Best EPUB Reader for Windows

Choosing the best EPUB reader for Windows can be daunting, considering the number of available options. This is where this guide comes into play.

I’ve tested over 20 tools to choose the set of 10 presented below, so read on for more details. After reading this list, you can choose the perfect EPUB reader for your needs.

1. Aquile Reader

Aquile Reader supports a wide range of e-book formats. The user interface is well-designed, modern, and intuitive, so I could easily reach any needed options.

I especially liked that it stores the last 3 e-books I opened.

One of the main highlights is the wide range of customization options. You can choose the spacing between lines and paragraphs, word space, and text alignment.

This feature ensures that you can read without straining your eyes too much.

Aquile includes a text-to-speech feature that can read your favorite books aloud.

The library management feature lets you add bookmarks, highlights, and notes.

Performance-wise, Aquile Reader works fast and responds instantly to any command.

Pros:

It has a modern and well-designed interface
Extensive range of eBooks to choose from
The reading screen can be customized according to your needs
Supports notes, highlights, and bookmarks
Text-to-speech capability
You can get insights into reading habits

Cons:

It doesn’t have a full-screen mode
No categories or submenus can be created

2. Calibre

Calibre is a free and open-source e-book reader that works seamlessly on Windows and fully supports various formats.

I liked that the installer asks what kind of e-book reader you’re using, so it customizes accordingly.

The interface is well-designed and allows me to reach any option.

The icons are big and bold, making it perfect for touch-based devices and normal PCs alike.

Like the previous app, Calibre has a text-to-speech feature that instantly transforms your e-book into an audiobook. You can customize the pitch, volume, and speed of the reading voice.

It also includes RSS feed support, so you can gather news from your favorite online publications and store them locally.

The library management features are also well-tuned, and you can easily create and manage your book collections. You can add notes, bookmarks, and highlight text.

Regarding performance, Calibre works perfectly, and the page-turning process is very smooth.

Pros:

Supports multiple formats
Includes a great plugin system that can extend capabilities
Completely free and open-source
Can convert books from one format to another
Reduces the size of converted book for optimal usage
The app is portable

Cons:

At times, it consumes more memory than expected
It’s not a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) reader
The price could be steep for some users

3. Sumatra PDF Reader

Sumatra PDF Reader is probably the most lightweight EPUB reader I’ve encountered in my research.

This tiny software can open PDF, ePUB, Mobi, XPS, DjVu, CBZ, CHM, and CBR.

Even though the user interface is minimalistic, it offers excellent performance.

To test it, I downloaded Animal Farm by George Orwell and opened the book with Sumatra.

It’s very portable, as it can be run directly from a USB device.

The library management feature also works spotless, organizing your books in an easily accessible manner.

Sumatra also allows you to use keyboard shortcuts to streamline your reading process. Moreover, the search feature ensures you’ll never lose any book.

The performance of this software is astonishing, providing a quick and light overall experience.

That being said, the speed comes at a price, with some of the more current features not being present. These include forms and in-depth customization.

Pros:

Lightweight and fast build
Offers support for multiple formats
It can be run off a USB drive, making it very portable
Includes a set of helpful keyboard shortcuts
Fast search feature for texts of any size
Well-organized PDF library

Cons:

It’s a simple reader, lacking some advanced features
Some users encountered issues while modifying preferences

4. Epubor Reader

Epubor Reader is an e-book reader that supports EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, TXT, etc.

The interface is simple to use and intuitive even for beginners, and the drag-and-drop feature makes it even more accessible.

The software also includes a text-to-speech function, but it doesn’t work as well as other software.

What stood out from my testing of this app was its ability to modify the e-book’s metadata information.

You can rate it, add a note, and even change the cover image.

Epubor Reader’s performance is well-rounded and stable. However, some users have complained about lifetime license problems, so I recommend first trying out the trial version.

