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Alternatives to the Kindle store
Leave the Kindle ecosystem for books you keep, in files you control.
Ranked by score out of 30, most convivial first.
Standard Ebooks
Free, carefully made editions of public-domain books, with no account and no catch.
Calibre
Manages, converts and reads your ebook library on your own computer.
Project Gutenberg
More than 75,000 free ebooks from a volunteer library that started in 1971.
KOReader
An open-source reading app for e-ink readers, phones and computers that opens almost any file.
Audiobookshelf
A server you run yourself for your audiobooks, podcasts and ebooks, with apps to listen on your phone.
For comparison
The big names these tools are measured against. We review them as benchmarks, so they sit outside the directory.
About these tools
Buying a book from the Kindle store means buying a licence to read it inside Amazon's system, on Amazon's terms. The book sits in a format only Amazon's apps and devices are built around, and it can be changed or taken back without your say. That is the opposite of a convivial tool, because the shelf only works as long as the store is willing.
You can leave without giving up reading. Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg give you tens of thousands of free books as plain files. Calibre keeps your library in a folder on your own computer and converts between formats. KOReader replaces the reading app on your device, and Audiobookshelf does the same job for audiobooks if you want out of Audible.
A public library lends ebooks and audiobooks too, usually through an app, and it is the oldest convivial tool on this page. Buying from authors and publishers who sell files without copy protection is the other piece, because a file you can move is a book you own.
How to choose
Start with where your books are stored and whether you could read them if the store vanished tomorrow. A folder of open files is the safe answer. Then check that your reader opens what you keep, since some devices take only certain formats, and that you are happy to run anything that needs a server. Leave your existing Kindle purchases where they are until you know what you want to do with them.
Frequently asked questions
What is an alternative to the Kindle store?
There is no single replacement, and that is the point. Free libraries such as Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg cover older books, your public library covers new ones, and Calibre holds everything you own. Some authors and publishers sell books without copy protection.
Can I move my Kindle books to Calibre?
Books bought from Amazon are usually protected, and the rules on removing that protection differ from country to country, so we don't cover how to do it. The safe path is to keep reading them in the Kindle app and to buy new books as files you can keep.
Can I keep my Kindle device?
Yes, with limits. A Kindle opens files you load onto it, and KOReader can replace its reading software once the device is unlocked. Many people simply move to an e-reader that takes open formats.
How do I listen to audiobooks without Audible?
Buy or borrow audio files you can keep and play them with Audiobookshelf, which runs on your own server, or with any player that opens the files. Check that the audiobook comes without copy protection before you pay.
Are free ebooks any good?
Yes, for older books. Standard Ebooks editions are carefully typeset, and Project Gutenberg holds more than 75,000 titles, though the formatting varies.