Apps for reading and listening to books: free catalog and subscription prices
Por Rodrigo Pereira
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Let me be direct: Dom Casmurro costs R$ 0 on mobile, and the same store that gives away Machado de Assis's work for free charges R$ 24.90 per month to unlock "more than a million titles." The decision this guide addresses lies between these two figures.
This guide compares reading and audiobooks, individual purchases, and subscriptions. Check the edition and included catalog before paying: the same title may appear in different offers.
Why are there free books inside a paid store?
In Brazil, the general rule for copyright of an author is 70 years, counted from January 1st of the year following death, with specific provisions outlined in Law 9.610/1998. Also check for translations, illustrations, and editions: the original text may be in the public domain, and a recent version may remain protected. Eligibility for free access depends on the edition offered, not just the author's name.
Kindle: Classics for R$0.00 and Unlimited for R$24.90 per month
The Amazon Kindle app is free on the Play Store and the App Store, and Amazon itself states that you don't need a Kindle device to use the service. Three things the official listing confirms: Whispersync saves your last page, notes, and bookmarks between your phone, tablet, and computer; the integrated dictionary opens the definition when you tap on a word; and you can read a sample in the app before deciding to buy, because the purchase itself happens on the amazon.com.br website, not within the Android app.
The free catalog is available in the Kindle Store: public domain classics are offered for free, and the app's description mentions "thousands of free digital books." Once saved to the device, the book opens offline, and the page read on the phone reappears on the tablet.
The subscription is Kindle Unlimited: R$ 24.90 per month, charged to your card, with a free trial period before the first charge and cancellation through your account center. Amazon mentions "more than a million titles" in the program, with a focus on English-language ebooks. What the page doesn't say, and you need to know before subscribing: Unlimited is not the entire store. It's a separate catalog, borrowed while you pay. Look in the Kindle Store for the three books you most want to read and see if they are marked as Kindle Unlimited; if none are, the plan is not for you this month.
Amazon reader with free classics, built-in dictionary, and synchronization between devices.
Play Books: no subscription required, free filter, and PDF upload.
Google Play Books surpasses 1 billion downloads on the Play Store and uses the Google account already on your phone. The official description summarizes the model in one line: "no subscription: buy only the books you want." You pay per title, ebook, or audiobook, and that's it. For those who read one book a month, it's the cheapest app because the "Free" filter appears in the search results, and the "Free" label is displayed where the price would normally be.
Two features that change the game: uploading ePub and PDF files to read on all devices, and text-to-speech with a synthetic voice, which is useful for following a chapter on the bus, although it sounds robotic next to a human narrator. If your PDF is a study guide and you want to highlight, annotate, and review it later, that's the way to go. A guide to reading and note-taking apps for students and professionals., which covers that entire area.
Google Play Store and Reader without subscription, with free title filtering and PDF and ePub upload.
Wattpad: stories from independent authors, for free.
Wattpad isn't a store; it's a community. The official listing mentions millions of stories, books, fanfiction, and poetry in 25 languages, written by people who publish chapter by chapter and respond to comments directly on their pages. That's how *After* and *The Kissing Booth* started before becoming movies and TV series, and Wattpad WEBTOON Studios itself scouts these authors to bring them to studios.
Wattpad has free installation and combines open stories with paid features or content. Each work may follow a different distribution method, so don't assume that all reading is free. Check access to upcoming chapters before starting a series. Publication by the author or authorized holder is different from a copy sent without permission.
A reading community with millions of stories from independent authors, in 25 languages.
Audible: Audio only, R$ 19.90 per month after 30 days
Amazon's Audible is a pure audiobook subscription service: there are no ebooks to read, only narration. The Brazilian website is clear about the price: a 30-day free trial and then R$19.90 per month, with cancellation available at any time; the company mentions over 165,000 audiobooks in its catalog. The Play app confirms what interests those who listen daily: speed adjustment, a timer to pause the audio when you fall asleep, Car Mode, and offline download options.
Listening to an audiobook before bed is a competition for playlists of calming sounds. If your night calls for more music than plot, A guide on how to use music apps to improve sleep. solve the problem on the other side of the bed.
Subscription-based narrated audiobooks with adjustable speed, sleep timer, and offline listening.
Storytel and Ubook: listening to and reading the same book
Both sell the same idea: one title, two formats. Storytel's listing on Play describes "switching between listening and reading at any point in the book," with a catalog in Portuguese and English, adjustable speed, sleep timer, passage highlighting, and a children's mode with PIN. On the Brazilian website, the Premium plan costs R$19.90 per month for one account, with unlimited access to the catalog. A free trial exists "when offered," and Storytel warns that it will ask for a card at the beginning of the trial, without charging if you cancel before the last day.
Ubook is the Brazilian competitor: audiobooks in Portuguese, with the free classics mentioned above, Premium plan at R$18.90 per month (or 12 installments of R$16.49 annually) and Premium+ at R$26.90 (12 installments of R$24.99), with 30 free days and full charge afterward; the website itself warns that the prices are for reference only and may change. Skeelo follows the same formula of ebooks and audiobooks in Portuguese with offline download; check the plan within the app before subscribing, because it doesn't publish the price on the listing.
A subscription service that alternates between listening to and reading the same title, with a sleep timer and kids' mode.
