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Best Textbook App

249+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.0 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated August 2026

Out of 249+ textbook app on iOS, 20 are free and the rest sit in the paid tier. This page sorts them so you can compare both sides before you commit.

Compare top Textbook App (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1BookshelfBookshelfFree4.7★ (78K)NoNoSep 2026
2Perlego: Books & TextbooksPerlego: Books & TextbooksFree4.5★ (1.1K)NoNoSep 2026
3Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTextsPearson+ | Study Prep & eTextsFree4.8★ (61K)NoNoSep 2026
4RedShelfRedShelfFree4.5★ (7.1K)NoNoSep 2026
5Yuzu eReaderYuzu eReaderFree4.5★ (15K)NoNoSep 2026
6Elsevier eBooks on VitalSourceElsevier eBooks on VitalSourceFree4.7★ (9.1K)NoNoSep 2026
7EDUBOOKSEDUBOOKSFree4.2★ (36)NoNoMay 2026
8TextbookDojoTextbookDojoFree—YesYesMay 2026

Top Picks for Textbook App

Bookshelf#1

Bookshelf by VitalSource Technologies, Inc.

Editor's Choice
📚 Education
4.7😐(78K ratings)
Free
#35in Education
Bookshelf screenshot 1
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Bookshelf screenshot 6

Access and study your digital textbooks on your iPad or iPhone. This app allows for offline reading, note-taking, flashcard creation, and customizable reading settings. Sync your progress across devices for a seamless study experience.

What We Love

  • 📚 Convenient access to textbooks
  • 🔍 Useful search functionality
  • 📚 Offline reading capability
  • 🔖 Bookmark and note-taking features
  • 🔊 Text-to-speech option

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy highlighting and annotation tools
  • 🖋️ Lack of Apple Pencil support
  • 📚 Restricted functionality compared to other e-book apps
  • 🔍 Inconsistent search and navigation experience
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤖 Poor text-to-speech quality
Perlego: Books & Textbooks#2

Perlego: Books & Textbooks by Perlego Ltd.

+1 million academic titles
Strong Contender
📚 Books
4.5😐(1.1K ratings)
Free
Perlego: Books & Textbooks screenshot 1
Perlego: Books & Textbooks screenshot 2
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Perlego: Books & Textbooks screenshot 5
Perlego: Books & Textbooks screenshot 6

Access over 1 million academic textbooks and books across hundreds of subjects. This digital library allows students, researchers, and lifelong learners to study efficiently with features like text-to-speech, offline reading, and note-taking tools.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great selection of books
  • 💡 Affordable subscription model
  • 👍 Convenient access to content
  • 👍 Useful note-taking and highlighting features
  • 👍 Read-aloud functionality

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app performance
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Clunky user interface
  • 👎 Lack of essential features (e.g. page numbers, search within books)
  • 👎 Inconsistent syncing between app and website
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts#3

Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts by Pearson Education, Inc.

eTexts, Videos and Practice
Worth Considering
📚 Education
4.8😞(61K ratings)
Free
#72in Education
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts screenshot 1
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Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts screenshot 6

Access your Pearson eTextbooks and supplementary learning materials in one app. Watch short video explanations of complex topics and utilize study tools like notes, highlights, and flashcards. The app also offers an audiobook feature for most eTextbooks and powerful search functionality.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Convenient access to textbooks
  • 🎧 Useful audio feature
  • 📚 Helpful study tools (flashcards, quizzes)

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy highlighting and page navigation
  • 📱 Poor usability on mobile devices
  • 🔍 Lack of search and page number features
  • 💰 Expensive for limited functionality

More Textbook App apps to explore

FAQ about Textbook App

What is the best textbook app for iPhone?
Bookshelf tops our textbook app ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.7-star average from 78K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top textbook app we rank are free to download, including Bookshelf and Perlego: Books & Textbooks.
Bookshelf has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 249+ textbook app on the iOS App Store as of August 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
The Bookshelf app provides a digital-first study experience for your VitalSource textbooks on your iPad or iPhone. It allows you to access, read, and study your textbooks anytime, anywhere, with features designed to enhance learning.
Key features include downloading books for offline reading, customizing highlighters and adding notes, creating flashcards with text and images, personalizing reading settings like font and background colors, and using the Read Aloud feature to listen to your books.