10+ Best Websites To Download Free PDF Textbooks [2024]

Gone are the days when you had to pay full price for books. Now you can find college textbooks online for free. One not-so-great thing about college education is expensive books. The amount of money it takes out of your pocket to pay for textbooks is huge. No matter how financially prepared you think you are for college, the cost of textbooks will frustrate you at some point. So, there are several best websites to download free PDF textbooks.

Today, there are many resources on the Internet where you can find a lot of books available for downloading in electronic form. From PDFs and eBooks to renting or using university libraries, there are plenty of ways to get free (or very cheap) university materials. This way, you’ll have certain savings to invest in other beneficial ways. Read this article to learn about the 10 best websites to download free PDF textbooks in 2024.

10+ Best Websites to Download Free PDF Textbooks

1. Library Genesis
2. Centslessbooks
3. OverDrive
4. Project Gutenberg
5. Open Library
6. Bookboon
7. DigiLibraries
8. Amazon Kindle
9. Google Books
10. Digital Book Index
11. Openstax
12. Internet Archive

12 Best Websites to Download Free PDF Textbooks

1. Library Genesis

Library Genesis is a website where many students visit books from different domains. Here, books are easily accessible, shared, and bought. You can have a long list of books to buy. It’s a good way if you do not wish to purchase expensive textbooks.

Website: https://libgen.li/

2. Centslessbooks

What makes CentslessBooks different from other websites? It provides a comprehensive list of all e-books that are available for free in the Amazon Kindle Store. If you select any e-book, it will direct you to the Kindle Store. Kindle offers the purchase of a hard copy for those who want it, and a free version is also available.

Website: https://centslessbooks.com/

3. OverDrive

On OverDrive, you can explore and read over a million eBooks for free. However, the only thing is that you must have an active student ID or public library card to access the books for free. Another plus of Overdrive is that it also has a wide selection of free audiobooks.

Website: https://www.overdrive.com/

4. Project Gutenberg

Well, if you’re looking for the biggest and oldest free eBook sources, your search should end here. You won’t believe it, but there are over 70,000 e-books on the site, and considered as one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks.

Another advantage is that Project Gutenberg does not require you to register with the site to access the books. All books were available in Kindle, HTML, ePub, and plain text formats.

Website: https://www.gutenberg.org/

5. Open Library

From the Open Library, you can access and download books in various formats, such as MOBI, EPUB, PDF, etc. It is essentially a search engine that allows you to search the Internet Archive’s e-book library.

There are over 1.5 million books available on the site, and they cover all categories like romance, history, children, etc.

Website: https://openlibrary.org/

6. Bookboon

Well, Bookboon is one of the great sites to download free books in PDF format. You can download more than 75 million books in PDF format from this site. Bookboon is basically a website aimed at students.

All free textbooks are written by professors from the best universities in the world. The site is very easy to navigate and is definitely the best eBook site you can visit today. Also, as per user reviews only, it is considered as one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks.

Website: https://bookboon.com/

7. DigiLibraries

The site claims to offer a digital source of e-books for every taste. Depending on your taste, you can browse through different categories of e-books.

The good thing is that the site allows you to browse books by title, author, or topic. DigiLibraries supports downloading files in EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats.

Website: https://digilibraries.com/

8. Amazon Kindle

Well, Amazon Kindle is one of the best places to read e-books and one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks. The Kindle is now the main source for downloading e-books. While not all books available on Kindle are free to download, if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read many books for free.

You can download the Kindle app on Android or iOS. The desktop version is also available to read books stored in your Kindle library.

Website: Amazon Kindle

9. Google Books

The Google Play Store has a separate section for books. Go to the Google Play Store and select the books section. In this section, you will find many popular books.

Google Play has a section for free books of various genres. The free section lists new books almost every day. You can’t download books. However, you can read them through the Google Play Books app.

Website: https://books.google.com/

10. Digital Book Index

The Digital Book Index is another website where students can find free university textbooks in PDF format.

Textbooks in the Digital Book Index are available in history, social studies, medicine and health, math and science, philosophy and religion, law, and other subject areas. You can also search for textbooks by author, title, subject, and publisher.

Website: http://www.digitalbookindex.org/

11. Openstax

OpenStax is another website where college students can access 100% free online college textbooks in pdf format, available in English and Spanish. Its mission is to improve access to education and learning for all. It publishes openly licensed books.

