre software stack for Kobo ebook readers. No proprietary software (except WiFi and EPD controller firmware), no spyware and no DRM. Based on koreader and Debian.
11

ePubViewer

Edge 17+, Mozilla Firefox 50+, Google Chrome 50+, Safari 10+, and Opera 40+

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MIT License / Source Files
ePubViewer
ePub viewer with dictionary, themes, search, offline support, and more. Does not work on Internet Explorer.
12

Shirah

Linux, MacOS and Windows

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Source Files
Shirah
A curses based terminal RSVP speed reader, written in Python. RSVP stands for Rapid Serial Visual presentiation. Its a controversial method to enable speedreading.
13

kthoom

Web Browser

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MIT License / Source Files
kthoom
kthoom is a comic book / ebook reader that runs in the browser. It can open files and directories from your local file system, the network, or Google Drive.
14

readium-css

iOS, Android, Linux, MacOS and Windows

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BSD-3-Clause License / Source Files
readium-css
A set of reference stylesheets for EPUB Reading Systems, starting with Readium Mobile.
15

Booky McBookface

Android

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Booky McBookface
An extremely unfancy, slightly broken, bare-bones epub reader. Also reads txt and html ebooks.
16

bookr-mod-vita

Vita and Switch

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
bookr-mod-vita
A book reader for the Vita and Switch. Still a work in progress.
17

eBook Reader Dictionaries

Kobo

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MIT License / Source Files
eBook Reader Dictionaries
Finally decent multilingual dictionaries based on Wiktionary for your beloved eBook reader.
18

Eve Reader

Web, Linux, Windows & macOS (coming soon)

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AGPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Eve Reader
Epub Reader, focused on annotation. Still under development.
19

eBook Reader Switch

Nintendo Switch

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GPL-2.0 License / Source Files
eBook Reader Switch
Read Books On Your Nintendo Switch. Reads PDF, EPUB, CBZ, and XPS files.
20

kiosk

Web Browser

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Source Files
kiosk
Kiosk is a simple web application to manage, read and download your ebooks.
21

Bookipedia

Android

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Source Files
Bookipedia
Bookipedia is an open source mobile library, download the Android app on the Play Store.
22

OneSync Reader

Android, Window

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Source Files
OneSync Reader
OneSync Reader is an e-book reader with synchronization for your Android and Windows devices. E-book reader in Xamarin.Forms with synchronization via Dropbox or Firebase.
23

Lisons

Linux, macOS and Windows

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GPL-3.0 License / Source Files
Lisons
A desktop e-book reader for language learners, which facilitates learning from reading by providing machine translations (DeepL, Google) as well as human-translated example sentences (Tatoeba, Reverso Context).

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