Convenient reader. The best programs for reading e-books

For many people, reading books has been and remains the first item on the list of leisure activities. New technologies have provided us with another potential device for our favorite pastime - mobile gadgets. The screens of smartphones and tablets have become larger, clearer and more understandable for the average user, so more and more book lovers prefer to spend time reading on some mobile device.

But just one smartphone or tablet is not enough to fully immerse yourself in the world of books. This requires special software (reader) that correctly “digests” and visualizes all text information for the user.

Let's try to figure out which reader is better for Android, how they differ from each other, and what to choose in a given situation. We'll talk about special programs for reading, formats, fonts and other subtleties of this kind of utilities.

FBReader

This program is perhaps the best reader for Android in Russian, because you don’t have to expect any hidden and unpleasant surprises from it, like annoying advertising or paid functionality. This argument gives the utility a very big advantage over other programs in this segment. People are just tired of closing every five to ten minutes advertising windows and pay for the opportunity to read the purchased book.

Moreover, this software is cross-platform, which means the best reader for Android will work on all your devices, with just one caveat - not for iOS. You can easily synchronize all the books and documents that you work and read in any cloud service, for example, the same Google Drive or the branded FBReader. Not all of the best Android readers in Russian can boast of having this feature.

Another critical point for some is support for smartphones of the YotaPhone class, that is, full-fledged work with E-Ink screens. Almost all owners of such gadgets and book lovers leave a lot of laudatory reviews about this utility, so this is another argument in favor of installing FBReader. In addition, the software received wide recognition from the Internet community and took first place in the “Best Reader for Android 2016” category.

Features of the utility

The application easily “digests” all known text formats: mobi, rtf, epub, doc, etc. If you use the utility for some exotic needs, such as working with PDF files or DjVu, then you will have to install a set of additional plugins (also free). In addition, the software works great with third-party dictionaries and can intelligently sort files and documents.

The application supports Internet downloads, so you can purchase/download books directly from the services “LitRes”, “Prochletenie”, ePubBud, Free Books Hub and others. A very important point is that all available libraries are adapted to your region, that is, if you, for example, are looking for “Faust,” then you will be offered a Russian-language version of the book, and not the original.

The best book reader for Android can not only bookmark the pages you need, but also color-code text information. In addition, there is rich functionality for customizing fonts, themes and other surroundings. If you are used to perceiving books and other information “by sound,” then you can always install a special plugin for reading aloud.

If you want to work directly with translators from Google and Yandex, as well as read comics, the premium version of the application is at your service, which, although paid, significantly expands basic functionality programs.

In general, FBReader is truly the best reader for Android tablets and smartphones, characterized by simplicity, versatility, convenience and the absence of advertising.

Moon+ Reader

The “lunar” reader is one of the leaders in its segment. The software's capabilities are slightly inferior to FBIRider, but nevertheless, this good e-reader for Android is in enviable demand among book lovers. The utility copes well with almost all text formats: fb2, doc, epub, mobi, etc. In addition, the application can work with zip and rar archives, which is a significant plus for this kind of program.

A good fly in the ointment in our case is the lack of at least some functionality for working with the popular PDF format in free version. If you want to expand the capabilities of the reader, you will have to purchase premium content (Moon+Premium), where this function is fully implemented.

Distinctive features of the application

A good reader for Android, Moon+, has its undeniable advantages, and one of them is the ability to widely customize the application to your taste and color. For example, to scroll pages, you can use the camera activation key, the volume rocker, or simply tap on the previously designated location on the screen. In addition to basic design themes, you can find tons of skins for the Lunar Reader on the Internet, where you can easily customize the entire visual component to suit yourself: fonts, gamma, animation, transparency and a lot of other parameters.

In addition, the utility conveniently and intelligently sorts all your files on a special “bookshelf”, where you can select any type of filtering: author, date, title, etc. You can also set up various types of alerts on the page: current chapter, number of pages before and after, percentage, up to the battery level indicator.

For many people, reading has always been on the list of things they do during their free time. And with the growing size of smartphone screens, there is one more reading device in the world. All that remains is to choose a suitable program that will satisfy all our requirements. Let's choose our ideal from the leaders in this segment.

And users consider the best e-readers for Android Cool Reader, Moon Reader, FBReader and AlReader. Each of these programs is good. Otherwise she wouldn't be on this list. But nothing is perfect, which means these readers also have disadvantages. We have to compare them and choose the best of the best. Let's start with the fact that all 4 readers are free. Let's check how each reader reads the following formats: fb2, txt, html, rtf and doc. The Pdf format will not be considered, because this format cannot be conveniently viewed on a smartphone. Let's get started.

