The 10 Best e-reader Apps for iPad | Best eBook Reader Apps in 2023

Love reading and want to read the latest books on your iPad? This article features a curated list of the best e-reader apps for iPad.

If you are someone who loves to read, then your iPad is the only device you’ll ever need to read all your favorite books. iPads have larger vibrant screens that let you get fully immersed when reading. They also have excellent battery life.

While the iPad hardware is excellent for reading books, you will need good software to have the best reducing experience on your iPad. E-reader apps for iPad will help you buy books, read or listen to them and organize your library among other things.

There are tons of e-reader apps out there, but here are some of the best e-reader apps for your iPad that will make sure you have an awesome time reading your next book. Check them out below.

Best e-reader Apps for iPad	Features
Amazon Kindle	Huge catalog of books and audiobooks Tons of free/cheap content Feature-rich with excellent customization options
Apple Books	Buy books inside the app Support across all Apple devices Feature-rich and easy to use
Bluefire Reader	Simple UI Completely free to download and use Add your books from multiple libraries
Google Play Books	Huge library of books and audiobooks Clean interface and easy to use Support across all Apple devices, CarPlay, and other devices
Libby, by OverDrive	Borrow books from local libraries for free Support for multiple libraries Completely free to use
Scribd – Audiobooks & ebooks	Tons of content across all genres Affordable subscription pricing Compatible with all Apple devices
Kobo Books	Has a wide selection of books to choose from Kobo Books allows you to customize your reading experience to your liking Syncs your reading progress across devices
Nook	variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and audiobooks Customizable reading experience Syncs with your Nook device
MoonReader	Supports a variety of file formats, including EPUB, PDF, and MOBI Allows you to customize your reading experience to your liking
FBReader	Free and open-source e-reader app Equipped with Advanced features Does not contain any ads

Related: Best iOS App for Audiobooks

10 Best e-reader Apps for iPad

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle is the most popular e-reader app out there. It is popular in pretty much any platform iOS, Android, and others. The reason for its popularity is that the app and its service are exceptional. You get everything you need and want with Kindle.

Kindle features millions of books and audiobooks. It also has comics and magazines. What makes Kindle special apart from the huge library of books is its User Interface (UI) and features. You can customize the text, font, alignment, and orientation of the book to your liking.

You can look up words, people, and places in the book you are reading. There’s a built-in dictionary, Wikipedia lookup, an X-Ray feature, and more. You can track your progress, bookmark pages, and zoom in on pictures for better visibility.

Kindle is easily one of the best e-reader apps for iPad. It works flawlessly on iPad, but it also works well on other devices and you can sync your progress meaning you start where you left off.

It is free to download and use and offers tons of books for free. If you have an Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited subscription, you will get access to millions of books.

Pros

• One of the largest libraries of books and audiobooks
• Excellent UI, service, and support
• Affordable ebooks
• Great accessibility options
• Highly customizable

Cons

• Organizing your personal library is not possible

Apple Books

All Apple iPads come preloaded with Apple Books, Apple’s in-house e-reader app. Apple Books is an excellent e-reader app as it gets everything right. It has a huge library of books with good features and an intuitive UI.

Apple Books features millions of books and audiobooks across categories like fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, thrillers, romance, kids’ books, comics, and more. The books store is also organized well so that you can easily find the books you need.

Apple Books offers free samples for you to preview books and audiobooks and make a choice. You can add books to the Want to Read section, customize fonts and themes. The app uses iCloud to track progress and sync data between devices and your family if Family Sharing is on.

Finally, you can add PDFs and books that are not from the Book Store, but they have to be DRM-free. The app is preloaded onto your iPad, if you have deleted it, then you can download it from the App Store. There is no subscription, so you’ll have to buy the books one by one which can be pricey.

Pros

• Buys books directly, no subscription needed
• Read and sync across all your Apple devices including CarPlay
• Buy books directly in the app 
• Read across all Apple devices
• Family sharing

Cons

• Not supported in all countries and the iOS 15 update has issues

Bluefire Reader

Bluefire Reader is an excellent app for reading books, pdfs from external sources. It is one of the best ways to access Adobe Content Server books from your other devices. You can use Bluefire Reader to read PDFs, EPUBs, and more from different retailers and publishers.

Bluefire Reader has features like bookmarking, note-taking, search function, import and export in batches, and customizing options. All of these make it one of the best e-reader apps for iPad if you have saved content on your device.

Bluefire Reader has a clean and intuitive interface, you can find your downloaded books easily and read them conveniently. The app is completely free with no in-app purchases. So there is no harm in trying it, and I am sure when you try it you will love it.

Pros

• Completely free to download and use
• Simple UI and access to multiple libraries on one app
• Read Adobe digital editions
• Add your EPUB and PDF files

Cons

• Importing books is a bit complicated

Google Play Books

Google might be Apple’s biggest competitor when it comes to smartphone and tablet services, both hardware and software. While you can’t find Apple apps/services on Android, you can find Google’s services on iPhones and iPads. And one such app is Google Play Books.

Google Play Books is similar to Amazon Kindle and Apple Books. It has a large collection of books and audiobooks that span many categories. It is a clean interface making it easy to navigate the app and read books. It supports sync across all your devices with support for CarPlay too.

Google Play Books also has Siri shortcuts support, you can check previews, and access books offline too. Google Books is free to download and there are no subscriptions, so you will have to download books individually. Google runs many sales so you can find goods for cheap.

