eReader (eBook) Apps

Aldiko (Free. Android only) a very simple eReader that has the standard customizing option, it has a file manager for uploading your eBooks and documents, but what's really nice is the large number of file types and languages it supports

Axis Reader Android(Free. iOS and Android) another library eBooks app it requires you to have or create an Adobe ID; the menu and process for getting set-up is not as intuitive as OverDrive and it's not available for Amazon or Windows phone yet. The actual reader that you use is the same as the Bluefire app. It has one of the most annoying processes for certain items, for certain children's books you have to use the Blio format which means you must also download the Blio app and for audiobooks you must download the Acoustik app. With all that being said, if there because there is a good selection and it's free, it's worth the hassle.

Blio (Free, iOS and Android) This eReader app gives the closest experience to reading an actual book. There are three themes, in text search, multiple color highlighting, and bookmarks which unfortunately do not show on the page. The app allows you to tap either side of the screen to turn the page which is helpful for lefties. Blio is the preferred eReader / format for children's book publishers / authors. You can pay extra and purchase different voices to read the text to you.

Bluefire (Free, iOS and Android) A lot of librarians and reviewers prefer this app because it has the most options for font, spacing, background, etc. The bookmarks do not show up on the page and the progress is only visible if you tap the screen, it has some draw backs. You can make notes but you must do so through a separate menu. One of the nice features is that you can lock the orientation of the screen so it doesn't shift when you tilt / move the device you are reading on.

FBReader (Free. Mac OS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, and Linux) This app has four font choices, three backgrounds, and allows you to change margin and spacing.  Page turning animation is realistic, and it has 8 catalogs of books you can purchase from. You can search for books in your library by author, title, series, tag, or recently read. With a file manager built in you can select books from your internal or external memory to load. It supports 30 languages so there are books in the catalog that will show as disabled unless you select those languages as enabled from your settings menu. The app shows chapter and total progress, and you can set bookmarks. You can copy words or phrases to a clipboard and look up word definitions in a dictionary.

Google Play Books (Free. iOS, Android, and web) works on computers, phones, and tablets; the app's major strength lies in its ability to sync ePub books on all devices meaning you can start on your phone and then continue reading on your phone or laptop; read from the cloud or download; customize font, background, and spacing; upload your own books from other sources; get definitions, Wikipedia articles, and search results in-app; text-to-speech on some books (per publisher approval); bookmark pages, highlight text, and add notes; search within books for text.

iBooks (Free. iOS only) This eReader which comes standard on Apple devices has seven fonts, three themes, bookmarks, notes show up in the margin, percent of book read and pages left in the chapter show up in the bottom right hand corner, multiple color highlighting. Many reviewers like that you can view the book as it would appear in real life two pages with a crease in the middle and the page turning when you advance, or if you prefer it can look like most eReaders do with one page at a time, or you can have it read like one giant webpage and scroll through the text like you would online. Syncs across all Apple devices; very nice layout / interface.

Kindle (Free. iOS, Android, Windows, and Amazon) customize background, font, spacing; the strength of the app lies in its library of over a million titles for sale, ability to purchase their Kindle Unlimited where you can borrow any of the eBooks for sale for a monthly fee, and Amazon has Kindle books that are not available in any other format print or electronic.

Kobo (Free. iOS and Android) This is app makes reading social and a game. It allows you to see reviews, notes, highlights, and commentary from other readers. Your bookmarks show as dog-eared pages. There are games and awards for reading. It shows your reading stats: see how fast, how often, and how much you have read. So if you like to be encouraged to read more or you like to make your reading more of a social affair this app is for you.

Marvin (Free. iOS only) Unfortunately this eReader only works on books that do not have digital rights management, basically only books that have passed from copyright like Project Gutenberg books work on the app. It has a lot of great customizing features: fonts, backgrounds, spacing, highlighting, notes, and chapter / total book progress. One of the really neat features is called "Deep Read" which gives you a synopsis of the characters and plot of the book, and allows you to search for articles about the book or author.

Moon+ (Free. Android only)The user interface really makes this app stand out from the pack. You can customize font styles and sizes, backgrounds, spacing, paging modes, autoscroll, multiple view modes, "keep your eye health", share bookmarks, upload to Dropbox, and more. The pro version ($4.99) is also available which removes ads, includes PDF, shake the phone - speak to search, Bluetooth / headset keys control, and much more.

Nook (Free. iOS, Android) similar customization options as other eReader apps; you can highlight text,  take notes, and search for text. You can share your eBooks on up to 12 devices; the app boasts more eBooks for sale than any other retailer and have some publishers' eBooks that are not available on Kindle. Barnes & Noble uses ePub format so the books are able to be imported into other eReaders and eReader apps. By selecting a word or phrase you can look it up in a dictionary, on Google, or Wikipedia. Unfortunately you cannot make purchases within the app you have to do it from their website or in a store. (Full disclosure: I work part-time at Barnes & Noble)

OverDrive (Free. iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows, and web) Check out library books for free and read them or listen to them with an app that has gotten better with each update. You can customize your font, background theme, spacing, and margins. You can look-up words in the dictionary and create bookmarks, but unfortunately there is no highlighting or note taking functions.

Oyster (9.99 / mo. iOS and Android) similar to Scribd it has new titles added each week, it syncs across multiple devices, and allows a number of downloads for offline reading; the app's predictive technology recommends titles based on your reading history.

Scribd (8.99 / mo. iOS and Android)  Called the "Netflix for books" when it debuted in 2013, Scribd features a library of over 500,000 books from 900+ publishers across a variety of genres; same ability to customize your eReading as the aforementioned apps; as it has gotten more subscribers its library has grown.