When it comes to unwinding at the end of the night, I love curling up on my sofa with my iPad and tucking in to a good novel. Though it’s nice to be able to read on a Kindle or other E-Ink device, I find that the Kindle app’s infinite scroll feature helps keep me immersed in books for longer periods of time, and has helped me shake some of my doomscrolling habit in 2026.
However, though I love reading, buying books digitally isn’t always the cheapest thing, even if you have a subscription service like Kindle Unlimited. However, there are some great ways to get free books, particularly if you use the Kindle app like I do, which will help you read all the books you want to for free.
Libby
The best library app around
If you’ve got a local library that includes access to Libby, you probably already know that this app is one of the best ways to read titles for free. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is an easy recommendation, and even if you don’t have a library card, many library systems allow you to sign up through the app itself so you can get to reading immediately. One of my favorite features of this app is you can read in the Libby app itself, or you can export your books to your iPad’s Kindle app, which is perfect for my endless scrolling needs.
The one downside to Libby is that access can vary greatly based on where you live, and unfortunately, I know too well the pain of having access through a library that doesn’t have a lot of titles. However, if you don’t mind a small fee, a lot of larger library systems allow non-residents to pay for access to bigger catalogs. Though this isn’t exactly free, if you’re reading dozens of books a year, the one-time fee could work out to less than a dollar per book, which is a small price to pay (and all the more incentive to read more!)
Stuff Your Kindle Day
An event that isn’t just for Kindles
Despite the name, Stuff your Kindle Day can help you get free books for your iPad, as most books available during these events are available cross-platform, and even the few that are locked into Amazon’s ecosystem can still be accessed with the iPad’s Kindle app. There are genre-focused Stuff Your Kindle events happening monthly, and while it can be tough to keep track of them all, you can check out StuffYourKindle.org to get started. Most of these events are for 24 hours only, so if you want to check them out, I recommend setting a calendar reminder so you don’t miss out on free books!
Amazon Prime First Reads
A Prime benefit more people should use
One of the most under-utlized perks of being an Amazon Prime member is the company’s First Reads program, which allows subscribers to claim one free Kindle e-book a month from a curated collection, as well as a free bonus short read, meaning you can (in theory) get two free Kindle e-books a month. You can check out each month’s picks here. Though you have to be a Prime member for the books to be free, if you are just a regular Amazon user, you can still get First Reads books for $2, which isn’t half bad if there’s something on the list you’ve been wanting to check out.
Project Gutenberg
Great for reading the classics (or school assignments)
There’s something so cozy about reading classic works of literature, and thanks to Project Gutenberg, you can read all-time greats like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Count of Monte Cristo all for free as they are old enough to be in the public domain. You don’t need a login, account or app to access the titles housed on this site, just search for the title you want, download it to your iPad with one click, and you’re ready to read. This resource is also great for students as it has plenty of frequently-assigned books like The Time Machine, Pride and Prejudice, and even the complete works of William Shakespeare. There are thousands of books available on Poject Gutenberg, but this top 100 list can give you a good idea of the gems you can find on this service.
