Top 100 Free Online Ebooks in 2025
Free ebooks are no longer limited to dusty PDFs or outdated classics. In 2025, they span every genre, topic, and interest imaginable—from self-help to science fiction, romance to AI, and everything in between. Whether you’re a voracious reader or someone who just wants a quick guide on a niche subject, free online ebooks have something for you.
Let’s dive into the top 100 free ebooks available online in 2025 and explore the best platforms, how to access them legally, and why digital reading is booming this year.
Why Free Ebooks Are More Popular Than Ever
The digital shift isn’t slowing down. With improved accessibility, device compatibility, and the rise of open-source and creative commons publishing, free ebooks are in their prime. Here’s why readers love them:
Ebook platforms like Project Gutenberg, Open Library, and Google Books are redefining what “free” really means.
Where to Find the Best Free Ebooks in 2025
1. Project Gutenberg
2. Libby / OverDrive
3. Google Books
4. Internet Archive
5. Smashwords Free Library
Top Free Ebooks by Category (With Highlights)
Let’s break it down by genre, so you can find something perfect to read today.
📚 Fiction (Novels & Short Stories)
| Title | Author | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Horror, Gothic |
| Dracula | Bram Stoker | Classic Horror |
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Arthur Conan Doyle | Mystery |
| Metamorphosis | Franz Kafka | Existential Fiction |
| The Time Machine | H.G. Wells | Science Fiction |
💡 Self-Help & Personal Growth
| Title | Author | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Science of Getting Rich | Wallace D. Wattles | Wealth Mindset |
| As a Man Thinketh | James Allen | Positive Thinking |
| Think and Grow Rich | Napoleon Hill | Financial Success |
| Meditations | Marcus Aurelius | Stoic Philosophy |
| How to Live on 24 Hours a Day | Arnold Bennett | Time Management |
🌍 Nonfiction & Learning
🧠 Tech, AI, and Digital Trends
Free Ebooks for Students & Researchers
Here’s where learners and scholars are heading for academic success without breaking the bank:
Top 100 Free Online Ebooks in 2025 (Quick-Scroll List)
To keep it simple, here’s a searchable list across categories:
Classic Literature
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Modern Must-Reads
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (Libby)
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Becoming by Michelle Obama (preview or borrow)
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins (audiobook free with trial)
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (library access)
- Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Quiet by Susan Cain
- Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
- Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss (select excerpts online)
Tech & Business
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel (preview via Google Books)
- Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Rework by Jason Fried
- AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee
- Blockchain Basics (Open access PDF)
- The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried & DHH
- The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim (preview or library)
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
- Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock (Google’s HR)
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Business Strategy Edition)
- The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
- Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
- Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
- Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath
- Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Fantasy & Sci-Fi
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Dune by Frank Herbert (limited access via Libby)
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (sample chapters)
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (library or trial)
- Neuromancer by William Gibson
- The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (library access)
- Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (free sample/ebook club)
Romance, YA & More
- Emma by Jane Austen
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (sample chapters free)
- The Selection by Kiera Cass
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (sample or borrow)
- Paper Towns by John Green
- Divergent by Veronica Roth (sample free)
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Personal Development
- Atomic Habits by James Clear (preview or borrow)
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck by Mark Manson (free with trial or library access)
- Ikigai by Héctor García
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Bonus Indie & Open Access Gems
- The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (Short Story – Free)
- The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster
- This Is Water by David Foster Wallace (text available online)
- Cory Doctorow’s Novels (Creative Commons on his website)
- Self-Published Treasures on Smashwords, Wattpad, and Medium
Tips for Reading Free Ebooks Efficiently
Reading digitally? Maximize your experience with these tips:
Are Free Ebooks Legal in 2025?
Short answer? Yes—if you’re sourcing from legit platforms. Always look for:
Avoid shady PDF sites that don’t credit authors or publishers.
Wrapping Up: Your Reading Journey Awaits
Whether you’re rediscovering the classics or diving into modern masterpieces, free online ebooks in 2025 offer endless inspiration. With zero cost and infinite variety, there’s no reason not to pick up a digital book today.
So go ahead—explore a new genre, tackle a topic you’ve always been curious about, or revisit an old favorite. Your next great read is just a click away.