Whether you buy specialist e-reader devices like Amazon’s Kindle or just choose to enjoy smartphones and tablets to satiate your reading voracity, considering Ebook reader apps still add practical value and convenience in UK.
There are Apple’s Books and Google Play Books are already there dominating as digital ebook reading apps, but why not opting for dedicated reading apps that offer a slew of incredible features?
In UK, the best eBook reader apps of 2023 that we are going to highlight enhance your reading experience, adding a lot of ease and perfection by means of extremely configurable settings, customization, support for a range of formats and unlimited subscriptions.
Some of them even do the unimaginable for reader, offering all-in-one marketplace platform and audio books.
Check out these 11 top picks in alternative eBook reader apps in UK (2023).
| Kindle | Google Play Books |
| Serial Box | Scribd |
| Overdrive | Bluefire Reader |
| KyBook 2 | ComiXology |
| Moon+ Reader | ComiCat |
| Marvin |
1. Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle is the most popular multi-platform e-book reader app with a robust marketplace, library and modern reading management system.
From contemporary bestsellers to old classics, Kindle store comprises of over one million titles.
It allows users immense flexibility and power to customize the display to their needs. It lets you change font size, background color, brightness, highlight text and other settings.
What is fascinating is that Kindle syncs your last read page, highlights and notes, and bookmarks between devices and platforms (Android and iOS).
Users can easily find and reach pages in any book with merely a couple of taps on the screen.
The latest feature Kindle Unlimited program takes a small monthly fee to let users access thousands of audio books and ebooks.
2. Google Play Books
Presenting you with thousands of books, fiction and comics, magazines, audio books and more content, Google Play Books allows readers to dive in the pleasure of reading their favorite books on their devices.
It works even on iPad if Google ecosystem is not favoring for some reason. The Ebook reader app also syncs across all your devices provided you are using Google account.
Its design embodies user-focused simplicity and offers ease of navigation.
The app enables all the reader-friendly options expected in a typical ebook reader app such as font changes, text highlights, annotations. People who rely on both Android phone and iPad can find it perfect to switch.
3. Serial Box
Earlier designed for iPhone users, Serial Box is now available for Android devices. The Serial Box approach is unique, though.
As if to offer compatibility with reader’s routine schedule or live journey, Serial Box doesn’t force them to pay for a complete audio book.
Instead, the app has convenience of letting you get short, episodic content from novels in small chunks – which appears to be perfect when you commute or are on a break.
Serial box houses quality and variety in books ranging from drama and fantasy to sci-fi. Its paid episodes include both text and audio version.
Users can also avail discounts on a full story like “Bookburners” and “Tremontaine. For true digital book lovers, Serial Box has configurable reader and audio book player mode.
4. Scribd
Scribd is legitimately for those who seek unlimited content subscription service at some fixed cost every month. For this reason, perhaps, Scribd is dubbed “Netflix for books”.
Scribd seems to emanate from ‘Subscribed’ and lets you access an extensive library of books, magazines, audio books, newspapers and even more for a monthly subscription charges depending on your chosen tier.
With all the functionality and features (highlights, annotation, bookmarks) included in this ebook reader app, Scribd makes for a clean, organized, customizable and easy to navigate app.
5. Overdrive
OverDrive champions the idea of bringing the digital media lending system often experienced in some public libraries with no extra cost right to your iPad.
The Overdrive Ebook reader app allows you to borrow audio books, Ebooks and other digital content from the collections of associated libraries so that you can read without actually leaving the residence and stepping into the local library.
With Overdrive you have access to book collections 24/7, facility to create wish lists and automatic return feature.
6. Bluefire Reader
Bluefire Reader is a unique Ebook app that is able to access your Adobe DRM content. The Ebook reader app can also access your EPUB and PDF files which means users can transfer files from other online or offline places and organize them conveniently in one place.
Like many other quintessential Ebook reader apps, Bluefire, too, gives users access to features like bookmark, highlight text, annotations.
To allow users to control their reading style,there is also a night mode for iOS devices. Minimalist and clean, Bluefire is perfect for those who don’t wish to interact with fancy frills.
7. KyBook 2
KyBook 2 is a great eBook reader app with all-in-one support for many DRM-free formats such as RTF, ePub, DJVU, CBR and CBZ. KyBook offers various genres including poetry, prose, comic books, RPG rules, etc.
You can configure reading fonts and also use your own font files. Additionally, you are free to customize themes and layout, line spacing and margins.
To access and read ebooks, readers can import files through iTunes store or go to their cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and Yandex Disk.
KyBook also supports OPDS catalogs to let readers access numerous free and public domain online content.
8. ComiXology
Renowned as a digital comic marketplace app, Comixology provides comics fans a fascinating platform hosting content from major comics publishers around the globe.
It features Marvel, DC and Image and more, and readers can even purchase and read stories on ComiXology website.
Available for both Android and iOS, its mobile Ebook reader app becomes a handy mobile comic reader.
The app allows readers to download, purchase and read on ComiXology. Its unique, notable Guided View mode enables small screen reading.
It has a new Unlimited mode that, as the name suggests, offers read-all-you-can subscription. However, users can’t make in-app purchases on or import in existing collections on iOS.
9. Moon+ Reader
Moon+ Reader is another spruce and nifty Android e-book reader app whose differentiating factor is its highly customizable interface.
Hence, even if it does not stand as having a dedicated marketplace, the app’s UI makes it an outstanding consideration among other niche champions.
Despite not being a marketplace, readers will still have freedom to set font styles, backgrounds, multiple view mode, spacing, paging modes, autoscroll, etc.
The app has both free and a pro version that enables ad-free reading experience and also offers PDF support along with other incredible features.
So if you already own a large e-book collection and need an Android app to read them with, Moon+ Reader becomes your smart solution.
10. ComiCat
ComiCat is another premium Android comic book reader for DRM-free comic reading. Charging you less than single comic issue cost, ComiCat gifts you tons of features and customization options.
To find comics in supportable formats, the app auto-scans your mobile local storage or selected folders and then automatically organize them into a nice bookshelf view in series.
You can then reorganize them and start reading.
To ensure uninterrupted reading, its reader view has organic, engaging and unobtrusive interface with cool options and easy settings.
The app supports functionalities like cloud storage, password protection, image enhancements (contrast, brightness, saturation, etc) and manga-style displays.
11. Marvin
We can’t finish the list of best Ebook reader apps 2023 without inclusion of Marvin. This feature-rich iOS reader app is highly configurable and supports DRM-free EPUB files.
From font changes, night mode down to customizable themes, text highlights and annotation, there is a lot Marvin has for every avid digital reader in the world.
Modern and innovative, the app also houses specialty fonts for dyslexic readers as well as awesome dictionary tools.
The features list still continues as Marvin offers text format tweaks like paragraph indentation, text justification and spacing.
Its organizing tools have glorious collection sorting feature, list and cover views and more. However, Marvin has just a small con – its inability to offer support for any other files except EPUB.
Conclusion
Reading Paper books sounds like a delightful, even fulfilling idea, but just compare that experience with the kind of feeling eBooks develop in avid readers on the go.
As the world turns and grows more dynamic, you need comprehensive reading solutions like eBook reader apps that accompany you and enable hassle-free reading even when you are traveling or sitting on couch at home.
The large enough screen and the right app along with generous genre of books and magazines are all you need to drown in engaging reading time.
Consider the list above as you think of downloading Ebook reader apps in UK (2023).