# Alternatives to Apple Books

Apple's built-in bookstore and reader.

Apple Books ranks #5 of 8 in Ebook readers, with an Alt Score of 75. It is free from Free and available on iOS and macOS. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-books/
Category: Ebook readers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Apple device owners who read ebooks or listen to audiobooks and want a single built-in app for buying and consuming both, across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, and Vision Pro.
- **What you get**: A combined ebook and audiobook store and reader with free samples, personalized recommendations, and reading-goal/streak tracking. The app itself is free; individual books and audiobooks are purchased separately, though many free titles are available. Family Sharing lets purchases be shared with up to five other people.
- **How it works**: Browse or search the Book Store, buy or download a free title, then read or listen in the app. Progress and bookmarks sync via iCloud, so you can pause on one device and pick up exactly where you left off on another, with offline access to downloaded titles.

## Profile

- **License**: ?
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Platforms**: iOS, macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Calibre](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/calibre.md) | 90 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [Moon+ Reader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/moon-reader.md) | 90 | Proprietary | Android |
| 3 | [KOReader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/koreader.md) | 80 | AGPL-3.0 | Android, Linux |
| 4 | [Librera](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/librera.md) | 80 | GPL-3.0 | Android, macOS |
| 5 | [Google Play Books](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/google-play-books.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Android, iOS, Web |
| 6 | [Kindle](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kindle.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 7 | [ReadEra](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/readera.md) | 35 | Proprietary | Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Ebook readers checklist | Apple Books | Calibre | Moon+ Reader | KOReader | Librera | Google Play Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starts at | Free | Free | ? | Free | ? | Free |
| License | ? | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Platforms | iOS, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Android | Android, Linux | Android, macOS | Android, iOS, Web |
| Formats (EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CBZ) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Sync position across devices | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annotation & highlights export | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Dictionaries | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OPDS support | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Text-to-speech | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Page turn customization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Library management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DRM support | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Apple Books. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://www.apple.com/apple-books/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The Apple Books app is free and there is no subscription.”
- **Starts at**: Free — <https://www.apple.com/apple-books/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The Apple Books app is free and there is no subscription.”
- **Platforms**: iOS, macOS — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/welcome/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Apple Books ships on iOS/iPadOS and macOS; no Windows/Android/Web version.
  - Quote: “Books User Guide for macOS”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.apple.com/apple-books/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Apple Books is a built-in app that lets you find, buy, listen to, and read audiobooks and ebooks all in one place.”
- **Formats (EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CBZ)**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/import-books-audiobooks-or-pdfs-ibkseed72068/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: EPUB and PDF supported; no MOBI/CBZ.
  - Quote: “You can import content that you didn't get from the Book Store or Audiobook Store, such as PDFs, mp3 audiobooks, Audible audiobooks, and many EPUB books.”
- **Sync position across devices**: Yes — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/icloud-read-listen-devices-ibks86dab303/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “iCloud saves your spot in a book or audiobook so you can easily pick up where you left off.”
- **Dictionaries**: Yes — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/see-book-glossaries-and-definitions-ibkse4722c53/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Control-click the word, then choose Look Up”
- **Text-to-speech**: Yes — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/read-books-ibks5f526382/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “For books that include the Read Aloud feature: Click the Play button in the toolbar at the top of the book.”
- **Page turn customization**: Yes — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/change-a-books-appearance-ibks8923126d/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Choose a theme—for example, Original, Quiet, or Paper.”
- **Library management**: Yes — <https://support.apple.com/guide/books/welcome/mac> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Sort your books and audiobooks”
- **DRM support**: Yes — <https://itunespartner.apple.com/books/support/33-copyright-digital-rights-management> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “DRM protects your book from illegal copying. It works differently depending on your book's file type”

---
Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/