OpenStax publishes high-quality books that are reviewed by experts. These openly licensed college textbooks are completely free online. You can also print them in a very affordable manner. The textbooks provided by OpenStax are written by professional authors. They follow standard length and sequence requirements. This allows them to be tailored to your existing course. OpenStax also has textbooks for high school courses.

Website: https://openstax.org/

12. Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is an easy-to-use website. Students can download free university textbooks online. Free PDF college textbooks are available for almost every subject area.

Books published before 1926 are also available for download. Hundreds and thousands of modern books can also be rented online. The Internet Archive is a non-profit library containing millions of free books, movies, websites, and more.

Website: https://archive.org/

Tips for Downloading Free PDF Textbooks

• Visit the official websites of universities and educational organizations. It is a safe way to download free PDF versions of textbooks.
• Use open-access resources such as OpenStax. It will allow you to access free electronic versions of textbooks in various subjects.
• Check online libraries such as Google Books. Here you can find free passages and sometimes entire textbooks.
• Use platforms that provide free books, such as Project Gutenberg. Classic textbooks are also available.
• Check out educational research sites that often offer free PDF versions of academic books and articles.

Comparison Of Best Websites For Free Textbooks Online

Website	Description	Key Features
Library Genesis	Access, share, and purchase textbooks; extensive list of books available for buying.	Wide range of books available for purchase.
Centslessbooks	Lists e-books freely available on Amazon Kindle store; redirects to Kindle Store for download options.	Provides access to free e-books available on Amazon Kindle; option to purchase print editions.
OverDrive	Explore and read over a million eBooks for free; requires an active student ID or public library card. Wide selection, includes free audiobooks.	Access to a large collection of free eBooks with a requirement of an active student ID or library card; offers a variety of audiobooks.
Project Gutenberg	One of the biggest and oldest free eBook sources with over 70,000 e-books; no registration required.	Vast collection of over 70,000 free e-books available in various formats without the need for registration.
Open Library	Access and download books in various formats; a search engine for Internet Archive’s ebook library with over 1.5 million books covering various categories.	Extensive collection with over 1.5 million books available in multiple formats; easy navigation.
Bookboon	Download more than 75 million books in PDF format; written by professors from top universities; site targeted at students.	Large collection of over 75 million books in PDF format; authored by professors from leading universities; user-friendly navigation.
Digital Libraries	Offers a digital source of e-books across different categories; supports downloading in EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats.	Broad range of e-books available with the ability to browse by title, author, or topic; supports EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats.
Amazon Kindle	Leading platform for e-books; some books available for free with Kindle Unlimited subscription. Can be accessed through Kindle app on various devices.	Amazon’s main source for e-books; availability of free books with Kindle Unlimited subscription; accessible on Kindle app across devices.
Google Books	Google Play Store section for books; includes a large number of free books in various genres. Cannot be downloaded but can be read through the Google Play Books app.	Separate section in Google Play Store for books with a substantial collection of free books in different genres; reading through Google Play Books app.
Digital Book Index	Website offering free university textbooks in PDF format; covers various subject areas.	Provides free university textbooks in PDF format, searchable by author/title, subject, and publisher; covers a range of subjects.
Openstax	Offers 100% free online college textbooks in PDF format; an educational initiative of Rice University. Covers subjects like math, science, social studies, humanities, and business.	Non-profit initiative providing free online college textbooks in PDF format; covers a variety of subjects; written by professional authors.
Internet Archive	Easy-to-use website for downloading free university textbooks and online college textbooks; nonprofit library with millions of free books and other media.	Simple interface for downloading free university textbooks; nonprofit library with millions of free books, movies, software, music, etc.

Bonus Website To Download PDF Books

ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks offers a range of free online college textbooks. Get free college textbooks in PDF format here. This makes it easy to find the textbooks that are suitable for your college course.

Conclusion

Besides various other reading materials, textbooks rank as one of the largest college bills. By following this guide closely, you’ll never need the costly text books anymore. This is a modern-day method of obtaining college textbooks. It is now possible to get free pdf copies of books on the Internet without having to spend your hard-earned money. Easily access some of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks and get the required material.

Best Websites To Download Free PDF Textbooks [2024] – FAQs

1. How can I download textbooks for free?

Answer:

You can simply download free textbooks from the websites listed above.

2. Is Bookboon a safe website for free textbooks?

Answer:

Yes, Bookboon is a safe website for free textbooks.

3. Is it safe to download books online?

Answer:

Yes, if you are not downloading books from a pirated site, it’s completely safe to download books online.