14 Best Z-Library Alternatives For Free Ebooks (2023)

Z-Library is a digital library that allows you to download ebooks for free. With numerous ebooks available on various subjects, Z-library is one of the most popular free online libraries.

However, Z-Library is not always available. Sometimes, it is down for maintenance, or it is blocked in certain countries. If Z-Library is down, you may wonder where else you can find free books online.

There are more than 14 Z-Library alternatives that offer similar features and services for free ebooks, audiobooks, and more. The best alternative is Library Genesis. Other sites similar to Z-Library are PDF Drive, Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, and EPDF.

About Z-Library

Z-Library has millions of ebooks and dozens of millions of articles. Instead of buying ebooks from places like Amazon Kindle, you can get them for free on Z-Library.

That’s because Z-Library is a community-driven site. Users upload ebook files so others can enjoy them as well.

However, Z-Library has several major disadvantages.

First, it limits the number of free ebooks you can download daily. You can only download five ebooks daily if you aren’t signed in. Even if you are signed in, you can only download ten books daily unless you pay for the premium membership.

While Z-Library claims it is a nonprofit, it forces users to make a “donation” to increase the daily download limit for 31 days. After that, they will have to make another donation.

Furthermore, not all books are available as PDF downloads, and the file converter feature to convert ePub files to PDF, TXT, and other file formats is reserved for premium members.

Z-Library is also not a good choice if you’re looking for free audiobooks. While it has an amazing selection of ebooks and articles, it lacks audiobooks.

Is Z-Library Legal?

You will also have to be okay with pirated content when using Z-Library, as a lot of the content on the site isn’t in the public domain, and Z-Library isn’t legally allowed to offer it to you.

However, other fully legal Z-Library alternatives are also available if you’re not okay with pirating.

Finally, while Z-Library’s selection is one of the largest online libraries on the web, there are some ebooks it doesn’t have. So it’s worth knowing about other Z-Library alternatives that may have specific books that Z-Library does not. That is especially true if you’re looking for academic textbooks and magazines.

UPDATE 2023: In November 2022, the US Department of Justice and the FBI seized the domain names of Z-Library. This seizure affected over 100 related domains, many of which were mirror sites of Z-Libray.

Much of Z-Library has gone to the dark web, only accessible from browsers like the TOR browser.

It will give you a personal third-level clearnet domain that you can use to access the Z-Library network without using TOR or I2P. However, the restriction of five downloads per day will remain.

Best Z-Library Alternatives For Free eBooks and Audiobooks

1. Library Genesis – Best Z-Library Alternative

Library Genesis, commonly called LibGen, is my #1 free alternative to Z-Library. It’s also among the most popular ebook-sharing sites.

Unlike Z-Library, Library Genesis doesn’t impose any daily download limits. So you can download as many books as you want at once without paying anything.

You can also expect to find nearly all of the ebooks and articles available on Z-Library on LibGen. That’s because Z-Library reportedly draws from the same sources as Library Genesis. And is essentially just another front for the same books – except it charges additional daily downloads.

I will admit that Library Genesis doesn’t have the most user-friendly interface. The interface is a bit outdated and can take a few minutes to get used to. But I wouldn’t say it’s terribly complicated, either.

On Library Genesis, you can find ebooks, scholarly articles, comics, magazines, and more. The files are all clean, and you can filter your search using the available filters.

If the main LibGen.is site doesn’t work, try mirror sites like LibGen.rs, LibGen.st, and LibGen.li.

When searching on LibGen.li specifically, I recommend toggling on the “Show Covers” option. This will make differentiating between ebooks and articles easier.

LibGen (or Library Genesis) typically links you to a few mirror download sites for each ebook or article.

2. PDF Drive

Unlike Z-Library, PDFDrive is another excellent Z-Library alternative with no download limits. According to PDF Drive, it has over 75 million ebooks currently on the site. According to Wikipedia, this is much bigger than Z-Library’s database, which has under 12 million ebooks.

