13 Best Book Apps for iPhone if You Want to Stop Scrolling and Start Growing

Wish you could read more but never seem to find the time? We've all bought books we meant to read, only to get stuck in the social media scroll. But what if your phone could work for you instead of against you?

The right book app can turn your daily commute, lunch break, or even those five minutes waiting in line into reading time that actually sticks.

Modern book apps do way more than just store digital books. They track your reading streaks, send gentle reminders, offer audiobook options for busy days, and even connect you with other readers who get your book obsession. Some let you borrow from your local library, others give you access to classics for free, and a few focus on getting the best ideas from books without the time commitment.

With apps like Headway, even 15 minutes of screen time can bring you insights that stick. Quick nonfiction summaries, personal progress tracking, listening function, and sleek design make it one of the most useful apps you'll download this year.

Ready to turn your phone into your personal reading coach? This article will help you finally tackle that reading list!

Quick answer: What are the best book apps for the iPhone?

1. Headway — Get insights from the world's best nonfiction books in just 15 minutes with bite-sized summaries and personalized recommendations.

2. Amazon Kindle — Access millions of books with a Kindle Unlimited subscription and enjoy seamless syncing across all your devices.

3. Goodreads — Track your reading progress, discover new books through reviews, and connect with a community of fellow book lovers.

4. Apple Books — Your iPhone's built-in reading app with a clean interface, reading goals, and access to both e-books and audiobooks.

5. Libby — Borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free with just your library card — no purchase necessary.

Discover the 13 best book apps for iPhone

Book apps allow readers to access their favorite e-books anytime, anywhere. By that nature, book lovers can use this list featuring some of the best book apps for Apple devices to help them decide on their next pocket reading experience.

1. Headway

Busy lifestyles often prevent people from committing to reading goals. Luckily, listening to book summaries presents a genius solution to your time management woes — and the Headway app can be the perfect platform to help you do so. Headway is a bite-sized learning app with all the necessary features to maintain productivity during commutes, errands, or chores.

Explore a vast collection of 15-minute summaries on over 2,000 award-winning nonfiction books designed to help you boost your skills and knowledge. 

How many users have downloaded the app? 50+ million.

What do users like most? Aside from key insights and knowledge from books, this app sports unique features such as progress trackers, fun daily challenges, and personalized book recommendations.

Readers can start indulging in Headway's top-rated book summaries when they purchase an affordable premium subscription plan at a monthly rate of $14.99 to $69.99 annually. Headway offers a seven-day trial period for those who want to experience the app before moving on to a plan. However, you can also take advantage of Headway's free daily read, chosen specially by their experienced staff.

Download the Headway app on the App Store to access summaries of the world’s bestselling nonfiction books by your favorite authors and celebrities.

2. Amazon Kindle

A popular reading app among the book community, the Kindle app is known for its optimized accessibility and wide selection of books in various genres. Although a Kindle reader may be the preferred tool to use when reading Kindle books, Amazon Kindle is also a great option for people who would rather read from their IOS devices. In fact, the app can offer you pretty much the same experience as a Kindle reader.

How many users have downloaded the app? 30+ million.

What do users like most? Users of this app will be excited to hear of its frequent updates and improvements, which means the app will continuously improve the longer you have it installed. 

Although most books are available for various individual prices, Amazon Kindle offers a way for users to regularly read and listen to as many books as they want with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited. This subscription starts at $9.99 a month and grants you access to a selection of free titles that come with the plan — a great feature for anyone who reads regularly.

3. Audible

When it comes to audiobooks, Audible is the heavyweight champion. Owned by Amazon, this app has transformed how millions of people consume books by making it possible to "read" while driving, exercising, or doing chores. With professional narrators and even celebrity readers, Audible turns books into immersive audio experiences.

How many users have downloaded the app? 27+ million.

What do users like most? The app offers features like variable speed playback, sleep timers, CarPlay support, and the ability to switch between devices without losing your place. You can even use Whispersync to switch between reading the Kindle version and listening to the audiobook. Plus, any books you buy with credits are yours to keep forever, even if you cancel your subscription.

4. Goodreads

For many, Goodreads is considered an essential tool for devout readers to have in their pocket. This reader app might not give you access to the whole books themselves, but it provides plenty of insight into books you may be planning to read. 

Once you have titles on your shelf, you can organize them according to what you are currently reading, about to read, or have finished reading. It also offers value in its growing online community of readers in various genres. 

How many users have downloaded the app? 150+ million.

What do users like most? A distinctive feature of the Goodreads app is its book scanner. Using this functionality, you can scan the barcode of any book to see exclusive book reviews before making any purchase. Then, you can engage with authors and others who have read the book with the app's convenient comment section. Being a completely free app, Goodreads is a great option for someone simply looking for a place to help them stay updated on the latest bestsellers and keep a wishlist of potential reads.

5. Wattpad

Wattpad may not carry many books on the bestseller list, but depending on your personal reading preference, it can be a great option. For example, this may be a good book app for you if you are a fan of fiction and stories by everyday people. This app gives you access to thousands of books by established and budding authors. It also allows you to write stories and publish them on the app.

How many users have downloaded the app? 90+ million.

What do users like most? Book lovers who also enjoy writing might find Wattpad a great platform to share their work and connect with like-minded people. Although a premium version is available to let you access certain books and gain an ad-free reading experience, users also have the option to continue browsing a vast collection of books for free. 

6. NovelFull

NovelFull offers over 20 genres of books to browse through, ranging from fiction to nonfiction and several other categories. This app has a few interesting features to make reading fun and exciting, including a book reader customization. Users are likely to enjoy having the ability to switch fonts, adjust brightness levels, and change the background color to suit their taste.

