Curated lists of genuinely free and open source tools for readers and writers.
Comparison lists of free and open source software for reading, writing, converting and organising books. Every entry states its licence, what it costs, which platforms it runs on, and at least one honest downside. Nothing that charges for core use appears here, and no link in this repository earns a commission.
5 lists · 54 tools · 51 open source · updated 2026-09-11
| List | Tools | Open source | Version | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook Management Apps Organise, tag, convert and sync a personal ebook library without paying anyone. |
11 | 10 | v1.1.1 | 11-Sept-2026 |
| List | Tools | Open source | Version | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook Readers for Desktop Distraction-free EPUB, MOBI and PDF reading software for Windows, macOS and Linux |
12 | 12 | v1.0.0 | 11-Sept-2026 |
| List | Tools | Open source | Version | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook Format Converters Convert EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3 and more without uploading your books to anyone. |
9 | 9 | v1.0.0 | 11-Sept-2026 |
| PDF Editors & Annotators Annotate, merge, split, sign and fill PDF forms without subscriptions or watermarks. |
12 | 11 | v1.0.0 | 11-Sept-2026 |
| List | Tools | Open source | Version | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing Software for Novelists Find free tools for drafting, outlining, organising scenes and building long-form manuscripts. |
10 | 9 | v1.0.0 | 11-Sept-2026 |
Most "best free software" round-ups are affiliate pages with the word free in the title. These are built to a different standard, and the standard is enforced by a validator rather than by good intentions.
What gets in:
- Genuinely free for its core purpose. No expiring trial, no daily cap, no file-size limit, no watermark, no account required to save your own work. A tool that stops working on the third document is a trial, not a free tool, and it is not listed.
- A stated licence. Open source entries name an OSI-recognised licence and link the repository that proves it. Freeware is labelled freeware, never dressed up as open source.
- At least one honest downside. Every entry has a downsides field and it is never empty. A list where nothing has a drawback is an advertisement.
What the build refuses to publish:
- an entry whose cost is anything but free for core use
- an open source claim with no repository, or a licence not on the OSI list
- any link carrying a tracking or affiliate parameter
- an entry with no downsides listed
- a list with fewer than eight entries
No affiliate links, ever. Not on any entry, not anywhere in this repository. The build rejects URLs carrying tracking or affiliate parameters, so it is not a promise you have to take on trust. Everything covered here is free or open source, so there is nothing to earn a commission on in the first place.
There is no cap. Lists aim for at least ten, and there is no reason to discard a good eleventh tool to keep a round number. Anything that clears every rule but is too niche, too rough or too new to recommend first goes in Also consider — validated exactly as strictly, presented more lightly.
Software changes. A tool that was free last year may not be free now, a project may be archived, a licence may change.
If you find something wrong, open a correction issue. Include a link to the source — the project's own page or repository is ideal. Corrections with a source get fixed straight away.
Each entry carries a last-checked date. That date means a human opened the link and confirmed it on that day. It is not automated, and it is not a guess.
Everything here is released under CC0 1.0 Universal — the public domain dedication. Use it, change it, fork it, host your own copy, ship it inside your own project. No attribution required, no licence file to carry across, nothing to register, no permission to ask for.
- free-book-prompt-studio
- free-printable-resources — Free CC0 printable resources for Readers & Writers
- wemplates-divi5-layouts — Free Divi5 layouts
- awesome-webdesign-tools — Compilations & resources
Website: https://www.getfreeebooks.com
Follow us
- Youtube — https://www.youtube.com/getfreeebooks
- Facebook Page — https://facebook.com/getfreeebooks
- Facebook Group — https://www.facebook.com/groups/getfreebooks
- Instagram — https://instagram.com/getfreeebooks
- X — https://x.com/getfreeebooks
- Reddit — https://www.reddit.com/r/getfreeebooks
- Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com/getfreeebooks
- Behance — https://www.behance.net/motionedgedesign
- Dribbble — https://dribbble.com/motionedgedesign
- Telegram — https://t.me/getfree3books
- Threads — https://www.threads.com/@getfreeebooks
- Whatsapp — https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb90ybl6buMQvGHwOI12
Submit your own free ebooks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/getfreebooks