Project Gutenberg
Focus: literature and free books. Shares ebooks and public domain with Standard Ebooks. Same 4.4 rating.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Website
Standard Ebooks
Free, carefully produced public-domain ebooks with beautiful typography.
Rating
4.4 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web
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What is Standard Ebooks?
Standard Ebooks is a volunteer project that produces high-quality, well-formatted and carefully proofread ebooks from public-domain works. They are free to download in EPUB and Kindle formats with polished typography and consistent standards.
Pros: what Standard Ebooks does well
- Much higher formatting quality than typical free ebooks
- Free, with no sign-up
- Consistent, accessible, well-proofread editions
Cons: where it falls short
- Smaller catalogue than Gutenberg
- Public-domain works only
Who Standard Ebooks is for
Readers who want classic books that look good on an e-reader.
Who can skip it
People who want modern or copyrighted titles.
Standard Ebooks alternatives
Not sold on Standard Ebooks? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
LibriVox
Focus: audiobooks and non-profit. Shares public domain and classics with Standard Ebooks. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
The Public Domain Review
Focus: art history, images and essays. Shares public domain with Standard Ebooks. Rated 4.7 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Open Culture
Focus: free courses, audiobooks and education. Shares ebooks with Standard Ebooks. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Wellcome Collection
Focus: images, archives and history. Shares public domain with Standard Ebooks. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
ManyBooks
Focus: free books, reading and library. Shares ebooks with Standard Ebooks. Same 4.4 rating.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Free alternatives to Standard Ebooks
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Butterick's Practical Typography
Focus: writing, layout and design basics. Shares typography with Standard Ebooks. A book, not a website. Rated 4.8 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
BookFreeWeb
4.8Visit
Libby
Focus: audiobooks, library and reading. Shares ebooks with Standard Ebooks. A mobile app, not a website. Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.8 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
Mobile AppFreeiOS, Android
4.8Visit
Foliate
Focus: ebook reader, annotations and gnome. Shares epub with Standard Ebooks. A desktop app, not a website. Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeLinux, Offline
4.6Visit
Komga
Focus: comics, manga and self-hosted. Shares ebooks with Standard Ebooks. A web app, not a website. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Koodo Reader
Focus: ebook reader, pdf reader and open source. Shares epub with Standard Ebooks. A desktop app, not a website. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Readest
Focus: ebook reader, annotations and open source. Shares epub with Standard Ebooks. A desktop app, not a website. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Standard Ebooks: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
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