How many users have downloaded the app? 1+ million.

What do users like most? Another great feature of this app is offline reading, which makes it much easier to download books to your shelf and read them on the go. NovelFull also adds new books daily, making this a great option for someone who likes to read regularly. 

7. Inkitt

Many book apps focus solely on providing you with e-books in various genres, but Inkitt goes beyond the simple book player. This app places emphasis on building a community of readers who can share ratings and reviews of books they enjoyed. In this light, you can have your book collection, writing platform, and reading community all in one place.

How many users have downloaded the app? 30+ million.

What do users like most? On Inkitt, you get access to over 100,000 novels written by indie authors — and you could even become one of those authors if you wish. Whether you are looking for a place to read comic books or you would like a place to share your work with fellow writers, this app is a great place to start engaging with followers and your favorite Inkitt authors.

8. Serial Reader

Serial Reader is a different type of book app than most others on this list. It provides readers with access to classic literature in bite-sized bits each day. Rather than only providing access to books on the app, Serial Reader allows you to upload books from your local storage to read on its handy shelf. Users should be wary that the app only supports the EPUB format, but at least your e-book collection is all in one place.

How many users have downloaded the app? The exact number of Serial Reader downloads is not public.

What do users like most? Once you begin subscribing to various books, Serial Reader sends you daily reads you might enjoy based on your activity. Most features on the app are free to use, but users who wish for Pro features, like unlimited book uploads, can choose to upgrade to a premium subscription. 

9. Libby

If you visit the library often, the Libby app from OverDrive can save you a few trips by offering access to your local library’s e-books, magazines, and other digital content with your library card. With this app, you can browse by genre and discover lists of popular titles created by your local librarians at multiple branches. Not only is it free to use, but Libby offers stand-out features like a dark mode, an article view to read magazines, and a convenient notification system that tells you when a loan is about to expire.

How many users have downloaded the app? 9+ million.

What do users like most? With no subscription service currently available, Libby is a more affordable option for readers who want unlimited book access without spending a fortune. Some downsides include the fact that some libraries may not use the app to power their digital services, and you need to give e-books back after the loaning period is over. 

10. Marvin 3

If you're a serious reader who loves customization, Marvin 3 might become your new best friend. This e-Book reader has been refined by years of user feedback and packed with over 140 features that most other apps can only dream of. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of reading apps — it does everything, and it does it well.

How many users have downloaded the app? Exact numbers aren't publicly available as of September 2025.

What do users like most? Readers rave about the "Deep Reading" mode that creates an automatic concordance of character names and important words. The app offers customization options, including vertical scrolling, auto-scroll, speed reading (called "Karaoke"), and the ability to load your own fonts. You can also connect to Dropbox, Calibre, and OPDS servers to manage your library.

The app supports DRM-free EPUB books and CBZ/CBR comics, with themes that automatically switch between light and dark modes based on your device's brightness. 

11. Gutenberg 

Want access to over 50,000 classic books and 10,000 audiobooks completely free? The Gutenberg app connects you directly to the world's largest public domain library. This beautiful, easy-to-use app brings timeless works from authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain right to your iPhone or iPad.

How many users have downloaded the app? While specific e-book app download numbers aren't publicly available, Project Gutenberg as a whole saw 27+ million downloads in the last 30 days alone as of August 31, 2025.

What do users like most? The biggest draw is simple — everything is completely free with no hidden fees or subscriptions required. You get access to over 50,000 e-books and 10,000 audiobooks that you can download and read offline. The app offers both light and dark reading modes for comfortable reading at any time of day, plus it supports books in multiple languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and others.

12. Scribd

This book reading app goes way beyond typical book apps by giving you unlimited access to over 200 million documents, including e-books, audiobooks, research papers, academic dissertations, and even user manuals. It's like having a massive library and research center in your pocket.

How many users have downloaded the app? 17+ million.

What do users like most? The app recently merged with Everand, so your subscription now covers both e-books/audiobooks and document access. It's perfect if you're a student, researcher, or just someone who has bookmarks across many different topics and formats.

13. Kobo

Kobo recently rebuilt its iOS app from the ground up, and the results are impressive. This Canadian company offers a strong alternative to Amazon's ecosystem, featuring millions of e-books and audiobooks, as well as some unique features not found elsewhere.

How many users have downloaded the app? 12+ million.

What do users like most? The new app offers a "Guest Mode" that lets you browse and preview books without creating an account first. You can seamlessly switch between reading and listening to the same book, customize fonts and themes extensively, and use their natural-sounding text-to-speech feature for hands-free reading. 

Kobo supports 13 languages and offers excellent annotation tools, so you can even export all your highlights and notes in multiple formats.

Read smarter on the go with Headway

Reading may not be everyone's favorite pastime, but it can help build new skills and knowledge. In this case, finding a way to gain key information from books may pay off without taking hours out of your schedule. 

For example, a book summary app, such as Headway, may be a more convenient option for someone who doesn't have the patience or time to commit to a full-length book.

The Headway app is a learning service dedicated to people looking to broaden their reading horizons and stay motivated in their reading goals. Readers can enjoy Headway's extensive collection of book summaries in text or audio formats. 

Moreover, this app allows you to collect fun achievements, track your reading progress, and complete milestones along the way. You can take advantage of this opportunity for growth by heading over to the Apple Store to begin your journey.

Download the Headway app to access a comprehensive library of over 2,000+ summaries.