The best ebook reader apps, according to hackers
7 ebook reader apps were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended ebook reader apps with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Customize almost everything
An open-source e-reader app for Kindle, Kobo and Android with deep customization, strong PDF and EPUB handling, and plugins; expect a confusing, cluttered interface and some setup effort.
Library view by author or series
Free ebook library that shows books by metadata instead of folders, so nesting doesn't matter. Fits self-hosted setups without cloud lock-in.
All 7 ebook reader apps, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOReader | 193 | 32 | 86% | 11 | 1 yr7 owners | Approved |
| 2 | Bookshelf | 15 | 5 | 75% | 6 | 3 mo3 owners | Approved |
| 3 | Apple Books | 10 | 29 | 26% | 6 | — | — |
| 4 | Kindle app | 9 | 12 | 43% | 6 | — | — |
| 5 | Librera Reader | 8 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| 6 | BookFusion | 6 | 1 | 86% | 5 | — | — |
| 7 | Readest | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same ebook reader app in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to ebook reader apps that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
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