Nothing says a good book quite like reading apps. There are so many different applications nowadays that it is hard to know what works and what doesn’t.
Initially, we were only going to make a list of the more better-known book apps, but given how many there are, we thought it would be best do the lesser-known ones as well.
Goodreads
One of the most recognisable book apps on this list is Goodreads. For those who might not know what Goodreads is, it is a book social media website where you can recreate To Be Read shelves, annual challenges, lists, recommendations and more.
We’ve used Goodreads for years. We stopped for a few years because we were super busy and didn’t get a chance to read as much as we wanted. So, we deleted the original account and started a new one. When we were on the site initially, there were a lot more features.
There was a feature where you could see how many books had been read from a certain author. Also, their book giveaways were open worldwide and has since been restricted to the United States and Canada.
The app is available on iOS device and Android (GooglePlay) devices.
Kobo
Our next book app is Kobo. Kobo is a brand of ereader, which is seen as a rival to Nook and Kindle. We have an old Kobo Touch that is at least fifteen years old and it still works fine. The ebook store does have a wide range of books and audiobooks, but there is one small thing. Depending on where you live, the bookstore will not have everything you want. Oh, and it has a subscription service where you can download ebooks for free. There are also audiobooks available.
The Apple Books store is very similar, which we’ll get to a little later in the post.
Kobo has an app as well as the brand of physical devices. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. You can also access the the Kobo bookstore from your computer, either from the website or from the designated desktop app.
Nook/Barnes And Noble
This next Book app was a surprise to us as being in Australia. For those might not be aware, the Barnes and Noble book store chain is exclusive to the United States and was once a rival to the now defunct chain, Borders, which were in Australia for a period of time.
There are NO Barnes and Noble stores outside the United States. However, the chain does ship outside the US and their app is available to those outside the country as seen in the Australian iOS store. It is also available in the GooglePlay store.
There is a separate Nook app, but from what we can find, it is not available in Australia. Whether the Nook ereaders can be bought from Barnes and Noble online by Australian customers is unknown, but we don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to when they can buy physical books. They just can get access to the app on mobile devices in Australia.
What’s great about the Barnes and Noble app is that it gives you what their top 100 books are, a list of announced new books and their monthly pick.
Kindle/Amazon
Of all the book apps on this list, the Amazon Kindle is probably the most recognisable as Amazon has almost every book imaginable. We have one of the earliest Amazon Kindle Fires, that originally belonged to our late grandmother.
Amazon has as a series of different ereaders like Kobo does and so there is a sizeable numbrer to choose from.
Also, the Kindle app can be downloaded a computer and has mobile apps. However, the Kindle desktop app cannot be used to purchase or download books. This can be done via either the Kindle device, through the mobile apps or via the Amazon website in the Kindle section. There is also a subscription service were you can download books for free.
Apple Books
Apple Books is the dedicated Apple equivalent to Kindle, Nook and Kobo. Depending on your country, the Bookstore might not have everything you’re looking for. Apple Books will only run on Apple devices, so Macs, iMacs, iPhone and iPad.
The Apple Book store also has audiobooks.
Audible
Moving away from ebooks for a moment and the next book app we’re talking about is Audible, which is owned by Amazon. It is a subscription service where you can purchase audiobooks. You can also get free audiobooks.
Like with all the other ebook suppliers, Audible’s stock depends on the country. So, for example, not all Star Wars audiobooks are available in Australia. The app is available on all mobile devices.
Libby by OverDrive
Libby by OverDrive is an app where you can “borrow” digital versions of library books, audiobooks and magazines from your local library. All you need is the app and a library card.
The app is available on Apple, Android and Amazon devices.
BorrowBox Library
BorrowBox Library is very similar to Libby by OverDrive, but in Borrowbox, you can change the font type of the book, highlight passages like with a normal ebook. It also has author pages and a list of the bestselling books.
