# Libby 45 Hacker News commenters recommended Libby and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 7.5 years (3 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Free ebook and audiobook borrowing from your public library, on phones, tablets and e-readers. Caveat: selection depends on your library, and it doesn't work on every device. ## Why people recommend it - Free through your public library (5 comments): "the Libby app is great for finding, borrowing, and reading ebooks from one or more public libraries" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46371607)) "It's free via my local library and Libby if you are stopped by the subscription nag." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48359983)) "This is hugely convenient and feels magical since it doesn't cost anything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47839936)) - Works with Kindle, Kobo and phones (5 comments): "with ebooks (first Overdrive, now Libby), when I hear about an interesting book, I can within 30 seconds search for it across multiple libraries, borrow it, and send it to my Kindle." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49014180)) "It has overdrive/libby support and I can check out books from my library directly to it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47389084)) "You check out a book in Libby and then just sync the Kobo and it appears." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47693768)) - Quick to search and borrow (5 comments): "with ebooks (first Overdrive, now Libby), when I hear about an interesting book, I can within 30 seconds search for it across multiple libraries, borrow it, and send it to my Kindle." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49014180)) "It took me a couple searches in Libby to locate the New Yorker and it offered up the current issue right away." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47669019)) "Borrowing with Libby makes it easier to bail out of a book that doesn't intrigue me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398332)) - Large audiobook and magazine selection (5 comments): "It took me a couple searches in Libby to locate the New Yorker and it offered up the current issue right away." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47669019)) "The Libby app gets us access to a lot of audiobooks through the public library" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46589943)) "I used this frequently on my Android phone to download books and magazines" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48431796)) ## What people warn about - Limited selection and long waits (4 comments): "I find that integration near-useless. Even obscure books (if available) tend to have a multi-month wait at my library." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810961)) "The problem with Libby is finding a local library that has a good selection." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49426234)) "You can't even get all books either." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47841116)) - Drops support for some devices (2 comments): "Libby doesn't support my preferred 4 year old android tablet any more." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47993350)) "I really wish the Libby app worked with devices other than Kindle" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47691501)) - Library loan limits on ebooks (2 comments): "I find that integration near-useless. Even obscure books (if available) tend to have a multi-month wait at my library." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810961)) "The contracts for ebooks at libraries often limit it to X number of circulations before the library has to pay again" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47616183)) - Needs app restarts or PC workarounds (2 comments): "some times you have to force-quit the app and restart (like with Libby books borrowed via Kindle…)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46412399)) "I tried that, and it was incredibly frustrating to have to run back to the PC every time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47842240)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [OverDrive](https://hackerapproved.com/p/overdrive.md): 11 recommend - [Hoopla](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hoopla.md): 8 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://libbyapp.com/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Libby", https://hackerapproved.com/p/libby/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).