PDF Drive does have a premium membership. The premium membership gives you access to perks like unlimited cloud storage to store your ebooks so you can read them online on your other devices.

Unlike Z-Library, PDF Drive also has an Android app. However, it is not available from the Google Play Store but rather as a downloadable APK file from the PDF Drive website.

Also, as the name suggests, PDF Drive offers PDF versions of its ebooks by default. So you won’t have to worry about needing a third-party PDF reader app for an ePub file like you might on Z-Library.

You may also be able to convert the PDF file to an ePub or MOBE file. But you won’t have to pay extra for that.

3. Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a free library of over 60,000 ebooks. While that’s nowhere near as many as the millions of ebooks on Z-Library, Project Gutenberg is very different from Z-Library in the way it works.

Z-Library allows users to upload any ebook. It doesn’t care about copyright restrictions – you can find many pirated ebooks on Z-Library.

Project Gutenberg, on the other hand, does care about copyrights. It screens each submission to ensure the book is in the public domain or otherwise copyright-free before including it on its site.

That is why there is a much smaller selection of books available. However, Project Gutenberg is better if you’re worried about using pirate sites and infringing on copyrights.

Usually, each book will have a plain text version available, and there may also be other versions, like ePub, PDF, and Kindle file formats available.

Project Gutenberg allows you to upload files directly to DropBox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Drive.

In case you were wondering, Project Gutenberg has been around since 1971, long before Z-Library, which was founded in 2009 according to the Z-Library website footer.

In fact, Gutenberg is the oldest digital library in the world! From the get-go, its goal has been to transcribe physical books into a digital format and make them available to anyone with a computer (and now phone).

There are no limits; you can use it for as long as you want without any registration required.

4. Standard Ebooks

Another awesome alternative to Z-Library is Standard Ebooks. Unlike Z-Library, it has free access and is also open source.

You’ll be able to see each and every change made to ebooks and submit your own edits. Also, you can see the source code for the project’s website and toolset on GitHub.

Unlike Z-Library, you won’t have to worry about copyright infringement when using Standard Ebooks. That’s because it makes sure to include only books that are in the public domain or copyright-free.

It also releases the digital versions it creates into the public domain, so you can feel free to share them with friends.

You’ll never have to pay to use Standard Ebooks. You can download or read as many ebooks as you want without creating an account or being forced to make donations to remove daily limits.

Unlike Z-Library, it has its own eReader, which allows you to read ebooks online without downloading files.

The eReader uses beautiful typography that is easy on the eyes. Furthermore, you can typically download an ePub version and/or a Kindle version.

5. EPDF

EPDF is an excellent alternative to Z-Library, which is entirely free, with no download limits. Unlike Z-Library, it focuses primarily on PDF files, so you won’t need to worry about getting a PDF reader for ePub files.

However, some ebooks may also be available as .DOCX and/or .PPTX files.

Anyone can upload ebooks to EPDF, although that doesn’t mean they have the right to. However, authors can issue copyright notices and request that EPDF take down files if they were shared without permission.

EPDF also integrates with Zavo, an online tool that allows you to compress PDF files to reduce their size before downloading them.

6. Centsless Books

Amazon Kindle is very popular, and there are many free books on Amazon Kindle. Have you ever wanted to have a directory that lists ebooks with free access on Amazon Kindle, so you don’t have to waste your time searching through books that cost money?

Centsless Books does just that. It has an online directory of thousands of best-selling Kindle ebooks in different genres – and it only includes Kindle books that cost $0.

The selection of books is constantly changing, so you can always find new, interesting ebooks that you can download and read on your Kindle device or using the Kindle app on your phone.

You also won’t have to worry about violating copyright laws, as the authors have made these books free on Kindle.

7. Sci-Hub

Another famous shadow library is Sci-Hub, founded in Kazakhstan and used worldwide. It has several mirror sites, but the main one is Sci-Hub.ru.

