8 Best Sites to Download Free Ebooks Legally (2026)

In 2006 the World eBook Fair opened a third of a million ebooks to the public for one month, and readers rushed to grab them. Today you don’t need to wait for a special event: you can download free ebooks legally all year round. Tens of thousands of classics are in the public domain, and your local library lends new bestsellers as ebooks for free. Here are the best legal sites, what each one offers, and how to read the books on your phone, tablet or Kindle.

Quick answer: For free classic books you can keep, use Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks and the Internet Archive. For new and popular titles, borrow ebooks free with a library card through Libby or your library’s own app, or from Open Library. Amazon and Google Play Books also list free ebooks. Avoid sites offering new bestsellers as free PDFs: they are usually pirated and often unsafe.

Best sites to download free ebooks legally

• Project Gutenberg: the oldest digital library, with tens of thousands of public domain books in EPUB, Kindle and plain text formats. No sign-up needed. Read our full Project Gutenberg guide.
• Standard Ebooks: volunteers take public domain texts and turn them into beautifully formatted, carefully proofread editions with good covers. Ideal if you find older scans hard to read.
• Internet Archive: millions of digitised books, magazines and documents. Public domain titles can be downloaded; many newer books can only be borrowed.
• Open Library: run by the Internet Archive, it lets you borrow digital books for a limited time with a free account, plus read public domain titles freely.
• Libby: the free app from OverDrive used by thousands of public libraries. Sign in with your library card to borrow current bestsellers and audiobooks, and send many of them to a Kindle in the US.
• Your library’s own app: some libraries use other services such as Hoopla or local platforms. Check your library’s website.
• Free Kindle books on Amazon: Amazon lists thousands of free classics and limited-time free promotions. See our guide to downloading free Kindle books legally.
• Google Play Books: search for “free” in the store to find free titles you can read in the app on any device.

For free audiobooks of classic works, LibriVox offers volunteer-read public domain recordings.

Public domain vs borrowing

Public domain books are old enough that their copyright has expired, so you can download and keep them. In the United States that broadly covers works published in 1930 or earlier as of 2026, with another year’s books entering the public domain each January. Rules differ by country, so check the notes on each site.

Borrowing works like a physical library: you get an ebook for a few weeks, then it returns automatically. Popular titles may have waiting lists, but it is free and legal.

How to read free ebooks on any device

1. Phone or tablet: download the EPUB file and open it in Apple Books, Google Play Books or another reader app, or read in the Libby app.
2. Kindle: Kindles support EPUB through Amazon’s Send to Kindle service, which converts the file for you. Project Gutenberg also offers Kindle-ready downloads.
3. Computer: read in your browser on most sites, or use a free reader app such as Calibre to organise your library.

Stay safe: avoid pirated ebook sites

Sites offering brand-new bestsellers as free PDFs are almost always pirated. Besides being illegal, they often push fake download buttons, adware and malware. If a new book is free legally, it will usually be through your library or an official promotion.

What changed since 2006

Our July 2006 post covered the World eBook Fair, run by the World eBook Library with links to Project Gutenberg, which gave free access to more than 330,000 PDF ebooks in over 100 languages from July 4 to August 4, with plans to reach a million books by 2009. The fair ran for several years before ending, and the World Public Library charged a yearly fee outside fair time. Today the same goal, free access to huge numbers of books, is met year round by public domain libraries and free library lending apps.

FAQ

Is it legal to download free ebooks?

Yes, from legitimate sources: public domain libraries, official free promotions and library lending. Downloading copyrighted books from pirate sites is not legal.

Where can I get new bestsellers free?

Borrow them from your public library through Libby or your library’s app. You may need to join a waiting list for popular titles.

What ebook format should I download?

EPUB works with most apps and with Send to Kindle. PDF keeps the original layout but is harder to read on small screens.

Do I need an account for Project Gutenberg?

No. You can download books from Project Gutenberg without signing up.