Readest
Shares ebook reader and epub with Foliate. Adds Windows, macOS and iOS. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Desktop App
Foliate
A clean, modern e-book reader for Linux.
Rating
4.6 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Linux, Offline
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Foliate?
Foliate is a free, open-source e-book reader for the GNOME desktop. It opens EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and comic book files, and offers dark mode, annotations, popup footnotes and Wikipedia lookup. Text-to-speech is available as an option, and you can install it from Flathub or the Snap Store.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros: what Foliate does well
- Clean, distraction-free reading view
- Annotations and dictionary or Wikipedia lookup
- Supports many e-book formats
Cons: where it falls short
- Linux only
- Built for the GNOME desktop
Who Foliate is for
Linux users who read e-books and want a good-looking, easy reader.
Who can skip it
People on Windows, macOS or phones.
Foliate alternatives
Not sold on Foliate? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Thorium Reader
Focus: accessibility. Shares ebook reader and epub with Foliate. Adds macOS and Windows. Rated 4.5 (Foliate: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
Koodo Reader
Focus: pdf reader. Shares ebook reader and epub with Foliate. Adds Windows, macOS and Web. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Kiwix
Focus: offline wikipedia, reference and offline reading. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds Windows. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.6Visit
Sioyek
Focus: pdf reader, research papers and keyboard. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds Windows and macOS. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Fluent Reader
Focus: rss reader, news feeds and reading. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds Windows and macOS. Rated 4.5 (Foliate: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Foliate
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
KOReader
Focus: e-ink and pdf reader. Shares ebook reader and open source with Foliate. A mobile app, not a desktop app. Adds Android. Rated 4.7 (Foliate: 4.6).
Mobile AppFreeAndroid, Linux
4.7Visit
SumatraPDF
Focus: pdf reader, lightweight and windows. Shares ebook reader and open source with Foliate. A Windows app, not a desktop app. Adds Windows. Same 4.6 rating.
Windows AppFreeWindows
4.6Visit
Qalculate!
Focus: calculator, unit conversion and maths. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds Windows. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.6Visit
Xournal++
Focus: handwriting, pdf annotation and pen input. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds Windows and macOS. Same 4.6 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Glasp
Focus: highlights, read later and export. Shares annotations with Foliate. A browser extension, not a desktop app. Adds Chrome, Safari and Web. Rated 4.4 (Foliate: 4.6).
Browser ExtensionFreeChrome, Safari
4.4Visit
RSS Guard
Focus: rss reader, news feeds and podcasts. Shares open source and github with Foliate. Adds macOS and Windows. Rated 4.4 (Foliate: 4.6).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.4Visit
Are you the maker of Foliate?Get a free Featured badge for your site, a share image and ready-to-paste posts. No sign-up.
Free Notion database
1,100+ ways people are making money online
Real online businesses, creators and projects, broken down by how they make money: apps, online stores, AI tools and more. Free on Gumroad.
Get the free databaseFree Notion database
399+ ways to make money online
Hundreds of online income methods in one place, so you can compare options and pick one to try. Free on Gumroad.
Get the free listFor research and ideas only. Results vary and nothing here is a promise of income. See our Disclaimer.
Weekly newsletter
Everything new, every Monday.
One short email every Monday with everything shipped that week: new free tools and websites, new guides, new free browser tools and what's new in my free Gumroad libraries, plus how the site is growing. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Join the newsletterYou sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.