Alreader

The default is a huge font. You can read with this font even if you are 2 meters from the phone. Seriously, I tried it. But you can pinch the text to reduce the size. The red dot on the battery indicator is too distracting from reading. You can disable its display in the settings. For example, I like to see how many percent and pages of a book I have already read. Page turning is slow. And this is on a 2013 flagship smartphone. The animation can be turned off, then the brakes will not be visible. Like all e-readers, there are a huge number of settings. Divided into 9 categories. If you enable adaptation for E-ink, then half of the quick buttons become invisible, but continue to work. These fastest buttons can be customized to your heart's content. 9 customizable click zones. Clicks can be long or short. Total of 18 different clicks. If you don't forget. And 6 gestures as a gift. And don't forget about the buttons. And there are more than 50 actions for these clicks, gestures and buttons. It seems convenient, but in the end it becomes difficult to find the center to exit full-screen mode. There were no problems reading all 5 formats; everything was displayed well.

CoolReader

Here, unlike AlReader, there is a more or less beautiful bookshelf. In CoolReader, the default font is probably for the nearsighted. A simple tap in the center does not translate to full screen mode. Why? Let's try to find the answer in the settings. They are divided into 5 categories here. You need to select the items “On Full Screen" and the mysterious "Hide toolbar in". Why not do this by default remains unclear. There are also 9 zones, gestures (fewer of them), and less than 50 actions. It seems like 46. There was a problem with a certain book in fb2 format. The same book could easily be opened in Alreader. Other fb2 format books opened quietly. I don't know what the problem is, but it's unpleasant.

Moon Reader

This app has something that others don't: a Twilight mode in addition to the standard Day and Night. There are only 4 categories in the settings. I thought that the settings would be hidden somewhere deeper, but no. There are probably fewer of them compared to other readers. On the other hand, I found everything I needed: fonts, indents, highlighting, animation. The cutest panel with information about charging, read percentage and page number. 7 cute swipe animations to choose from. There is a paid version, but I didn't notice much necessary functions, which are not available in the free version. Test book in html formats, doc and rtf have not been read, although they are on the list of supported ones. One could assume that something was wrong with the files, but AlReader read all the files without problems.

FbReader

I’ll admit right away that before this review I used this particular application. I'll try to be objective. I could not open books in doc and rtf format. 11 settings categories. There are no more settings than other readers. How much more? Fonts, indents, highlighting, working with dictionaries, and so on. The application is not much different from its competitors. But, unlike Moon Reader and ALReader, there is no reading position synchronization. This is a useful feature if you have a tablet and you read a book on both your tablet and your phone.

Total

All 4 applications are good candidates for the title of the best e-reader on Android. And each application can be customized to your heart's content. In general, the creators of such applications should somehow simplify all these settings. You get very lost in them. And once configured, you're unlikely to see much of a difference between apps. The main thing is that the book opens and has all the functions you need. Moon Reader and FbReader turned out to be the worst in terms of format support. AlReader came out as the leader. Reading position synchronization is only available in Alreader and Moon Reader. All other settings are available for all 4 candidates. The choice, it seems to me, is obvious.

Which application did you choose for yourself and why? Supplement the review with the points I missed and your opinion.

Find and choose the best reading program e-books It’s difficult, since there are so many different good “readers” on the Internet now. You need to figure out what properties a really good and high-quality program for reading books should have? In this article we will try to consider all the pros and cons of several programs in as much detail as possible, on the basis of which you can choose for yourself the program that is ideal for you. But first, let's discuss the main formats of e-books, their advantages and disadvantages.

E-book formats

TXT

The format is a regular text file that takes up a minimum amount of space in the device's memory. No special decorative additions, such as original fonts, highlighted headings, etc., can be found in this extension. It is often used to write system text files. Therefore, if you often need to study many system diagrams, as well as configure program files, an electronic reader that supports TXT will come in handy for you.

ZIP

This extension is most often used in cases where there is a lot of text and it is all in one file. Because of this, the file takes up a decent amount of space on the drive. The archive itself compresses the amount of space it takes up, but at the same time the file contained in it becomes available for viewing. Although this format is no longer used as often, almost any e-reader supports ZIP.

FB2

The most popular format for modern readers. Often this file stores not just continuous text, but also a breakdown into subheadings, the ability to go to individual parts of the book via a link, however, it does all this in page mode, not photographs. After all, some other formats, such as DJVU, have a page in the form of a picture, but not text. Conveniently, FB2 files differ from PDF in that they do not take up much space and are visually more attractive. In fact, this is the most basic file type for most textbooks and magazines.

