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Are you looking for free PDF books but don't know where to start? Check out our ten best websites for downloading free PDF books in 2024.
We spent a good amount of time reviewing each site, ensuring it was safe and secure and that its free PDF books were ethically sourced.
1. PDF Drive
Image source: PDF Drive
We reviewed several free PDF websites and found none compared to PDF Drive. With over 75 million free PDF books, no signup process or hidden costs, and a quick and easy download process, PDF Drive is the undisputed master of the free PDF book world.
Even with PDF Drive's massive PDF book collection, it doesn't have everything, which is where the "Request a book" feature comes in handy. We simply used the page's search function to find and add the required book to our wishlist. There's a good chance a kind stranger will upload our request soon!
2. BooksFree
Image source: BooksFree
While searching for free PDF books, we were pleasantly surprised by BooksFree. It has a huge free library of both classic and modern fiction, hosting many titles that most free PDF book websites don't have. If you're struggling to find a certain free PDF book, BooksFree is your best bet!
Our Favourite Feature
BooksFree provides many modern PDF books that have been published in the past few years. Many other leading free PDF book sites don't have recent titles in their stock, and we greatly appreciate BooksFree's offering of newer fiction and nonfiction books.
3. Obooko
Image source: Obooko
In third place, we have Obooko, which hosts and provides over 3,000 free PDF books, all legally and ethically sourced. We loved Obooko's quick and easy PDF book download process. Simply search for your PDF book, find the exact match, and download it, all in under a minute's time.
Our Favourite Feature
We often find we don't have a book in mind and need a free PDF book website to provide high-quality navigation to help us find one. Obooko's "Free Fiction" and "Free Non-Fiction" drop-down menus (found on their home page) provide exactly that.
You can find the genre you're interested in and explore leading titles.
4. ManyBooks
Image source: ManyBooks
Although ManyBooks doesn't provide as many free PDF books as Library Genesis or PDF Drive, we were still impressed with its vast PDF book collection. Simply put, ManyBooks catalogs popular PDF books from vendor sites like Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books, listing both free and paid titles.
Our Favourite Feature
Out of all the free PDF websites we reviewed, ManyBooks has the best navigation and accessibility. ManyBooks makes finding and downloading your PDF book incredibly straightforward, providing everything you need in a clear manner for the quickest download process possible.
You can also find recent titles on ManyBooks, and we found PDF versions of popular modern titles like "The Legend Is Born" (2022) for free download.
5. Project Gutenberg
Image source: Project Gutenberg
We were immediately amazed by Project Gutenberg's dedication to compiling and providing more than 70,000 free eBooks, each without legal or ethical issues. Project Gutenberg's members wait for titles' copyrights to expire before adding them to their collection.
Please note: Project Gutenberg's free eBooks often don't come in PDF format, generally appearing in EPUB or MOBI formats. You will have to convert your EPUB or MOBI format eBook to PDF. We'll show you how below!
Our Favourite Feature
Considering many of Project Gutenberg's PDF books are quite old, we appreciate the ability to find their most recent additions. We quickly found the site's newest titles across the last 24 hours.
6. Free-eBooks
Image source: Free-eBooks
Despite not having as many free PDF books as a site like PDF Drive, we value Free-eBooks' dedication to providing free, ethically sourced titles. We loved Free-eBooks' well-organized interface and collection of more than "100,000 eBooks and over 1100 audiobooks".
Please note: You will need to sign up to Free-eBooks' website to download free PDF books.
Our Favourite Feature
Free-eBooks doesn't let you download any number of PDF books, providing you with 5 free titles per month. This might seem limiting, but you can be sure your PDF books are ethically sourced. Simply sign up and search for your 5 complimentary PDF books!
7. PDF Books World
Image source: PDF Books World
Next on our list is PDF Books World, a completely free (if not slightly limited) PDF book website. PDF Books World is a fantastic free PDF resource if you don't mind sticking to classic literature.
Please note: You must create a PDF Books World account before downloading free PDF books.
Our Favourite Feature
Although it might not have many newer novels, we admire PDF Books World's quick and easy search and download features. We didn't encounter any ads, pop-ups, or hidden costs, and we commend PDF Books World's owners for their generosity and sincerity.
8. Internet Archive
Image source: Internet Archive
The Internet Archive isn't just a fantastic free resource for PDF books. This is a non-profit archive hosting millions of complimentary music, websites, films, software, images, concerts, and websites. Regarding digital services to humanity, the Internet Archive is among the most beneficial and helpful.
The Internet Archive and the many good people contributing to its enormous volumes strive to digitize as much of humanity's cultural creations as possible. It has almost 30 years' worth of publications stocked and freely available.
Our Favourite Feature
Despite its staggering size, the Internet Archive provides straightforward tutorials for downloading countless PDF books and other media files. We recommend you take time to get the most out of The Internet Archive!
9. Standard Ebooks
Image source: Standard Ebooks
Standard Ebooks is another leading (and legal) resource for free PDF books. Its staff takes enormous pride in transcribing books into the cleanest, most accessible, and best-formatted ebooks possible. Standard Ebooks' tireless members also ensure that all their ebooks can be read on as many devices as possible.
Our Favourite Feature
Out of all the digitized books we've reviewed, Standard Ebooks' works are among the best transcribed we've seen online. Its contributors use a "modern style manual" which ensures minimal errors, comprehensive metadata, and beautiful covers.
10. Open Library
Image source: Open Library
Open Library is part of The Internet Archive's broader effort to transform physical works into free digital resources. Its members' mission is to create a "web page for every book ever published". Open Library's contributors include authors, government officials, and technologists, and welcomes anyone to work on its ambitious but invaluable mission.
Our Favourite Feature
One of the trickier aspects of free PDFs is locating legal editions of newer works. Open Library's "Borrow" system literally loans you a web page version of a book, and you can find many modern titles, such as A Game of Thrones, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Ashlee Vance's 2017 Elon Musk biography.
Free Audiobook Resources
Do you love to read but struggle to find time to sit down and do so?
Check out our list of free audiobook sites below:
- LibriVox: Enjoy nearly 20,000 free audiobooks narrated by volunteers. Due to its sheer volume of free, high-quality audiobooks, LibriVox is our top pick.
- Audible: Despite being a primarily paid service, Audible provides a surprising number of free audiobooks.
- Audiobooks: Another paid service that shares many free audiobooks to its members. All you need to do is sign up.
- Free-Ebooks.net: Primarily known for providing free PDF books, this site has many great audio-form titles.
- Open Culture: Enjoy over 1,000 free audiobooks, available for download in MP3 format.
Download Free PDF Books: FAQ
How can I convert eBook files to PDF?
Many ebooks will not be downloaded in PDF format. Use these online ebook converters:
Is it legal to download free PDF books?
If you use the websites listed here, you will be fine and within your legal rights. However, there are several illegal or unethical free PDF websites out there. Please use your discretion whenever visiting a free PDF website and research whether it is legal or not.
Can I download any PDF book online?
Not necessarily. Most ethical free PDF book websites wait for a title's copyright to expire before downloading or receiving donations from authors or users. If you can't find an eBook, we recommend using Amazon's Kindle Bookstore. You can find plenty of deals here, and eBooks are often free.
Is Z-Library legal?
Despite being one of the most popular sources for free PDF books, Z-Library is deemed controversial due to its uploading of copyrighted titles. Further, Z-Library is illegal to use in certain countries.