While Z-Library focuses on ebooks and articles, Sci-Hub is the better choice for those conducting scholarly and scientific research, as it focuses mostly on scholarly articles.

It has almost 90 million research papers and research documents, including journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. According to Sci-Hub, its database covers over 95% of the major scientific publishers and contains 100 TB of files. So you can find almost any major journal & research papers on it.

You’ll be able to find research articles starting from 1980.

Sci-Hub was created to help scholarly researchers. If you’re a scholarly researcher using the internet for research frequently, you’ll know that many articles are hidden behind paywalls and premium membership subscriptions.

If you’re a fan of transparency, you’ll also like Sci-Hub better than Z-Library. Z-Library is a good site but a bit shrouded in mystery.

The founder of Sci-Hub, on the other hand, has an entire page dedicated to her story, complete with her motivation for the project and personal photos.

Sci-Hub is available in English and Russian and relies entirely on donations for site maintenance and legal battle costs. You can make crypto donations. At one point, Sci-Hub even maintained a public list of all donations it received.

8. Hoopla Digital

Hoopla is an excellent site if you have a library membership with a participating public library in the United States or Canada.

Getting a membership at your public library is free, and you may even be able to do it online, depending on your library. Otherwise, you might be able to pick up a library card or have one sent to you after completing a short registration process at your local public library.

Hoopla works a bit differently from Z-Library. Like a library membership, it allows you to borrow books for a set period before returning them, and you also have a monthly limit on how many books you can borrow.

The monthly limits are set not by Hoopla but by your local library, so I can’t give a one-size-fits-all rule here. However, I can say that most ebooks and audiobooks can be borrowed for three weeks (21 days), after which they will automatically return.

However, your library may allow you to renew the borrowing term. If it doesn’t, you can just check out the book again, as many people can borrow the same book at once.

Hoopla, unlike Z-Library, doesn’t restrict you to ebooks. It’s also an excellent source of free audiobooks, which Z-Library doesn’t offer!

Besides, you can check out movies, comics, music, and more.

Hoopla also has a mobile app that is pretty intuitive to use, allowing you to read ebooks and listen to audiobooks straight from your phone. Just log in with your library card and you’ll get instant access to hundreds of thousands of titles.

9. OverDrive/Libby

Are you wondering how to get free audiobooks? Read about OverDrive.

One of the other awesome alternatives to Z-Library for audiobooks is OverDrive, which is also available through participating public libraries and schools. OverDrive is available in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

Libby, by OverDrive, is a mobile app that is the perfect alternative to Z-Library for mobile users. It allows you to check out free ebooks and audiobooks using your library card.

You’ll also be able to listen to audiobooks on your phone or in your car by connecting your phone to your car via Bluetooth, Android Auto, or Apple CarPlay.

When listening to audiobooks, you can speed up the playback speed to 3x to finish the audiobook quicker or set a sleep timer if you like to listen to audiobooks while falling asleep.

If you’re using Libby via a participating US library, you can send ebooks to your Kindle device.

Otherwise, just read ebooks using Libby’s built-in eReader, which has a user-friendly interface and allows you to customize the reading experience by changing the font, book layout, and more.

You can also check out magazines and comics besides ebooks and audiobooks.

Libby syncs across all your devices, which means you can start reading on your phone and continue on your tablet – the app will save and sync your bookmarks, reading progress, notes, and more.

OverDrive and Libby are always free to use. You’ll need a library card from your local public library.

10. LibriVox

What if you are looking for a Z-Library alternative for audiobooks but don’t have a library membership? In that case, check out LibriVox!

It is the best online library for the public domain, with copyright-free audiobooks.

Audiobooks on LibriVox are read by volunteers who read books out loud and upload the audio to the site. LibriVox also releases all recordings uploaded to the site into the public domain.

Anyone can volunteer to narrate a book for LibriVox. That means that professional voice-over artists don’t necessarily do the voice recordings.

It also means that different voices might narrate different chapters for some books.