DJVU

A file type for electronic readers that has already stood the test of time, it provides its users with excellent books along with accompanying pictures and drawings. Of course, the quality of the pictures leaves much to be desired, however, we can say for sure that the book itself will be very easy to read. The page separator allows the user to jump to any page they want.

PDF

Not a bad option, however, since it was originally created for printed reproduction, it has a number of disadvantages in the form big size files. Because of this, many readers take too long to reproduce this format, transition from page to page, and display images. The images are often of high quality, however, this requires the user to sacrifice in the form of an increased file size. Now PDF is becoming a full-fledged file type for e-books, however, its large size leaves it out of competition.

RAR

Extremely rarely used. ZIP has supplanted it due to its smaller file size and similar functionality, however, the properties of RAR are largely the same as ZIP. Using archives for e-books has already fallen out of fashion, however, some Android programs for reading e-books on a tablet still cope with this task.

DOC

Standard document Microsoft Word, which has both advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages are its high customization capabilities, compatibility with many fonts, and the ability to use subheadings in navigation. Cons: outdated model. Documents are most often written in DOC format. This extension uses documentation files that also need to be opened on mobile devices.

But which ones are the most popular? good programs for reading books of these formats? Which free programs for reading will suit you best?

Popular programs for e-books

There are a huge number of good e-book readers, we, in turn, have identified the most popular of which you can choose as an application for technical formats or conventional ones. Enjoy reading only with the best programs.

This program is famous for its ability to open many book formats, as well as flexible settings. Simple design, intuitive controls, and the ability to make bookmarks make this reading program one of the best of 2016. There is a night mode function, page turn animation and much more. But what is most important for those who use Android tablets is that the Ebook Droid takes up very little storage space. In addition, the program can open quite rare file extensions CBZ and CBR, which are used for drawing comics.

Pros:

• Convenient and simple interface;
• Support any Android versions, starting from 1.5.

Minuses:

• Irregular updates.

A good reader for Android called FBReader has been around for a very long time. It was once famous for the fact that it took up little space on the storage of smartphones or tablets, but now its advantages are its extensive settings, as well as the ability to read in different extensions, such as FB2, as well as older ones, for example, ZIP and RAR. FBReader is also equipped with a very useful function that allows you to download files for reading directly from the Internet.

Thus, the user should not spend a lot of time searching for the book he needs. By entering the name in search bar, the reader will independently download the finished book for him in the selected format. The design leaves much to be desired: clear, but too simple, lacking some zest. Available useful opportunity leave bookmarks so you can return to them later.

Pros:

• Support large quantities formats;
• Internet search;
• Flexible settings.

Minuses:

• Simple design;
• Lack of constant updates.

The best reading program that is a "veteran" on Android market. It is famous for its wide settings appearance and the styles of the book itself. Cool Reader allows its users to open files of many extensions, however, the good news is that this program has high-quality navigation through headings, subheadings, and so on.

In many other versions of the styles set in the book itself, the same title or subtitle was set by simply being written in the middle or to the side of the line. Navigation through them was impossible. There was no access to independent settings for each of the styles of the selected book; it appeared only in Cool Reader. It also takes up very little storage space. A useful online catalog feature is also present in this program. You can download the desired works directly from the Internet, choosing only the format.

Pros:

• Flexible customization of appearance and styles;
• Function of downloading books from the Internet;
• Online translation of books;
• Constant updates that still are.

Minuses:

• Delay when changing orientation and page.

An excellent program that does a good job of playing files, PDF format. Fast work, excellent navigation, good design, flexible settings and much more, but all this is only for one format - PDF. Adobe Reader both on mobile and computer version It is not able to open files of all formats, which is a big minus for it. But overall, the reader looks and works like a solid 10. Workhorse to view a variety of diagrams.

Pros:

• A large number of available functions;
• Great design;
• Well-tuned navigation;

Minuses:

• Small number of available reading formats (pdf).

This DJVU book viewer provides many various possibilities. The user can scroll through their book without moving to a page, which protects them from constantly loading each page individually. This reader is very similar to the already described Adobe Reader, but only for PDF. In fact, this is what distinguishes these two programs from each other.

Pros:

• Convenient file management;
• Flexible file settings;
• Intuitive interface.

Minuses:

• Small number of available formats for reading (DJVU);

This program is not very convenient. It slows down very often, crashes, and also does not show all the files in the collection on the device. It happens that you need to “poke” a file yourself in order to add it to your list of books. The interface is simple, but due to constant lags (slowdowns) the program is not enjoyable. To a large extent, this is due to the fact that the creators did not stabilize it, because the PDF files themselves are quite large. To summarize, we do not recommend PDF Reader for use.

Pros:

• Simple and intuitive interface;
• Small storage size.

