Readest is an open-source ebook reader for EPUB and PDF, with support for MOBI, AZW3, FB2, CBZ, TXT and other formats. Readers can highlight passages, bookmark pages, take notes and search their library. Parallel Read displays two books side by side with synchronized scrolling and navigation. The app can translate passages, look up words in Wiktionary or Wikipedia, and read books aloud using on-device, browser or cloud text-to-speech. Readest connects to OPDS catalogs and calibre libraries, and highlights can be exported to Readwise or Hardcover. It supports screen readers, and the software is released under the AGPL-3.0 license. Books, notes, highlights and bookmarks are stored locally by default; optional third-party cloud syncing requires a paid plan. The free plan lists 500 MB of cloud storage and 10K AI translation characters per day. Plus costs $4.99 per month and includes 5 GB of cloud sync storage, 100K daily AI translation characters and unlimited AI read-aloud hours. Readest is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows and the web.
Who it is for
Readest suits ebook readers who want annotation, library search, lookup or text-to-speech features across supported devices. Its screen-reader support may also suit readers who use assistive technology.
What is good
- Supports EPUB, PDF and several other ebook formats.
- Includes highlights, bookmarks, notes and library search.
- Parallel Read displays two books with synchronized navigation.
- Supports screen readers and offline reading.
- Books and notes stay local by default.
What to know first
- Third-party cloud syncing requires a paid plan.
- Free plan lists 500 MB of cloud storage.
- Free plan lists 10K AI translation characters per day.
- Plus costs $4.99 per month.
Verdict
Readest combines reading, annotation, lookup and listening tools with broad platform and format support. Its core reading data stays local by default, while third-party cloud syncing requires a paid plan.
Readest plans and pricing
All plansCompared on ebook reader software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $4.99/mo
- Supported platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
- Supported formats
- EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW, AZW3, FB2, CBZ, ZIP, TXT, Markdown
- Annotation tools
- Yes
- Reading sync
- Yes
- Offline reading
- Yes
- Library storage
- 0.5 GB