Pros:

Supports a variety of eBook formats, including Kindle, Kobo, and Adobe DRM
The software is easy to use to read and add books
High-quality e-book conversion included
Capacity to edit ebook’s metadata, add ratings, and notes
Includes a DRM-stripping tool
It can be used as an online e-book reader

Cons:

Your Windows Defence system might block the installation file, but it’s a false-positive. I’ve tested the installer with the latest Bit Defender Internet Security antivirus.
The license can be quite costly
If you’re flipping through pages too fast, the software lags

5. Neat Reader

Neat Reader is another good software option if you want to read e-books in various formats. This helpful app allows you to import EPUB files even via Wi-Fi transfer.

The feature that stood out the most during my testing was the comprehensive annotation tools.

You can use them to highlight parts of the text, write your notes, and move quickly from one highlight to another.

The library management is not as well-designed as in the case of other software, but it’s still useful. You can create categories and then even store them in the cloud as backups.

Neat Reader was also decent performance-wise, offering a stable and responsive platform for your reading.

Still, some users were dissatisfied with the fact that the app doesn’t support DRM files. This applies to both free and paid plans.

Pros:

It can be used on tablets, smartphones or desktop
The free version of the software offers everything you need to read e-books
Perfectly supports ePub 2 and most ePub 3 standards
You can add annotations to the text
Provides a secure cloud storage option for your books
Notes can be exported at all times

Cons:

The app lags a lot if using it offline, especially for large books
The flip-through-page process works, but can be laggy for larger documents
The free features of the app are limited, but it’s still useful

BookViser is a good e-book reader that easily supports text, FB2, and ePub formats. The user interface is very nicely designed and offers a unique way to read through your books with a 3D page-flipping effect.

What I liked about this software is the large number of customization options.

You can change the font size and color, adjust the margins, and even set customized areas to tap or swipe for the page-turning effect.

The library is simple but effective, offering access to great e-book sources like Project Gutenberg, Smashwords, and Feedbooks.

During my testing, the software was fast and responded quickly to my commands. Still, I noticed that the page-turning feature lagged a bit at times (depending on how fast you scroll).

Pros:

Supports a varied format selection, including text, FB2, and ePub
3D page-flipping effect imitating a physical book
You can customize the reading screen to fit your needs
Includes annotation tools
Offers access to a set of free books
The interface is easy to navigate and modify options

Cons:

Fast page-flipping will cause slower responses
The free version offers a limited number of features

7. Freda

Freda supports EPUB, FB2, and TXT formats without issues.

It also provides a 3D page-flipping feature, imitating a physical book.

I liked that I could customize every aspect of the app, including font size, color, and background.

Freda also supports bookmarks, annotations, and highlights to quickly mark your books or documents. Even more, the text-to-speech option can be helpful in some situations.

You can use Freda to transfer books from SD cards, OneDrive, and even websites by using the Internet Explorer browser. Furthermore, you also get access to thousands of classical books for free from Project Gutenberg.

Freda is very responsive, stable, and not prone to lagging while dealing with bigger books. While reading user comments on this app, they were upset that it doesn’t read DRM EPUB content.

This is only a problem if you’re keen on having a DRM capacity included, but the reader is a well-rounded option nonetheless.

Pros:

Supports a good set of formats, including EPUB, FB2, and TXT
You can customize the font size, color, and background
Includes useful annotation tools and notes
Offers access to a limited number of free books
It is easy to navigate the menus and reach your goal
Offers cloud support

Cons:

The free version is limited, but can still be used for reading e-Books
The free version includes some ads
The interface could be confusing to some users

8. Adobe Digital Editions

As Adobe designed the software, I expected it to be the best option on the market, but it’s not even close.

The software is entirely free to use, and it supports an extensive range of formats, including EPUB and PDF. The interface is well-designed, but the lack of UI customization options made it lose ground compared to other e-book readers.

Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) offers full support for Adobe DRM-protected books, allowing users to borrow e-books from public libraries.

Furthermore, it supports the EPUB3 standard, which ensures that the audio and video content is always rendered optimally. This implies that you can use the software to resize images dynamically, and offers support for columns, quizzes, and math formulas.

ADE is fast and responsive to any command, so its performance is as expected, even though the lack of features makes it sub-par.

