While there are dedicated tablets like Kindle to read ebooks, it doesn’t mean that you need to spend hundreds of dollars on a tablet to enjoy reading them. In fact, reading them on your Windows machine gives you a similar reading experience. It is even better if you own a convertible or 2-in-1 Windows machine, as you can hold them in one hand and read Epubs just like you would read them on a dedicated tablet. The only thing that you need for reading is a good Epub reader app. While there are a number of Epub apps available for Windows, not all of them are made equally. That’s why we are bringing you a list of the top 12 best Epub readers that you can use on your Windows PC.
Best Windows Epub Readers to Use in 2021
Here, we have curated the best Epub readers for a range of Windows versions including Windows 10 to XP. For quick navigation, you can click on the link below to move to the corresponding program. Apart from that, if you are interested in learning about Epub readers then you can go through our explainer below.
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What is an Epub Reader?
In simple terms, a PC Epub Reader is a program that can open and process e-books (a digital version of a physical book). It’s a file format just like PDF, but XML-based so it has wide compatibility with programs from different platforms. In summation, an Epub reader is a program that allows you to read digital books on your computer, smartphone or any other electronic device.
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How to Open Epub Files on Windows 10?
The process to open Epub files on Windows 10 is similar to opening a PDF file. The older Edge browser supported the Epub files but the new Edge Browser that’s based-on-Chromium cannot open it. So, you will need to install an app to open the Epub files.
List of Top Epub Readers for Windows
1. Calibre
Calibre is one of the oldest and the best Epub reader for your Windows machine. The app is packed with features allowing you to do things like downloading Epubs, managing metadata, downloading covers for books, transferring books from one device to another, and even converting books from one format to another.
Calibre is not only good for reading normal Epub novels but also magazines, comics, and more. If you are looking for a good Epub reader for your Windows PC, Calibre is certainly the topmost contender for the job.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Vista and Windows 7
What we like:
- Packed with features
- Allows you to fix the book metadata
- Keyboard shortcut for looking up words online
- Support for custom reading themes using CSS
What we don’t like:
- Old UI – needs a fresh coat of paint
- Sometimes it takes time to load
Download: Free
2. Sumatra PDF Reader
While Calibre is pretty great and works for most people, but some have reported that book opening is a bit slow on Calibre and it has been a long-standing issue. So if you want an alternative just like Calibre, but with faster performance and modern features, the Sumatra PDF Reader has you covered as one of the best PDF editor and reader out there. It’s an extremely lightweight Epub reader that just works out of the box.
It supports bookmarks, background color change, automatic text scaling and much more. The best part is that it can even open large Epub files without breaking a sweat with correct indentation, tree-like chapters and more. I would say, if you are looking for a Windows Epub reader that just works without any frills then Sumatra PDF Reader is the best pick.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8, 8.1, Windows 7, Vista. and XP
What we like:
- Clutter-free user interface
- Good reading experience
- Light application (comes under 5 MB)
- Super-fast loading time
- Supports comic book formats (CBZ and CBR)
What we don’t like:
- Doesn’t support annotations on book
- Doesn’t have advanced features like metadata editing
Download: Free
3. Freda
Freda is one of my most favorite Epub readers for Windows just because of its looks. The app looks like a native Windows 10 app and makes Epubs really stand out when you read them on it. One of my favorite features of this app is its theming capabilities which allow users to customize the look and feel of the app to make it exactly how they like it.
Apart from supporting Epub, the app also supports a ton of other formats including Mobi, FB2, HTML, and TXT. The app also gives you access to more than 50,000 public domain classic books free of charge from Feedbooks, Gutenberg, and other online catalogs. If looks matter to you, do give Freda a try.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (ARM, x86, x64)
What we like:
- Good reading experience with modern UI
- Text to speech reading support
- Support for annotations and bookmarks
- Fully customizable reading mode
What we don’t like:
- Sometimes the app lags
- Doesn’t support older Windows operating systems
Download: Free with in-app purchases
4. Icecream Epub Reader
Icecream apps is an app studio which has developed some really fine apps for Windows PC and of all the apps that come from the studio, their Epub reader is my favorite. Not only their Epub reader looks good but it also brings a ton of features including full-screen mode support, exceptional search capabilities, easy page turning mechanics, reading progress tracking, support for multiple languages, and more.
