Libby
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 3 library apps
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.
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.
52 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 45
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 87%
Recommended in 11 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 7.5 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 45 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 11 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Free through your public library
“the Libby app is great for finding, borrowing, and reading ebooks from one or more public libraries”
Comment from 24 Dec 2025 in “How to revive your love of books” “It's free via my local library and Libby if you are stopped by the subscription nag.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “The Dirt That Refused to Die” “This is hugely convenient and feels magical since it doesn't cost anything.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” - Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”
- Comment from 19 Mar 2026 in “'Your Frustration Is the Product'”
Works with Kindle, Kobo and phones
“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.”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Quality non-fiction books are the antithesis of AI slop” “It has overdrive/libby support and I can check out books from my library directly to it.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “The enshittification of Amazon paperback books” “You check out a book in Libby and then just sync the Kobo and it appears.”
Comment from 8 Apr 2026 in “Amazon rewards loyal Kindle devotees by closing the book on old e-readers” - Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”
- Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “Books Are Not Remotely Too Expensive”
Quick to search and borrow
“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.”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Quality non-fiction books are the antithesis of AI slop” “It took me a couple searches in Libby to locate the New Yorker and it offered up the current issue right away.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Sam Altman May Control Our Future – Can He Be Trusted?” “Borrowing with Libby makes it easier to bail out of a book that doesn't intrigue me.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” - Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader”
- Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “Reading is a vice: US student reading abilities and habits are declining”
Large audiobook and magazine selection
“It took me a couple searches in Libby to locate the New Yorker and it offered up the current issue right away.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Sam Altman May Control Our Future – Can He Be Trusted?” “The Libby app gets us access to a lot of audiobooks through the public library”
Comment from 12 Jan 2026 in “Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids” “I used this frequently on my Android phone to download books and magazines”
Comment from 7 Jun 2026 in “The New Bibliomaniacs” - Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?”
- Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “Singapore’s National Library Board offers micropayments to build reading habits”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Limited selection and long waits
“I find that integration near-useless. Even obscure books (if available) tend to have a multi-month wait at my library.”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “What does Jeff Bezos think is going to happen?” “The problem with Libby is finding a local library that has a good selection.”
Comment from 24 Aug 2026 in “Anna's Archive Owes $340 Million, Lost Several Domains, but It's Still Online” “You can't even get all books either.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you” - Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “The desperation of NYTimes”
Drops support for some devices
“Libby doesn't support my preferred 4 year old android tablet any more.”
Comment from 3 May 2026 in “Little Magazines Are Back” “I really wish the Libby app worked with devices other than Kindle”
Comment from 8 Apr 2026 in “Amazon rewards loyal Kindle devotees by closing the book on old e-readers” Library loan limits on ebooks
“I find that integration near-useless. Even obscure books (if available) tend to have a multi-month wait at my library.”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “What does Jeff Bezos think is going to happen?” “The contracts for ebooks at libraries often limit it to X number of circulations before the library has to pay again”
Comment from 2 Apr 2026 in “Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom” Needs app restarts or PC workarounds
“some times you have to force-quit the app and restart (like with Libby books borrowed via Kindle…)”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Last Year on My Mac: Look Back in Disbelief” “I tried that, and it was incredibly frustrating to have to run back to the PC every time”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “I'm never buying another Kindle, and neither should you”
Other library apps people recommend
The two most recommended other library apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 3 library apps, rankedWhat people said
40 of the 60 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I get a lot of books from Libby to read from my library.”
“I can search for and borrow a library bok on Libby in 30 seconds”
“The app has some of the best computer magazine publications.”
“The problem with Libby is finding a local library that has a good selection.”
“Libby very much exists, you just need to sign up through your local library.”
“I even found a plugin that lets me use my local library through Libby with minimal friction”
“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.”
“public library apps such as Libby and Hoopla, and government-supported programmes”
“makes it incredibly easy to train up your listening speed dramatically”
“There's a discovery feature that lets you search by vibe, which I am finding useful.”
“I find that integration near-useless. Even obscure books (if available) tend to have a multi-month wait at my library.”
“Libby for library access (I now refuse to click on the LLM-generated suggestions for related reading)”
“I used this frequently on my Android phone to download books and magazines”
“the selection is extremely limited”
“It's free via my local library and Libby if you are stopped by the subscription nag.”
“The Libby and Hoopla app also gives recommendations based on what I have already read.”
“Libby doesn't support my preferred 4 year old android tablet any more.”
“You can borrow ebooks via Libby to your Kindle.”
“I tried that, and it was incredibly frustrating to have to run back to the PC every time”
“You can't even get all books either.”
“I get good value out of using the Libby app with my local library.”
“This is hugely convenient and feels magical since it doesn't cost anything.”
“Overall it is a much better experience than doing the library to Kindle dance.”
“Kobo + Libby + Calibre has been my loadout for a decade.”
“You check out a book in Libby and then just sync the Kobo and it appears.”
“I really wish the Libby app worked with devices other than Kindle”
“It took me a couple searches in Libby to locate the New Yorker and it offered up the current issue right away.”
“The contracts for ebooks at libraries often limit it to X number of circulations before the library has to pay again”
“Libby is free (and yes, legal, though not available everywhere).”
“It has overdrive/libby support and I can check out books from my library directly to it.”
“where you can borrow it using a library card, from your local library”
“have recently switched to getting everything I can (digitally) through the library and the Libby app”
“Thanks to the Libby app, I have "read" several thousand books over the past 7-8 years.”
“We just, uh, haven't gotten together the executive function to figure out how to do it with the Libby app on the iPhone”
“The Libby app gets us access to a lot of audiobooks through the public library”
“with Libby you don't even have to leave your house”
“some times you have to force-quit the app and restart (like with Libby books borrowed via Kindle…)”
“Borrowing with Libby makes it easier to bail out of a book that doesn't intrigue me.”
“the Libby app is great for finding, borrowing, and reading ebooks from one or more public libraries”
“if your library offers any, you can probably access the product via libby, which works on a phone/tablet?”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.