The app is available on Apple, Android and and new Amazon Fire devices.
Wattpad
Wattpad has a fascinating history with getting newbie writers published. One of the more famous examples is Anna Todd. She wrote OneDirection fanfiction, ended up publishing her stories from WattPad as the After series with some massive retweaking. The books were then adapted as films starring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and Josephine Langford (Katherine Langford of 13 Reasons Why fame’s sister).
Writers are welcome to publish both fanfiction and original works on the site and readers must vote for the works in order to make them more visible.
The app is available on all Apple and Android devices.
GooglePlay Books And Audiobooks
Google Play Books and Audiobooks are available on Apple and Android devices. Audiobooks is a new addition and has been added in the last couple of years.
Booktopia
Editor’s Note: In early July 2024, Booktopia has gone into voluntary administration.
Booktopia is an online bookstore where you can buy almost any book under the sun. There is a fixed delivery price and if you buy over a certain amount, you get free shipping. Booktopia provides physical books, ebooks and audiobooks.
There is an app for the bookstore on the Apple and android stores.
What’s fascinating about the app is that you can buy ebooks and read them from the app.
Bookly
We’d never heard of Bookly before we started researching this post. It is a more advanced version of the Goodreads setup. Bookly can help help you track your reading time, gives you special rewards to encourage you to keep reading and more.
The app is available on all mobile devices, as well as being in the Mac App store. There is also a paid version of the app.
TBR – Bookshelf
TBR – Bookshelf is a little known app that helps with the organisation of books. It works on MacBook as well, but you need the current operation system in order for it to work. It also has a fun idea of having season themes so you can have falling snow for winter and so on.
The app is available on iOS but we could not find it on Google Play for Android.
Episode
Episode is an interactive story app where users can create their own unique story and be paid for it, depending on views. The app has changed a lot in regards to its art design. It also caters a lot to romance and badboy stories.
The app is available on Apple and Android devices.
Choices
Choices is very similar to Episode, but you cannot create your stories. Though, they did recent shut down their short-lived Storyloom platform. The platform has changed a lot over the last few years and has an premium feature where you can pay to get access to stories that have not yet hit the main app.
The app is available for both Apple and Android.
Bookshelf: Book Tracker
This next book app is Bookshelf. We had to take a second look at the iOS app store because there were a few apps with that name. So, this one allows the user to create flashcards out of phrases from the text you’re reading. It also shows bestsellers and helps keep track of your TBR shelf.
Bookshelf is only available on Apple devices.
Book Buddy: My Library Manager
The next book app we have here is Book Buddy. It allows you to keep track of every book, including those you’ve borrowed from the library. It is available in the Mac App store, Apple devices and Android devices.
Storytel
Storytel is an audiobook service founded in Stockholm, Sweden. It also has ebooks.
It has a subscription service and is available on both Apple and Android devices.
Medium
While not a book app in the traditional sense, Medium is a website (and app) where the user can have either a free account or work towards monetising it.
The website is home to millions of articles by every type of person.
In all honesty, the best way to read the site is through the website, but it can be done via the app on either Apple or Android devices.
Book Reader
Book Reader has a clean design that is easy to fall in love with. Even if you read for just five minutes, it makes a difference.
Book Reader is available on Apple Devices. We couldn’t find it on the Google Play Store.
Blinkist
Blinkist is a unique app which gives you the core ideas of the book you’re reading. From what we can tell the service only deals in nonfiction. It also has audio explainers.
Available in the Apple app store and on Google Play.
Netgalley
The last book app we’re exploring is Netgalley. This is a website (mostly) that allows readers to read advanced copies of books before they’re released. The reason we mention the website is because for it to work, everything needs to be done over there. The app is what can be used to read the books.
An alternate way to read the books is to direct them to Kindle or to have Adobe Digital Editions installed so they can be loaded onto Kobo devices. To find the NetGalley app, it is in the Apple and Google Play stores.