Apart from all the above features, I also love the fact that the reader not only supports Epub format but also other major ebook formats including Mobi, FB2, and, more.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows 7
What we like:
- Supports multiple file formats and languages
- Supports bookmarks and annotations
- Make search on Google and Wikipedia for selected text
- Good search feature
What we don’t like:
- All the good features are behind paywall
- Too frequent upgrade to pro notification
Download: Free, $19.95
5. Cover
Cover is primarily an app made for reading comic books on your Windows PC, but since the app also supports Epub format, it has made its way on the list. The main reason why Cover is on the list is that since the app is made for comics, it is great for reading books that are image-heavy.
While all the other apps on the list can handle images, they can’t do it as well as Cover can. So, if you are into books that feature a ton of images, Cover will be good for you. On the other hand, if you are into comics and manga, there is no better app that you can get.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (ARM, x86, x64)
What we like:
- Good reading experience
- Excellent library management
- Reading mode is fully customizable
What we don’t like:
- Geared more towards comic book readers
Download: Free with in-app purchases
6. Kobo
Like Kindle, Kobo is not only an ebook reader app but a service which also allows you to buy books from its store. However, unlike Kindle, which doesn’t support Epub formats, Kobo does support both Epub and Epub 3 formats. The app brings all the usual features that we have come to expect from an Epub reader including, search, bookmarks, progress tracking, theming, and more.
However, the biggest reason to get Kobo over other Epubs readers is its store which allows you to browse and buy from over 5 million free and affordable eBooks, comics, and children’s books. So, if you want to be able to access and buy all the new ebooks that are released, this is one of the best epub readers for Windows that you can get.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (ARM, x86, x64)
What we like:
- Excellent reading modes which are easier on the eyes
- Modern UI
- Makes it easy to access the bookmark
- Built-in store to buy ebooks
What we don’t like:
- Makes it harder to manage imported books
Download: Free
7. Nook
If you are into books, the chance that you have never heard of Barnes and Noble is pretty slim as it is the world’s largest bookseller. Barnes and Noble mainly is a chain of offline stores, however, Amazon’s success with its Kindle platform made the offline bookseller giant to launch its own online book service which is called Nook.
With Nook app, you are not only getting an app to read Epub books, but also a store to buy them, just like you do with Kobo.
When you sign up for the service, you get a 14-day trial period during which you can test out any book or news magazine that you want. After the trial period ends, you can buy the books or subscribe to magazines that you are interested in.
Other features of the app include the ability to customize your reading experience to view books with different fonts, line spacing, and themes, online sync across devices, access to thousands of classics, and more.
What we like:
- Excellent reading modes which are easier on the eyes
- Modern UI
- Makes it easy to access the bookmark
- Built-in store to buy ebooks
What we don’t like:
- Makes it harder to manage imported books
- Only one highlight color is supported
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 (x86)
Download: Free
8. Adobe Digital Editions
If there is one company which makes software for almost all form of creating and consuming creative content, it’s Adobe, and its Adobe Digital Editions is a great Epub reader for Windows PC which allows users to consume their favorite titles.
One of the best reasons for using Adobe Digital Editions is its support for EPUB 3 standard which gives users a richer reading experience by bringing support for right to left reading, dynamic image resizing without loss in clarity, interactive quizzes, better rendering of math formulas, and more.
Adobe Digital Editions also brings a ton of other convenient features like exceptional search capabilities, the ability to rent or borrow Epub version of books from your local and public libraries, multi-lingual support, bookmarking, highlighting, notes, and more. If you are looking for a full-fledged, Epub reading experience, Adobe Digital Edition is the right app to do that.
What we like:
- Easily sync books across devices
- Good book organization features
- Good reading experience with support for EPUB 3 standard
- Support for bookmarks, highlights, and notes
What we don’t like:
- The reading mode is not user customizable
- Slow to load if you have a large library
- Need an Adobe account to use it
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Vista and Windows 7
Download: Free
9. Bibliovore
Bibliovore is yet another great free Epub reader for your Windows machine. The app can be easily downloaded from the Windows app store and is completely free to download and use. I love this app because it brings fantastic organizational features allowing you to manage even a large library of books with ease.
The app also allows you to easily adjust font parameters, manage reading themes, edit book metadata, use day/night reading mode, and more. One of my favorite features of this app is that despite being free, it syncs all your books across devices using OneDrive. I think this is one of the best epub readers for Windows 10 that you can use right now.
