The Internet is a vast and ever-expanding resource, and it’s not just for finding information and connecting with people. It’s also a great place to find and read books online for free.
There are a number of websites and online libraries that offer a wide variety of free books, including public domain classics, contemporary fiction, and non-fiction. And the best part is, you don’t need any special software or devices to read them.
All you need is a computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Once you’ve found a book you want to read, you can start reading it immediately, right in your browser.
5 Best Websites to read books online for free
Below are some of the best websites and online libraries where you can read books online for free.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a digital library of over 60,000 public domain ebooks, founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart. It is one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive ebook libraries.
To read a book on Project Gutenberg, simply go to the website and search for the title you want. Once you have found the book, click the “Read this book online: HTML” option. This will open the book on a web page, showing the original cover, illustrations, and table of contents. You can also navigate the book easily by clicking on hyperlinks.
One of the benefits of reading a book in HTML is that it is searchable. You can use your browser’s find tool to search for words inside the book. This is great if you are looking for a specific passage or quote.
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization that offers free access to digital or digitized content, including books, images, videos, and audio files. The catalog includes over 25 million fully accessible books and other text files. You can also browse a collection of 1.3 million contemporary ebooks that you can borrow for free once you register an account.
To browse ebooks, visit the Internet Archive website and click “Books” in the top menu. Then, use the search box in the top right corner to find the book you want. The platform’s search engine allows you to filter the results by collection, media type, availability, language, or creator.
Once you’ve found a book, the online book viewer will present scanned pages of the book, but don’t worry: the content is fully searchable. You can also zoom in and out and enter full-screen mode.
Another amazing feature of the Internet Archive is the text-to-speech function. It is an especially handy feature for those who prefer audiobooks. To activate the text-to-speech feature, click on the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the book viewer.
Wattpad
Wattpad is a social storytelling platform where readers and writers connect to share original stories. It is one of the most popular e-reading websites in the world, with over 80 million users spending over 23 billion minutes per month reading and writing stories.
Wattpad offers a wide variety of stories in different genres, including adventure, fan fiction, LGBT+, new adult, romance, short stories, urban, and werewolf. While Wattpad promotes paid stories, most content is free to enjoy. However, you need to create an account to access free stories.
To find stories on Wattpad, use the “Browse” tab next to the logo on the left. You can browse by genre or search for specific titles or authors. Once you find a story that interests you, click on the cover to open it.
The reading interface on Wattpad is ad-supported, so you will see ads while reading. However, the ads are not too intrusive and do not interfere with the reading experience.
Bookboon
Bookboon is a website where you can find and read free textbooks. It has over 1,000 textbooks, including engineering, IT & programming, economics & finance, career & study advice, marketing, strategy & management, and languages.
To download a textbook, you need to create an account. You can use your Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn credentials to sign up quickly. Once you have an account, you can download textbooks in PDF format or read them online using the Bookboon reading interface.Â
The reading interface is clean and well-designed, and it uses 100% of the web browser window without switching to full-screen mode. Free members will see ads in the content of the books they read, but the company claims that ads take up no more than 15% of the content.
If you are a student or business professional looking for free textbooks, Bookboon is an excellent resource point. With its wide variety of subjects and easy-to-use interface, chances are you’ll be well served once you’re there.
NetGalley
NetGalley is a website where readers can request and read advance reader copies (ARCs) of books. To get started, you’ll need to create a free account and make a profile that includes your likes and preferences. This platform is mostly beneficial for readers who can review books.Â
If you have a blog, website, Goodreads account, or YouTube channel where you post book reviews, your chances of getting approved for ARCs are higher.
However, even if you are just a reader who is willing to provide honest feedback, you can still request ARCs. The most important part of your NetGalley profile is your feedback ratio, which is the number of books you have reviewed compared to the number of books you have downloaded.
NetGalley has a wide selection of ARCs, including books by popular authors like Jodi Picoult, Kevin Kwan, Karen McManus, Ruth Ware, Meg Cabot, Lisa Jewell, and Shari Lapena. Once you request an ARC, the publisher will decide whether or not to approve it. If your request is approved, you will be given a stipulated time to read and review the book.
Wrapping Up: Where to read books online for free
We’ve come to the end of this piece about where to read books online for free. Hopefully, this blog post has been helpful to you. One of the best things about exploring this avenue is that it allows you to discover new authors and genres. If you’re unsure what to read next, try browsing the bestsellers list or using the search bar to find books that interest you. You may be surprised at what you find!
