Alternatives to Adobe Digital Editions
A free ebook reader from Adobe for EPUB and PDF books on desktop and mobile. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Adobe Digital Editions
A free ebook reader from Adobe for EPUB and PDF books on desktop and mobile.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Adobe Digital Editions.
Thorium Reader
Read EPUB books with an accessible desktop reader.
Thorium Reader is an open source BSD-3-Clause desktop EPUB reader for Windows, macOS and Linux, but it has no mobile apps like Adobe Digital Editions.
Koodo Reader
A modern ebook reader for fifteen-plus formats that syncs your library and reading progress through storage you already own.
Koodo Reader is open source under AGPL-3.0, runs on desktop, mobile and web, and syncs through storage you own, but it opens DRM-free files only.
Readest
A modern ebook reader for EPUB, PDF, MOBI and comics, with highlights, notes, translation, text to speech and sync across every platform.
Readest is an AGPL-3.0 open source reader covering EPUB, PDF, MOBI and comics, with notes, translation and text to speech, though its cloud sync has paid tiers.
FBReader
Cross-platform ebook reader supporting EPUB, FB2 and Readium LCP.
FBReader runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS and reads OPDS catalogues, but some features and formats need paid add-ons and it is closed source.
Foliate
A calm, well-made GTK ebook reader for Linux that stores your notes as plain JSON you can sync yourself.
Foliate is a free GPL-3.0 reader for Linux only, with dictionary lookup, text-to-speech and annotations stored as plain JSON files you sync yourself.
Neat Reader
A cross-platform EPUB reader with annotations, notes export and cloud sync of books and progress.
Neat Reader offers EPUB reading on desktop, mobile and web with annotation export and cloud sync, though its EPUB 3 support is incomplete and some features need Premium.
Icecream Ebook Reader
A Windows ebook reader for EPUB, MOBI, PDF, FB2 and comic files with notes and highlights.
Icecream Ebook Reader is Windows only and adds MOBI, FB2 and comic support with searchable colour highlights, but lacks DRM support and puts some features behind a PRO upgrade.
Apple Books
Apple's app for buying, reading and listening to ebooks and audiobooks on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Apple Books combines ebooks and audiobooks with iCloud sync and a built-in store, but it only runs on Apple devices and purchases stay in Apple's ecosystem.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Adobe Digital Editions as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
EPUBReader
A browser extension that opens and reads DRM-free EPUB ebooks directly in the browser.
Adobe Digital Editions is a free closed-source app for EPUB and PDF on desktop and mobile, suited to books obtained through publishers and stores.
Kindle for Web
Amazon's browser-based reader for Kindle books, formerly called Kindle Cloud Reader.
Adobe Digital Editions is a free installed reader for EPUB and PDF books from publishers and stores on desktop and mobile, with no browser version and basic reading features.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Calibre
The ebook library manager: view, convert, edit and catalogue books in every major format, and talk to e-readers.
Amazon Kindle
Amazon's free Kindle reading app for phones, tablets and computers.
Google Play Books
Google's ebook and audiobook store with a reader for Android, iOS and the web browser.
Libby
Borrows ebooks and audiobooks from a local library for free with a library card.
Sigil
An EPUB editor with a code view and a visual view side by side, plus validation and metadata tools.
EPUBCheck
The official W3C conformance checker that validates EPUB publications from the command line.