What we like:
- Good reading expereince with support for themes
- Good organization features
- Support for book metadata editing
- Groups books in a series
What we don’t like:
- Needs more customization features for fonts, spacing, etc.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (x86, x64)
Download: Free
10. Bookviser
Bookviser is an Epub reader for Windows which wants to give you a reading experience that is similar to reading physical books. It does that by designing its UI in such a way that it looks like a real book. That said, if you are not fond of such a UI, you can easily get into the settings to get a more traditional Epub reader experience.
Just like Freda, Bookviser also allows you to download free classics from public catalogs including Feedbooks, Project Gutenberg, and Smashwords. Rest of the Epub reader features like progress tracking, theming, dictionary support and more can also be found here.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (ARM, x86, x64)
What we like:
- Simple and clean user interface
- Lets you adjust margin, font-type, spacing, and more
- Support for multiple page turning animations
- Support for book downloads from integrated public catalog
What we don’t like:
- Doesn’t allow you to edit book metadata
Download: Free
11. EpubReader
The last Epub reader on the list is well EpubReader which is the only paid app on the list. The app is a fairly simple app for reading Epub books on your Windows PC which also allows you to download books from preconfigured and personal sources, easily manage your book library, tracks reading progress, and more.
One of the biggest features of this app is that you can easily transfer your whole library onto either an SD Card or to OneDrive. EpubReader is a great app to manage a large library of books without eating any storage on your Windows PC.
Supported Platforms: Windows 11 (likely), Windows 10, Windows 8.1 (x86, x64)
What we like:
- Supports external libraries (OneDrive and SD Card)
- Download books in the LIT, MOBI, FB2 and PDF formats and automatically convert them to ePub
- Customizable font, size, color and spacing
What we don’t like:
- The app takes time to load
Download: $2.49
12. Readium
Readium is an open-source Epub reader made for all your web reading needs. If you don’t want to install any app on your device but still want to consume Epub books, Readium is the way to do it. Readium is a Chrome extension that allows you to read Epubs online. You can even upload your own books to Readium and read them there. It’s a great way to read books without having to install any app on your device.
And since the new Microsoft Edge is using the Chromium engine, the extension will work with the browser without any problem. If you have not used the new Edge browser before, I advice you to give it a try. And to get you started, here is an article on installing chrome extensions on the Edge browser.
What we like:
- Don’t need to install a separate app
- Good reading experience
- Simple and easy-to-use UI
What we don’t like:
- Google has depcrated Chrome Apps so it won’t receive any updates in the future
Supported Browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla, Microsoft Edge
Download: Free (Chrome / Edge, Mozilla)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Which is the Best EPUB Reader?
In my opinion, Calibre is truly the best Windows Epub reader for most users. However, if you are looking for a modern Epub reader for Windows 10 then go for Freda.
Q. What eReaders Can Read EPUB files?
While Kindle is a popular eReader device, but it can’t read Epub files natively so keep that in mind. With Kindle out of the way, I would recommend Kobo Clara HD and Onyx Boox Note2.
Q. Is Epub Reader for Windows Free?
There are a number of EPub readers for Windows and most of them are free. I would recommend you to go through the list and find an Epub reader that fits your need.
Q. Is Epub Reader for Windows Safe?
Yes. Epub Readers don’t pose a security threat unless downloaded from shady sources. Make sure to download programs from their official website.
Q. How do I Install Epub Reader for Windows?
You just need to click on the link that is mentioned below each Epub reader and then move to the Download page. Here, depending on your OS version and architecture, download the setup file. After that, run the setup file to install the Epub reader. You can find the architecture of your machine by right-clicking on My Computer and opening “Properties”.
Q. Does ePUB Reader for Windows Support Other File Types?
Yes. For example, Sumatra PDF Reader can read Epub, PDF, MOBI, FB2, CBZ, and multiple other file types.
Read Ebooks with Best Epub Readers for Windows PC
I am a fan of audiobooks and ebooks, as they allow you to carry your whole library with your where ever you go. One of the best parts about using Epub readers for reading ebooks is that you get thousands of classic titles for free. Do check these apps out and let us know which is your favorite Windows Epub reader. Also, if you want to suggest an app that should be on the list but isn’t, drop its name in the comments section below.
