# Alternatives to Google Play Books Google's ebook platform. Google Play Books ranks #6 of 8 in Ebook readers, with an Alt Score of 75. It is proprietary, freemium from Free and available on Android, iOS and Web. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/google-play-books/ Category: Ebook readers ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Readers and listeners who want a single app for buying and consuming ebooks and audiobooks across genres like fiction, self-improvement, manga, and textbooks, and who want that library accessible on any device. - **What you get**: A storefront with millions of ebooks, audiobooks, comics, manga, and textbooks, plus a personal library that syncs your purchases and progress. Reading features include adjustable fonts, offline downloads, and highlights/notes; audiobooks support variable playback speed. Everything ties to your Google account so purchases follow you across devices. - **How it works**: Browse or search the Play Books store, buy or sample a title, and it's added to your library. Open the book or audiobook from the Android app, iOS app, or web reader to read or listen, with your place synced across devices. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-10) - **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-10) - **Platforms**: Android, iOS, Web - **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 | [Apple Books](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-books.md) | 75 | ? | iOS, macOS | | 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 | Google Play Books | Calibre | Moon+ Reader | KOReader | Librera | Apple Books | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Free | | Starts at | Free | Free | ? | Free | ? | Free | | License | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | ? | | Platforms | Android, iOS, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Android | Android, Linux | Android, macOS | iOS, macOS | | 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 Google Play Books. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Starts at**: Free — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Download the Play Books app at no charge.” - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “All rights, interests and titles over Google Play and the Content are reserved insofar as they are not expressly granted to you in the Terms.” - **Platforms**: Android, iOS, Web — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Save books in your library and then read or listen on any device, including your web browser.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “These functions work with PDF documents uploaded after January 20, 2026.” - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: App is free; Google sells ebooks and audiobooks. - Quote: “Download the Play Books app at no charge.” - **Formats (EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CBZ)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: EPUB and PDF only; no MOBI/CBZ. - Quote: “You can read PDF and EPUB documents with Google Play Books.” - **Sync position across devices**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “you can read them on any device you sign in to” - **Annotation & highlights export**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “You can find your Play Books notes, highlights, and bookmarks in Google Drive. Your notes are saved in a document specific to the book you're reading.” - **Dictionaries**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Tap a word. Select Dictionary lookup.” - **Text-to-speech**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Hear text in ebooks read out loud with Read Aloud, VoiceOver, or text-to-speech.” - **Library management**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Tap Library. Tap and hold the book you want to add to a shelf... Tap Add to shelf.” - **DRM support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “These limits are set by the book's publisher and vary depending on the specific book. These limits are known as Digital Rights Management (DRM).” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/