Minuses:

• Unstable versions;
• Small number of available formats for reading;
• Program crashes, files not recognized.

A simple, but at the same time functional e-reader that has come to its Android users since Windows Mobile. Comfortable, clear design, weighty useful functions, as well as incredibly flexible settings. If we talk a little about the design, it is worth mentioning that it is very original. There is no starting design at all, you simply download the previously included book.

Pros:

• Opportunity self-configuration the entire application;
• Support for additional captions, footnotes and similar additions;
• Wide range of reading formats;
• Desired encoding choice;

Minuses:

Not detected.

Conclusion

As you might guess, we chose the Alreader application as the best option for reading e-books in 2016. It provides users with only what they need, with extensive customization options for this. In addition, the program is very universal, which will allow you to install only it and no longer worry about supporting all book formats.

No matter what doctors say about the dangers of reading from a smartphone screen, no one will stop absorbing new books using available devices. After all, it is very convenient. However, not every reader can boast of an abundance of functions and stable operation. Therefore, this article describes the best and most popular options. The reader data is easily installed on Android. In Russian, you can download any publication you are interested in.

AlReader

Perhaps AlReader is the oldest reader for a mobile OS. The application was released in 2009. Then it worked under Android control 1.6. Thanks to code optimization, the program takes up only six megabytes. Despite all of the above, the utility is constantly improving. New functionality appears in it. AlReader can open almost all electronic text formats. The only drawback of the application is that it cannot work with Djvu and PDF formats. The author comments on this by saying that he does not want to turn the program into a “heavy harvester”. In his opinion, for Android it should be light and fast, using a minimum of system resources.

AlReader can work with archives. Almost any action can be performed with a swipe. The application also features page turning with animation. The program can reproduce speech using almost any TTS engine. It is worth saying that the utility performs well on screens implemented using the technology. If you need a good reader for Android old version, AlReader - the best choice. The program is absolutely free. The developer often answers user questions in the comments Google Play.

Cool Reader

CoolReader is an application developed by Russian programmer Vadim Lopatin. Google users Play has downloaded it on their smartphones more than ten million times, and a large fan sector is talking about high quality product. In addition to popular formats, it can work with CHM files. The design of the program is somewhat outdated. The main menu is designed in the form of a wooden bookshelf. The background of the pages resembles yellowed paper, and the icons are very similar to Windows icons XP. However, just as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t exclude an e-reader from your list of the best because of the menu design.

The background of the book you are reading can always be changed to any other. This free reader for Android contains file manager, support for speech engines, changeable profiles for day and night, support for third-party dictionaries, the ability to search for books in the online store. The developer claims that support for the FB2 format in his brainchild is most fully implemented. None mobile program today does not reach the level of CoolReader. The application is distributed free of charge and contains no advertising.

PocketBook Reader

PocketBook Reader is a reader developed by Obreey Products. It attracts users with its high-quality and attractive design. The control scheme is organized a little unusually for programs of this kind. Instead of large number side panels or swipes, in it you just need to click on the screen to display a radial menu. Swiping towards any item will launch the corresponding function. I must say that the application can open Djvu files and PDF. The reader for Android, however, works with all other popular formats text information.

PocketBook allows the user to leave notes in the book itself. Page turning can be configured by volume rocker, taps on the screen or swipes. To translate text, third-party dictionaries are used that are not included in the standard program package. They will have to be downloaded and installed separately. The app has no in-app purchases or advertising. The interface is presented entirely in Russian. PocketBook Reader is the best choice for those who prefer ten-in-one programs. Users who love minimalism will be put off by this book reader on Android with too many functions.

FBReader

FBReader is a cross-platform product. It works in such popular operating systems as Android, Mac, Windows, BlackBerry. That is, the user will be able to read books in the same program on any platform. The application interface is convenient and understandable. The reader allows you to open books in EPUB, FB2, HTML, DOC, TXT, RTF formats. This only limits the functionality of the standard version. Want more? Install additional plugins. Fortunately, there are a huge number of them. And they are all available in the Google store.

This good reader for Android allows you to install third-party fonts, change themes for different times of the day, and customize the interface. The program has full support E-Ink screens. Books can be synchronized using the built-in service. But if you don’t like it, nothing will stop you from connecting the Google cloud.

Moon+ Reader

This program comes from the Middle Kingdom. It was there that paper was invented, which for a long time remained the only carrier of text information. Although the application was developed in Hong Kong, it is completely Russified. Of course, sometimes you can see English text in menu items, but this does not interfere at all. Moon+Reader is a very good reader for Android. It is difficult to list all the many formats with which she can work. In addition, books stored in archives will also be easily opened by the program without unnecessary manipulations in third-party file managers.