Pros:

Supports a wide range of e-book formats including PDF and EPUB
Can easily transfer libraries to other computers or iPads
Fully supports the Adobe DRM Protected Books
It offers support for EPUB3
Built-in search functionality that works effectively
It can be used with various screen readers like JAWS and NVDA in Windows

Cons:

The offline usage is very limited
It lacks any advanced customization features
No support for Linux

9. Cover

Cover is a lightweight EPUB reader that supports various formats. This app was specifically designed with comic book reading in mind and has the features to prove it.

This app also has a wide range of customization options. You can change the font size, background, and even text color. If you want to listen to the book, you can also use the built-in text-to-speech feature.

Furthermore, Cover accepts annotations, bookmarks, and highlighting.

Moreover, Cover permits book transfers from an SD card and even OneDrive.

You can also access e-book content from Smashwords, FeedBooks, and the Project Gutenberg libraries.

During performance testing, it functioned without any lagging or stuck pages.

Pros:

Designed for reading e-comic books but works with any type
The reader screen can be customized to fit your requirements
It has a lightweight build
The menus are well-designed and ensure easy navigation
It has some built-in annotation tools

Cons:

Some users have mentioned that the app freezes at times
The free version has only limited features

10. Kobo Desktop

Kobo Desktop is a well-rounded e-book reader that accepts various file formats, including EPUB. The user interface is simple but effective.

Even though the software is mainly known for its access to a wide range of bookstores, you can also upload your e-books.

Kobo supports the EPUB3 standard, ensuring that audio and video content synchronization is always perfect. You can also find new books to read by exploring the Smashwords, FeedBooks, and Project Gutenberg libraries.

Still, it lacks customization options.

Pros:

Kobo provides a wide range of options compared to Kindle or other services
Supports an array of formats and file types
It comes with integrated Wi-Fi functionality for easy access
Fully compatible with the Universal ePub format
It’s part of a multi-device setup allowing easy access on any device

Cons:

It works slowly, especially with large e-books
The setup of the menus can be confusing
The wireless feature drains the device’s battery much faster

How I Chose the Best EPUB Reader for Windows

I’ve tested over 20 software options to create this list:

I downloaded all tools from the official sources and installed them on my testing rig.
I ensured the software supports various e-book formats like EPUB, PDF, MOBI, etc.
All the software I chose for the final list must have a user-friendly interface. This includes visual design and the capacity to adjust fonts, color themes, and night mode.
I checked for annotation features like the capacity to highlight text, add notes, and bookmark specific pages.
Good EPUB readers should also include a powerful library management feature. This includes sorting your books, searching within your library, and tracking your reading progress.
It should be fast and responsive.

Software	File Format	User Interface	Annotation	Library Management	Performance
Aquile Reader	PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT	Clean and user-friendly	Limited annotation features	Basic library management	5/5
Calibre	Various, including EPUB, MOBI, PDF	Feature-rich and customizable	Extensive annotation tools	Robust library management	4.5/5
Sumatra PDF Reader	PDF, EPUB, MOBI, XPS, DjVu	Minimalistic and fast	Limited annotation support	Basic functionality	4/5
Epubor Reader	EPUB, PDF, AZW3, MOBI	Intuitive and modern	Basic annotation features	Simplified library management	5/5
Neat Reader	PDF, EPUB, MOBI, TXT	Clean and modern design	Basic annotation tools	Organized library management	4/5
BookViser	EPUB, TXT, FB2, HTML, MOBI	User-friendly and customizable	Limited annotation support	Library organization	3/5
Freda	EPUB, FB2, HTML, TXT, MOBI	Modern and customizable	Basic annotation features	Library categorization	4/5
Adobe Digital Editions	EPUB, PDF	Polished and professional	Rich annotation tools	Comprehensive library management	2/5
Cover	EPUB, PDF, MOBI	Minimalistic and intuitive	Limited annotation support	Simplified library management	3/5
Kobo	EPUB, PDF, MOBI, TXT	User-friendly and customizable	Basic annotation features	Integrated library management	4/5

How To Use an EPUB Reader

Download and install the Aquile Reader from the Microsoft Store.
Run the application from the location you installed it.
Click the book you want to open from the library to start reading.
Select a part of the text and annotate, highlight, or translate it.

There are plenty of options on the market, but now you’re much closer to finding the best EPUB reader for Windows.