Project Gutenberg
More than 75,000 free ebooks from a volunteer library that started in 1971.
Instead of Kindle's free book section
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Project Gutenberg says it has more than 75,000 free ebooks, and promises that they are free and always will be, with no fees, no registration and no ads. Michael Hart started the project in 1971, and thousands of volunteers have digitised and proofread the books since. A foundation runs it and takes donations.
It is the oldest and biggest free library of its kind, and the books are plain files you can keep. The site looks its age and the formatting varies from book to book, which is why Standard Ebooks exists for the titles it covers. Like the rest of the free shelf, it holds older books, so anything new has to come from somewhere else.
- More than 75,000 free ebooks from a volunteer library started in 1971
- No fees, no registration and no ads
- Plain files you can keep, though the formatting varies
What stands out
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For comparison, we also reviewed Amazon Kindle (13/30) as a benchmark.
Other tools for “own my books”
Standard EbooksFree, carefully made editions of public-domain books, with no account and no catch.
CalibreManages, converts and reads your ebook library on your own computer.
KOReaderAn open-source reading app for e-ink readers, phones and computers that opens almost any file.- AudiobookshelfA server you run yourself for your audiobooks, podcasts and ebooks, with apps to listen on your phone.