Is Libby really free?

Yes. The app is free and so are the loans, which your public library pays for. You need a card from a participating library.

Libby or Hoopla: which should I use?

Start with Libby for your library's main ebook and audiobook collection. Add Hoopla if your library offers it, for titles you can borrow right away and for comics, movies and music, within your library's limits.

Can I read free library books on a Kindle?

Yes, for US libraries. Libby's App Store listing says you can send ebooks to your Kindle.

Are there free reading apps for kids?

Libby has interactive read-alongs, Sora gives students their school library, and Epic School is free for educators and students during the school day.

Do I need a library card for Libby?

Yes. Libby connects to your public library's collection with your library card. Sora works through your school instead.

What is the best free reading app?

Libby is the best free reading app for most people: link a library card and borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines at no cost. Add Hoopla if your library offers it, because many titles are ready to borrow right away, although your library sets borrowing limits. Both depend on what your library licenses, so popular books can mean a wait in Libby.

By the Best Reading Apps editors · Checked 30 October 2026 · Desk research

Our pick

Free

Libby

Our pick for free reading

Ebooks, audiobooks and magazines from your public library, read-alongs for kids, sending to Kindle for US libraries, and your place synced across devices. Its privacy label lists only diagnostics as linked to you.

The catch: Holds on popular books can mean a wait, and the catalog is whatever your library licenses.

Also good

Best for borrowing right away

Hoopla

Audiobooks, ebooks, comics, movies, TV and music, with no subscription and no ads. Many titles can be borrowed the moment you find them, and loans return automatically, so there are no late fees.

The catch: Titles, formats and borrowing limits vary by library, and its privacy label links more data to you than Libby's does.

Best for students

Sora

Borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your school's library, with assigned titles in one place.

The catch: Only works if your school offers it.

How do you start reading for free?

Get a card from your public library.
Install Libby, find your library and sign in with your card.
Check whether your library also offers Hoopla, and add it for titles that have a waitlist in Libby.
Prefer a larger screen? US library ebooks in Libby can be sent to a Kindle.

Free is not free of trade-offs

Library apps depend on licences your library pays for, so new releases often have holds. Privacy labels also differ: Libby lists only diagnostics as linked to you, while Hoopla lists contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data and coarse location, and may use your email address and user ID for its own marketing. Hoopla's monthly borrowing limit is set by your library and resets at the start of each calendar month. For the full comparison, see Hoopla vs Libby.

How do you shorten library waitlists?

Place holds early. Add new releases you want as soon as they appear in your library's catalog.
Watch for the ready notice. Libby's help pages say that when a hold is ready you have 72 hours to borrow it, suspend it or cancel it.
Try another format. If the ebook has a long wait, check whether the audiobook copy is available sooner, and the other way round.
Check Hoopla. Many Hoopla titles are ready to borrow the moment you find them, within your library's monthly limit. See Hoopla vs Libby.
Students: use Sora. A school library collection is a second, separate pool of books.

While you wait, read something already on your shelf. A hold that arrives in three weeks is easier to enjoy if you are not waiting with nothing to read.

Questions

Is Libby really free?: Yes. The app is free and so are the loans, which your public library pays for. You need a card from a participating library.
Libby or Hoopla: which should I use?: Start with Libby for your library's main ebook and audiobook collection. Add Hoopla if your library offers it, for titles you can borrow right away and for comics, movies and music, within your library's limits.
Can I read free library books on a Kindle?: Yes, for US libraries. Libby's App Store listing says you can send ebooks to your Kindle.
Are there free reading apps for kids?: Libby has interactive read-alongs, Sora gives students their school library, and Epic School is free for educators and students during the school day.
Do I need a library card for Libby?: Yes. Libby connects to your public library's collection with your library card. Sora works through your school instead.

Sources

Apple App Store (US), Libby, the library app, read 2 November 2026.
Apple App Store (US), Hoopla: Your Library Anywhere, read 2 November 2026.
Apple App Store (US), Sora, by OverDrive Education, read 2 November 2026.
Apple App Store (US), Apple Books, read 2 November 2026.
Apple App Store (US), Amazon Kindle: Reading App, read 2 November 2026.
Apple App Store (US), Epic - Kids' Books & Reading, read 2 November 2026.