4 best eBook reader apps for Linux
More and more people are reading digital books these days, as getting a copy of an e-book is, in most cases, more convenient than going to a book store and purchasing a copy of a book you’d like to read. Most people read e-books on a Kindle, iPad or Android tablet. Though, not everyone can afford one of these devices and resort to reading on their computers. If you have an e-book collection on your Linux computer and want to start reading, you’ll need a proper reading application. So, here are the 4 best eBook reader apps for Linux!
1. Calibre
Calibre is a full-featured e-book management tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s open source and can do everything from managing your e-books in a digital library to converting books to different formats, edit book metadata info, and even can send book files to connected reader devices like the Amazon Kindle or tablets.
People love Calibre because it can do so much, and the fact that it works cross-platform, on a multitude of different operating systems. If you’re looking for an advanced book-reader app, this is one to check out.
Notable features
- Calibre lets users manage their entire e-book library, and even sync it to compatible reading devices.
- Comes with an excellent set of tools to edit e-books and convert them into various compatible formats.
- With the Calibre e-book manager/viewer, users can download websites and convert them into e-book format for later reading.
Download – Calibre
The Calibre app has long been the defacto e-book reader for Linux users, so it’s no surprise that nearly every Linux operating system carries the program in their software sources. To get your hands on the app, check it out on Pkgs.org.
2. Cool Reader
Need a slim, and quick e-book reader application for your Linux desktop? Give Cool Reader a go! It’s a cross-platform digital book-reader that works with many different formats and has some useful features such as font anti-aliasing, support for digital book reader devices, and even a mode that reads the books aloud.
In addition to having a whole lot of useful features on Linux, Mac, and Windows, Cool Reader also has a mobile app for Android. The mobile aspect alone sets it apart from other e-book readers on the Linux platform, and makes it worth using for your e-book reading needs!
Notable features
- Cool Reader supports heavy customization options.
- The app has excellent font features that make it so users can make the text feel more comfortable when reading.
- Cool Reader has a companion Android app, which is useful if you want to read on mobile and the computer with the same program.
Download – Cool Reader
The Cool Reader app is distributed on SourceForge, in DEB package format for Ubuntu and Debian Linux users. They’ve also got Linux source TarGZ archives that can be made to work on other, non-Debian Linux OSes.
3. Bookworm
Reading e-books on a computer is a lot more complicated than it is on an iPad or Kindle. The main reason it’s like this is because unlike a portable reading device, the user has to deal with various file-formats, determine if the book files are compatible, etc.
If you’re sick of using overly complicated, confusing e-book readers with jumbled user-interfaces and an overload of features, Bookworm may be the e-book reader application to check out. Why? It’s an e-book reader that takes the difficulty out of managing and reading digital books on Linux, by providing a clean user interface, support for all popular formats and excellent features.
Notable features
- Bookworm supports all modern e-book formats, and users do not have to fiddle around to get their stuff working.
- Bookworm can read the CBR comic-book format.
- Has an elegant user interface that is perfect for new Linux users who love reading but dislike confusing UIs.
Download – Bookworm
Currently, Bookworm is available for a select few Linux distributions. Specifically, OpenSUSE, Elementary OS, and Ubuntu Linux. However, the developer also has a Flatpak release that works on all Linux OSes just fine.
Getting the Bookworm application requires going to the developer’s official website, as it’s a new program and not shipped with any distributions by default. For more info, go here.
4. EPUBReader
A lot of e-book readers that make their way to the Linux platform need to be downloaded and installed either via the form of a Flatpak, Snap package or DEB/RPM file. Not EPUBReader! It’s a Firefox extension that lets users (on all platforms that can install and use the browser) read Epub format e-books in a browser window.
EPUBReader is an interesting application because it satisfies a need that some Linux users might have, by allowing for quick reading. The app only supports the ePub format, and it won’t be as full-featured as something like Calibre or others, but still, it’s worth a shot if you’re a Firefox user and casual reading fan.
Notable features
- Instead of downloading an ePub e-book file through Firefox, EPUBReader will parse the link directly and let you read it.
- EPUBReader is cross-platform, so no matter what OS you are using, you’ll always be able to read ePub e-book files in an instant.
Download – EPUBReader
The EPUBReader extension is available to Firefox users, provided they’re running a relatively recent release of the browser. To get your hands on it, launch the Firefox web browser and visit the EPUBReader page on the Mozilla add-ons website.
Once on the add-ons website, click the “+ Add to Firefox” button. Soon after, a pop-up window will appear. Read the pop-up and allow it to download to your browser and you’ll have the EPUBReader extension up and running!
Conclusion
There’s no question that reading books is easier on a computer because of e-book applications like the ones on this list. If you’ve got an extensive collection of digital books on your Linux PC but aren’t sure what app to use to sort them, the apps on this list are a great place to start!
