Reading books on my iPad is one of my favourite things to do when I’m on the go, or sometimes even when I’m winding down after a long day (that, and playing some strategy games). To be honest, I usually prefer reading paper books instead of digital copies of books, but that’s a rant for another day. The big benefit of eBooks is that I can carry hundreds of books in one iPad. And if you have a collection of eBooks that you want to read on your iPad and are looking for the best apps to do so, well, look no further. Here are 10 best free ePub readers for iPad and iPhone you can use in 2022.
There are plenty of options out there for anyone looking to read ePubs on their iOS devices, and almost any of them should be good enough for most people. However, in case you’re looking for some more advanced features, or something that the other apps don’t offer, we will be looking at some more advanced ePub readers as well.
- Books
- Marvin 3
- KyBook 3
- MapleRead
- Gerty
- Scribd
- Bluefire Reader
- Google Play Books
- Kindle
- Kobo Books
- Bonus: Use Overdrive to Borrow eBooks from Libraries
1. Books
First off, I would definitely recommend that you give the Apple Books app a try for sure. It’s pre-installed on your iPad, which means it’s right there ready to go.
It comes with its own store where you can find books to download and read. Plus, you can obviously sync your own ePub files to the iPad and read them in the Books app as well. The app offers a pretty clean interface with no unnecessary design flourishes, which is great.
Cons:
2. Marvin 3
If Books wasn’t the app you were looking for, you should definitely give Marvin a try. Marvin 3 is a widely popular eBook reader for iPad and iPhone. The app brings support for reading DRM-free ePub books. Plus, if you like reading comics and manga, it also supports CBR and CBX comics on your iPad which is great.
Download Marvin 3 from the App Store (Free, Rs. 449 for premium features)
3. KyBook 3
Yet another one of the best ePub readers for iPad you can check out is KyBook 3. Similar to Marvin, this app also offers a load of features that eBook aficionados will definitely appreciate. For one, the interface here is clean which is something I always appreciate.
Pros:
Download KyBook 3 from the App Store (Free, offers subscriptions)
MapleRead is another great ePub reader for iPhone and iPad that is aimed at people who are looking for a really customizable experience with their eBooks.
Cons:
- Free version is limited to life-time limit of 5 books
- Interface and design look dated
Download MapleRead from the App Store (Free, offers pro upgrade)
You should also check out Gerty for your ePub reading needs. You can use Gerty if you’re looking for a free app with features like auto-scrolling on your eBooks. Gerty can also tell you how much longer it will take you to finish a chapter while auto-scrolling.
Download Gerty from the App Store (Free)
Scribd is an app that doesn’t need any introduction. It’s been widely referred to as the Netflix for Books and for good reason. The app offers an almost limitless supply of eBooks and audiobooks for you to read for a monthly subscription.
Download Scribd from the App Store (Free to download, requires subscription)
7. Bluefire Reader
You can also check out Bluefire Reader if you want paid ePub readers for iPad and iPhone that can read DRM protected Adobe content along with the usual ePub and PDF support.
- Support for DRM protected Adobe files
- Highlight, annotate, and bookmark support
Buy Bluefire Reader from the App Store (Rs. 349)
If you love using Google apps, or if you’re already in the Google ecosystem courtesy your Android phone, this is an option you should consider. Google Play Books is one of the ePub readers for iPad and iPhone that will let you read your eBooks on your iPad or iPhone as well as on your other Android devices.
It also won’t let you use external servers like a Calibre server or an OPDS catalog to get eBooks from.
Download Google Play Books from the App Store (Free)
The app needs basically no introduction because it’s pretty much the first eBook reader that comes to mind. The reason this isn’t at the top of the list is because it doesn’t support ePub files. Instead, you will have to convert your ePubs to AZW3 or MOBI files to read them on the Kindle app.
- No support for ePub files
Download Kindle from the App Store (Free)
If you’re more of a Kobo reader person than a Kindle person, there’s a Kobo Books app as well. Once again, since this is both an eBook reader and store app, you won’t be able to side-load just any ePub file you have here. However, you can look through the huge catalog of books available from the app.
- Clean design
- Start reading without an account
- Built-in dictionary
Download Kobo Books from the App Store (Free)
A lot of libraries these days offer their books as digital copies to members. If you’ve been a library goer (like me) and you miss borrowing books from the library and reading them, you should check out Overdrive. This isn’t strictly an ePub reader for iPad or iPhone, but it’s close.
Download Overdrive from the App Store (Free)
There are a lot of eBook readers out there, however not all of them support ePub files. Take Kindle for example, it’s one of the most popular eBook readers but it only supports AZW3 formats and MOBI formats. However, there are ePub readers that support those formats too, making them a better choice for reading apps on your iPhone and iPad.