However, LibriVox is entirely free, doesn’t display any ads, and will never charge you for listening to audiobooks.

For more information on other free audiobook apps, check out our 15 Best Free Audiobook Apps article.

11. Archive.org/Open Library

Archive.org is famous for Wayback Machine, which allows you to see archived websites and snapshots of websites from the past, even if those websites have since been taken down. However, Wayback Machine is only one of its projects.

Another of Archive.org’s projects is its massive library, which contains millions of digitized versions of books in addition to hundreds of billions of web pages, millions of hours of TV and video, and lots of audio as well.

If you are signed in, you can borrow books from Archive.org’s library, with books available to be borrowed for one hour or 14 days, depending on how many copies Archive.org has of the book. If someone currently checks out the book and is not available for borrowing, you can join a waitlist.

I recommend using the more user-friendly Open Library instead, another of Archive.org’s projects, to create a web page for every book that exists to build the largest book catalog ever.

Open Library has around 20 million books cataloged, and around two million books are available in full as digital versions, and it is constantly adding new books.

You can read books from Open Library in your browser or download books to your device. Furthermore, books also have audio versions, so Open Library is also an excellent alternative to Z-Library for audiobooks.

Archive.org is a nonprofit California State Library, meaning you won’t have to worry about copyright infringement or violating piracy laws when using it. All books on Archive.org are copyrighted, but you can legally borrow them.

As Vox explains, Archive.org actually owns physical versions of each book it digitizes, and it lends out the digital copies like any library would lend out physical copies, which is how it avoids copyright infringement. Therefore, it is only allowed to lend out one digital copy at a time, so two people can’t borrow the same ebook simultaneously.

The original authors may also upload some ebooks.

12. Open Textbook Library

I mentioned that finding textbooks on Z-Library can sometimes be hard, but Open Textbook Library is a great online library alternative that you may find useful. It focuses exclusively on textbooks, and the University of Minnesota runs it.

All textbooks in Open Textbook Library are in the public domain, so you won’t have to worry about violating any copyright laws. You can search for textbooks by subject, such as business, law, math, etc.

Open Textbooks is part of the Open Education Network by the University of Minnesota. Not only are all textbooks free, but you can usually edit them as per the Creative Commons license.

Furthermore, most textbooks are peer-reviewed.

As of now, there are over 1,000 textbooks available in Open Textbook Library, with new ones added all the time.

13. FreeBookSpot

FreeBookSpot is one of the interesting alternatives to Z-Library because it doesn’t upload any books itself. Instead, it provides a search engine to help you find links to ebooks hosted on third-party hosting sites, and uploaded by users.

Unlike Z-Library, FreeBookSpot doesn’t charge any fees. However, third-party file-hosting sites may put some restrictions on the number of downloads you can make.

Other file-hosting sites may give you a free download option and then charge more for a faster download. You can choose the free download to avoid paying anything.

Each file hosting site is different; some books may have files on multiple sites.

While FreeBookSpot doesn’t take any responsibility for the files hosted on third-party sharing sites it links to, it does allow you to report bad links – files that were taken down.

Anyone can upload an ebook to a file-sharing site and share the link on FreeBookSpot. Uploaders can also share the password to access the file on the third-party file-sharing site if necessary.

14. PDF Magazine

PDF Magazine is a cool alternative to Z-Library because it focuses on magazines instead of ebooks. Finding the latest magazine releases on Z Lib might be tough, but PDF Magazine has recent releases from magazines like Country Life UK, Storica National Geographic, Elle Netherlands, and many others.

I noticed that many of the magazines were from Europe, though there are many English-language releases as well.

You can browse past releases, too! There are over 600,000 magazines currently in PDF format on PDF Magazine.

You can browse through magazines by category.

Best Z-Library Alternatives – Wrapping it Up

The best alternative to Z-Library is Library Genesis or LibGen.

It imposes no download limits and is one of the largest and most-used shadow libraries on the web.