Read, listen, free or subscription: the table
| App | To read | To hear | What is free? | Signature (verified in Sept/2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Kindle | Yes | With the voice from the cell phone | Classics in the public domain and sample of any title. | Kindle Unlimited: R$ 24.90/month, with free trial |
| Google Play Books | Yes | Individual audiobooks and read-aloud services | Free filters, PDF and ePub upload. | There isn't one; purchase by title. |
| Wattpad | Yes | With the voice from the cell phone | Community stories | None; optional purchases from R$ 2.59 to R$ 499.99 |
| Audible | No | Yes, human narrator. | 30-day trial | R$ 19.90/month |
| Storytel | Yes | Yes, in the same title. | Test when offered. | Premium: R$ 19.90/month, 1 account |
| Ubook | Yes | Yes, in the same title. | Hundreds of classics and a 30-day trial. | R$ 18.90 or R$ 26.90/month |
How to choose based on your reading style
- Read one book a month and want to pay little: Play Books or individual Kindle books, with free classics included.
- Read three or more per month, also in English: Kindle Unlimited, R$ 24.90, provided the titles are in the plan's catalog.
- Just listen, whether you're commuting or at the gym: Audible, R$ 19.90, with timer and speed control.
- Alternate listening to and reading the same book: Storytel or Ubook, between R$ 18.90 and R$ 26.90.
- Want new fiction, written by ordinary people, without paying? Wattpad.
- Looking for Brazilian literature and classics without a store in between? Use the Domínio Público portal plus the Play Livros upload service.
Step-by-step guide to finding a free title today
- Find out if the author is in the public domain: did they die more than 70 years ago? Machado de Assis (1908), Lima Barreto (1922), and Fernando Pessoa (1935) are; authors who are alive or recently deceased are not.
- In the Play Books app, open the Store, search for the author, and tap the Free filter; the Free label will appear next to the title. Tap it and confirm: the book will be added to your library free of charge.
- On Kindle, the purchase takes place on the website: access the Kindle Store through your browser, search for the author, and choose the zero-price edition; it will then appear in the Library tab of the app.
- On Ubook, look for the free classics section before starting the trial; that way, the card won't even get in the way.
- On the Public Domain portal, filter by Media Type: Text, search by author or title, and save the file; then use the Play Books upload feature to read with synchronization between devices.
- Want to listen? Activate the read-aloud function on your phone (next section) or use Audible's 30-day trial on a book you know you'll finish.
Narrated audiobook or the voice from your phone?
An audiobook can have human or synthetic narration; check the credits and the title sample. Text-to-speech converts text to speech and depends on the application, format, and permissions of the work. Test your speed and pronunciation with a chapter. It's not possible to conclude, simply because there's a signature, that the entire narration was done by a person.
And if the goal at night is simply to switch off your mind, without following any plot, music apps for relaxation They fulfill this role better than any narrator.
On Android: Select to listen
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Select to listen and turn it on. An accessibility button will appear on the screen; tap it, then tap the text (or drag to select an area) and Android will read it aloud, with speed control. It works in most reading apps. The official Google page, Use the Select to Listen feature., describes the step-by-step process for each system version.
On iPhone: Talk Screen and the Books app
The iPhone comes with Apple's own Books app, which has both the store and the reader in one place. To listen to compatible content, go to Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content and enable Speak Selection (reads the passage you select with a Speak button) and Speak Screen (swipe two fingers down from the top and the iPhone reads the entire screen). Apple support page on Spoken Content List the voice and speed options.
Compare subscription and one-off purchase.
If you prefer to buy individual items rather than subscribe, the same logic used for comparison sites applies to books: price comparison and coupon apps They help you wait for the right promotion for the title, which isn't free.
Mistakes that cost money
- Paying for a subscription to read a classic that the store is giving away for free. Before subscribing, search for the author using the "Free" filter.
- Subscribe to audiobooks in two places. Audible and Storytel cost R$ 19.90 each; choose from the catalog of the book you want now, not the brand.
- Turning your free trial into a charge is a problem. Audible, Storytel, and Ubook ask for your card details at the beginning and charge the full amount when the trial period ends; note the cancellation date on your calendar on the day you activate it.
- Buying on Kindle thinking you're on Unlimited is one of two different accounts: the plan lends you a catalog while you pay; the purchase is yours forever.
- Installing an APK from outside the store that promises access to the entire catalog is not a legitimate app. The book inside is an unlicensed copy; the app bypasses Play Protect, and the Amazon or Google account you enter into it could be sent to whoever created the package.
- Paying for a plan to read your own PDFs. Play Books uploads PDFs and ePubs for free.
Common questions
Is it legal to read books for free on these apps?
You can read for free when the edition is legitimately distributed, is in the public domain, has the copyright holder's permission, or is offered by the store. The public domain status of the original text does not eliminate the rights of a recent translation or edition. A PDF from outside a store may be authorized, and being on a known platform does not exempt you from verifying the source when in doubt.
Do I need a Kindle device for Kindle Unlimited?
No. Amazon states on the plan page that the free app is sufficient to download the program's ebooks to a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. The Kindle device is a better screen for reading, not a requirement.
What is the difference between Audible and Kindle Unlimited?
Format and price. Audible is audio-only, for R$19.90 per month after a 30-day trial; Kindle Unlimited is ebook-only, for R$24.90 per month. Both are from Amazon, but they are separate subscriptions: paying for one does not unlock the other.
Does your phone read the book aloud for free?
Yes. On Android, Select to Listen (Settings > Accessibility) reads compatible text from the screen; on iPhone, Speak Screen does the same in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content. Play Books also has its own read-aloud feature in many ebooks. It's a synthetic voice, not a narrator.
Is it possible to read or listen without internet access?
Within each app: Kindle, Audible, Storytel, and Ubook save the title to your device for offline use, and Play Books allows you to download purchased ebooks and audiobooks. Download them over Wi-Fi before traveling; audiobooks are large files.
The first step costs nothing: open Play Books or the Kindle Store, search for Machado de Assis using the free filter, and read a chapter tonight. If you still want to listen, the 30-day Audible trial is next, with the cancellation date already noted.