It is one of the most complete e-readers apps for iPad and its support across multiple devices makes it a great choice for everyone.

Pros

• Large collection of books and audiobooks
• Support across many devices including Apple CarPlay
• No subscription required
• Works in browsers

Cons

• Have to buy from a browser because of Play Store policies

Libby, by OverDrive

Libby is a unique e-reader app for your iPad. It doesn’t sell you books but rather lets you borrow them. Libby works with local libraries to let you borrow books for free. You will need a library card to borrow books though.

If you have a local library card then you can use Libby to borrow books and audiobooks to your iPad for free. The app itself features an excellent UI, that can be customized depending on your needs. You can text, zoom, search for phrases and words, add bookmarks, make notes, and do more.

The audiobook player works flawlessly too, with features like a time multiplier, sleep timer, bookmarks, and more. Libby is easily one of the coolest and best e-reader apps for iPad. If you have a local library card, then it costs nothing to use so I highly recommend trying it out.

Pros

• Borrow books and audiobooks for free
• Access to multiple libraries

Cons

• Need a library card and content can be limited depending on your local library

Scribd – audiobooks & ebooks

If you are looking for a low-cost yet large library inside your iPad then Scribd might delight you. You can find millions of books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and more across all genres. And the best part is that all of it will cost under 10$ per month.

Scribd also features over 60 million documents and articles like reports, research papers, guides, and more. The app lets you read books offline, take notes and add annotations, add bookmarks, customize the interface, and more.

When it comes to audiobooks you can listen to them offline, change the narration speed, set sleep timers, and more. You can also access downloaded PDFs and EPUB from your iPad. All of the above features and the low subscription cost make Scribd one of the best e-reader apps for iPad.

Pros

• One of the largest online libraries
• Excellent UI for both books and audiobooks
• Affordable subscription 
• Customizable reader
• Apple Watch-compatible

Cons

• Only subscription model available

Kobo Books

Kobo Books is a popular e-reader app that offers a wide variety of books to choose from, including both free and paid titles.

It also has a number of features that make it a great reading experience, such as adjustable font size, brightness, and margins.

Kobo Books also supports audiobooks, so you can listen to your favorite books instead of reading them.

Kobo Books has a wide selection of books to choose from, including both free and paid titles. You can find books from a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books.

Kobo Books supports audiobooks, so you can listen to your favorite books instead of reading them. This is a great option if you prefer to listen to books while you’re doing other things, such as commuting or working out.

Pros

• Wide selection of books
• Customizable reading experience
• Supports audiobooks
• Cloud syncing

Cons

• No social features
• No built-in dictionary
• No in-app purchases

Nook

Nook is an e-reader app from Barnes & Noble that offers a wide selection of books to choose from, including both free and paid titles.

It also has a number of features that make it a great reading experience, such as adjustable font size, brightness, and margins.

Nook also supports audiobooks, so you can listen to your favorite books instead of reading them.

You can find books from a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books.

Pros

• Wide selection of books
• Customizable reading experience
• Supports audiobooks
• Syncs with your Nook device

Cons

• No social features
• No built-in dictionary
• No in-app purchases

MoonReader

Moon+ Reader is a free and open-source e-reader app that offers a wide variety of features, making it a great choice for anyone looking for a versatile and customizable reading experience.

It offers a wide range of features, such as adjustable font size, brightness, margins, and background. It also supports a variety of file formats, including EPUB, PDF, and MOBI.

You can customize your reading experience to your liking by choosing from a variety of themes, fonts, and layouts.

MoonReader also offers some advanced features, such as night mode, text-to-speech, and dictionary lookup.

Pros

• Wide range of features
• Customization
• Advanced features
• Free and open-source

Cons

• Not as user-friendly as some other apps
• No social features

FBReader

FBReader is a free and open-source e-reader app that offers a variety of features, making it a great choice for anyone looking for a versatile and customizable reading experience.

It offers a wide range of features, such as adjustable font size, brightness, margins, and background. It also supports a variety of file formats, including EPUB, PDF, FB2, and TXT.

You can customize your reading experience to your liking and choose from a variety of themes, fonts, and layouts. Or take advantage of some advanced features, such as night mode, text-to-speech, and dictionary lookup.

FBReader can be a bit overwhelming at first, as it offers so many features. However, once you get used to it, it is very powerful and versatile.

Pros

• Wide range of features
• Customization
• Advanced features
• Free and open-source
• No ads

Cons

• Not as user-friendly as some other apps
• No social features

Why is my e-reader app not working on my iPad?

There are a few reasons why your e-reader app might not be working on your iPad. Here are some things you can check:

Make sure your iPad is up to date. Apple regularly releases software updates for the iPad, and these updates often include bug fixes that can improve the performance of e-reader apps. To check for updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Force quit the app. Sometimes an app can get stuck and not respond properly. To force quit the app, press and hold the Home button until all of the app icons start to jiggle. Then, tap the red “X” in the corner of the e-reader app’s icozn.

Reinstall the app. If force quitting the app doesn’t work, try reinstalling it. To do this, go to the App Store and search for the e-reader app. Tap on the app’s name, then tap “Install.”

Check the app’s compatibility with your iPad. Not all e-reader apps are compatible with all iPads. To make sure the app you’re using is compatible with your iPad, check the app’s description in the App Store.

Contact the app developer. If you’ve tried all of the above and your e-reader app is still not working, you can contact the app developer for help. The developer’s contact information is usually listed in the app’s description in the App Store.

Best ebook Reader App for iOS – FAQs

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