15+ Best Websites To Download Free PDF Textbooks [2024 Edition] (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 15+ best websites to download free PDF textbooks in 2024.

Comparison Of Best Websites For Free Textbooks Online

15+ Best Websites to Download Free PDF Textbooks

Finding free PDF textbooks can be a game-changer for students looking to save money on educational resources. In this article, we’ll explore the 17 best websites to download free PDF textbooks. These websites offer a wide range of textbooks across various subjects, ensuring you have access to essential study materials without any cost. From comprehensive academic databases to specialized subject sites, these platforms provide reliable and legal options for downloading textbooks. Let’s dive into the top sources for free educational content in 2024.

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. CentslessBooks is a dedicated platform designed to help readers discover free e-books available on the Amazon Kindle Store. The website serves as a comprehensive directory that categorizes and lists Kindle e-books that are currently offered for free by Amazon. By providing direct links to the Kindle Store, CentslessBooks makes it easy for users to access and download a wide variety of free e-books across multiple genres.

Website: https://centslessbooks.com/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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

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/

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/

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/

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/

ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks is an institutional repository that collects, preserves, and disseminates scholarly work across multiple universities in the United States. Each ScholarWorks site is associated with a particular university, serving as a platform to house and share the academic and creative outputs of faculty, staff, and students. These outputs can include dissertations, theses, faculty publications, research datasets, and more.

For example, at California State University, ScholarWorks is used to share collections from various academic communities, including datasets and teaching materials​ ​. Similarly, Indiana University Indianapolis offers a ScholarWorks platform that houses thousands of articles, presentations, and other scholarly materials, promoting widespread access and engagement with these resources​.

Website: ScholarWorks

Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is a central online hub aimed at increasing the visibility and accessibility of open access peer-reviewed books. It serves as a community-driven discovery service that indexes high-quality open access books, facilitating easier access and promoting their use both by the academic community and the public.

DOAB allows academic publishers to submit metadata about their open access books, which enhances discoverability and utilization. It’s open to all publishers who produce academic and peer-reviewed books under an open access license, ensuring a broad spectrum of disciplines and topics are covered.

Website: Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)

Open Textbook Library

The Open Textbook Library, hosted by the Center for Open Education at the University of Minnesota, is a valuable resource for freely accessible educational materials. It offers a broad selection of over 1,490 textbooks that are openly licensed, allowing users to freely use, edit, and distribute the content without any cost.

The library covers a wide range of subjects including Business, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Each subject category includes specific fields; for example, under Business, you can find textbooks on Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Management, and Marketing.

Website: Open Textbook Library

National Academies Press (NAP)

The National Academies Press (NAP) is the publishing arm of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It is renowned for producing over 200 authoritative publications each year on a broad array of topics in science, engineering, and medicine.

These publications serve as independent, thoroughly researched sources of information on significant issues in science and health policy. The NAP’s commitment is to make these resources available for free, promoting knowledge and understanding among the public and professionals alike.

Website: National Academies Press (NAP)

OER Commons

OER Commons, developed by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), is a platform dedicated to enhancing educational equity through open educational resources (OER). It provides a digital library where users can find over 50,000 educational resources, allowing educators and students to freely use, modify, and share these materials.

The platform is well-supported by various educational partnerships and receives backing from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, emphasizing its commitment to the open education movement. Teachers and other users engage actively with the platform, enhancing the materials through reviews and adaptations, thereby contributing to an evolving repository of freely accessible educational content.

Website: OER Commons

MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open educational resource that offers an extensive array of course materials from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Established in 2001, OCW aims to provide open access to the educational materials used in the wide range of MIT’s undergraduate and graduate-level courses covering all academic disciplines.

These materials typically include syllabi, course notes, assignments, and exams. Additionally, many courses offer complete video lectures, free online textbooks, and insights from faculty about teaching strategies and course design

Website: MIT OpenCourseWare

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.

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

Where can I download textbooks PDF for free?

You can download free textbook PDFs from sites like OpenStax, Project Gutenberg, and MIT OpenCourseWare, which offer a range of academic and classic literature texts legally.

Where can I download any book PDF for free?

Websites like Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and Google Books often provide free PDF downloads of a wide variety of books, especially public domain works.

Is PDFdrive safe?

PDFdrive is generally considered safe to use, but like any free download site, it’s advisable to have updated antivirus software as the site hosts files uploaded by various users, and there could be risks of malware.

How do I download an online textbook as a PDF?

Many educational platforms and university websites allow you to download textbooks directly as PDFs. Always ensure you have legitimate access through library services or open access sites.

How to download textbook PDF from Google?

Use Google Books to search for the textbook. If available for free, Google Books might offer an option to download it as a PDF. Always ensure the download is legal and respects copyright laws.