Top 3 Free Android Reading Apps That Outperform Google Play Books

Published Apr 22, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT

Abhijith has been writing for the Web since 2011 and has contributed to sites like Beebom and TechWiser. He is curious about making the best of tech accessible to everyone.

He started writing as a hobby after getting a computer at 16. Since then, he has found technical writing a space where he belongs and could make a difference. A curious and self-motivated person, Abhijith's writings focus on productivity, Android, and the Internet. 

He holds a Master's degree in English and a PhD in Humanities. Enthusiastic about language, literature, and culture, he works as an Assistant Professor of English.

If not writing or reading, you can find Abhijith playing Chess or CODM.

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Google Play Books is one of the better apps that Android ships pre-installed with. For starters, it offers a decent eBook reading experience on both smartphones and tablets. It also offers a streamlined experience if you buy or rent eBooks from the Play Store. I have also found the UI to be decent for the most part.

However, the moment you expand your horizons of e-reading, Google Play Books brings you to a dead end. Sure, you can upload your EPUB files to the app and read them across devices, but that's about it. Moreover, for people who need something beyond EPUB reading, Google Play Books leaves a lot to be desired.

Fortunately, you can count on the following Android reading apps to do almost everything Google Play Books can't!

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Moon+ Reader

It offers incredible control over your reading experience

Moon+ Reader is one of the most popular reading apps for Android — for good reason. This app works perfectly if you want granular control over your reading experience, from library management to the reading UI. Compared to the restricted nature of Google Play Books, Moon+ Reader opens a new world for reading enthusiasts.

For starters, you can use Moon+ Reader to read a variety of formats, such as EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CHM, AZW3, and DOCX. It can handle most document types you throw at it, including HTML and Markdown. If you already have eBooks on your Android device, you can run a customizable scan to add them to the Moon+ Reader library.

You can also use its Net Library function to get books from places like Project Gutenberg or OPDS (Open Publication Distribution System). Once you set up a library, Moon+ Reader makes it incredibly easy to sync it via platforms like Dropbox or FTP. Overall, I love the control I have over my eBook library.

You get the same, if not more, control over the reading experience. You are already familiar with the level of control Google Play Books offers, but this one goes above and beyond, letting you customize how you read and view your books. Moon+ Reader's reading interface lets you customize quite a lot, including font size, overlay, screen orientation, etc. Features like auto-scrolling also enhance the experience.

Overall, Moon+ Reader offers a level of control you cannot find in Google Play Books.

Moon+ Reader

Moon+ Reader is a versatile Android e-book app supporting EPUB, PDF, MOBI, FB2, CBZ, and more (including RAR/ZIP archives).

ReadEra

This app supports your mixed-format libraries and more

Sometimes, though, you don't need all those fancy, expensive features, but instead need a quick and easy way to read a wider variety of eBooks. So, if you thought Moon+ Reader was too much, you may want to explore what ReadEra offers. This completely free reading app offers a minimal, ad-free, and reliable reading experience on Android.

Like Moon+ Reader, ReadEra lets you open and read files in PDF, EPUB, DOCX, RTF, DJVU, MOBI, AZW3, and CHM formats. Therefore, when you shift to the PDF version of a book when EPUB isn't available, you don't have to change the app. I particularly liked how the ReadEra app optimizes the PDF viewing experience for ease of reading.

I don't mean to say the app doesn't have any customization options, though. On the other hand, you get ample options to change and optimize the way you read each book. Those options include viewing modes, advanced control over font size and fonts, etc. The custom scanning options and category-wise library views are also great for most reading enthusiasts.

Since it is quite minimal, I didn't expect features like access to external libraries. The sync options are available only on the premium plan. However, if you are looking for the basic features, the ad-free version of ReadEra doesn't disappoint. In the end, ReadEra offers more than I expected, supporting more formats than Google Play Books.

ReadEra

ReadEra is a free, ad-free Android e-book reader handling EPUB, PDF, MOBI, DOC, DJVU, FB2, TXT, RTF, and more—no internet required.

Neubook

For those times when ADHD doesn't let you read

Ever have those times when you want to read a book but cannot because an entire page is too much for your ADHD? You may want to try a more recent Android reading app, Neubook. This minimal EPUB reader differs not only from Google Play Books but also from the other options we just saw. Despite the level of customization those two apps offer, they don't change the way you read, but Neubook does that.

Setting up Neubook and getting started with the app is easy, but you'd notice something when you open an eBook for the first time: Neubook breaks a book into digestible segments of around 30 to 50 words, which are easy to focus on compared to having an entire page in front of you. You can also choose between several reading modes.

Depending on what works for you, you can choose swipe cards, vertical scroll, or focus mode. I also like the Bionic Reading mode, which makes the beginnings of words bold for better flow. You also get the standard features like progress tracking, reading streaks, and several reading mode optimization options.

Coming from an app like Google Play Books, Neubook may seem a little out there, but if you often struggle to focus on an entire book because it's just too much, this may be a great way to actually finish the books that you start reading.

Neubook

NeuBook is a focused e-book reader app for Android, targeting users who find traditional apps overwhelming with smart content chunking, bionic reading, and gamification.

Google Play Books isn't the problem — it's just not the whole solution

I don't want this article to give you the impression that Google Play Books is a problematic app. It's not; it's often a simple app that most people might like when they start reading on their smartphones. However, it is not a whole solution for everyone. Therefore, as you progress and start addressing the issues you have with reading eBooks, you may want to consider the apps we discussed above. Given they are free to use, you can at least try a new way of reading eBooks regardless of whether you make the jump.