AlfaReader vs FBReader

2024. FBReader for Android improves ePub support



The new version of the popular reading app FBReader for Android 4.0 brings a significant change to the reader core. The developers have replaced the obsolete zip archive support with the modern libzip library. That means some ePub (and other zip files) that were not openable by FBReader will work now. On the other hand, any change in the core is potentially dangerous. Please report if you found some crashes or slowdowns with this release. Other new features include new appearance option: “Neglect screen notches”. It is helpful for devices with a wrongly detected notch, e.g., if the front camera is hidden under the screen. The app stores the correct reading per cent now. Reading progress will be shown correctly in the library. However, you have to open a book with the wrong indicator to fix it. The footer is visible over the reading-aloud panel. You can optionally switch to the old behaviour.


2022. FBReader starts a new cycle of Android updates



FBReader has launched its first Android update since April 2021. Version 3.1 begins a new series of Android updates with the following enhancements. FBReader now has permission to access the filesystem on devices running Android 11 and later. Access to all TTS engines has been restored in the Premium Edition. Support for new bookmark styles, added through the desktop version, has been implemented; however, there is no option to add or remove styles directly on a mobile device. Buttons are now visible in all dialogues. The faulty Yandex Translator has been replaced with DeepL. The issue with incompatible cache has been resolved: there is no need to re-open the current book.


2022. FBReader for Mac is out



The popular ebook reader FBReader 2.0 for Mac is now accessible in the Mac App Store. This means FBReader is now available for three major desktop operating systems: Mac OS, Windows and Linux. The reading mode is largely complete, as well as the library view, including cloud synchronization. It supports the following book formats: ePub, fb2, fb2.zip, mobi, rtf, MS doc, plain text and cbz. The rendering engine accommodates CSS styles, hyperlinks, hyphenation, page headers and footers, text selection, page turning/text scrolling and two-column mode. Features such as table of contents, bookmarks, language selection, advanced text navigation and dark theme are all included. There is also a multi-book (multi-window) mode.


2022. FBReader comes back to Windows



Eight years after its previous release, FBReader returns to Windows. The new version, FBReader 2.0, incorporates most of the features found in the iOS and Android apps but is specifically designed for desktops and laptops. The app is compatible with Windows 10 (build 17763 and higher) and Windows 11. Currently, FBReader is only available for Intel 64-bit architecture, though it also operates on Windows 11 Arm64 via emulation. The app does not support Windows 10 Arm. The updated version features a redesigned interface, light and dark themes and now includes Ukrainian interface localization. The new rendering engine uses CSS-defined colors (which can be disabled in settings). The preferences dialogue includes options for bookmark styles. A new feature allows hiding the toolbar in fullscreen mode and image brightness in dark mode is automatically reduced. Additionally, the developers have added an “Import multiple files” option in the library window.


2022. Alfareader adds highlited annotations and notes



Alfa.NetSoft has released the new version of their reading app for Windows - Alfareader. The software was fully revamped and redesigned. It's home page now provides Google-like search with attractive bookshelf of recently read books. You can now adjust not only reading template, but also the theme of the main interface. The new timeline tool allows quickly navigate inside book. Moreover, Alfareader now provides tools to save and manage knowledge-blocks. You can easily annotate/highlight text and save the citate to Highlights panel. You can also add own notes/comments to these citates. Besides, Alfareader has a separate section where you can read and manage highlighted notes from all your books.


2017. FBReader adds iOS app



FBReader, a widely used ebook reader for Android and desktop, has launched the app for iPhone and iPad. The app employs the same engine as FBReader for other platforms and supports the same text formats. The primary formats are ePub, fb2 (including fb2.zip) and mobi (also known as Kindle azw3). The reader also handles HTML, RTF, MS Word documents (*.doc) and plain text. "Non-text formats" such as PDF, DjVu and comics are currently not supported. The free version of FBReader for iOS has some restrictions. The library is limited to ten books and online translators are disabled. You can upgrade to the full version for a fee.


2013. AlfaReader - new cool PDF/EPUB reading app for Windows PC



The creators of the popular ebook management software Alfa eBooks Manager have developed a new ebook reading application for desktop PCs - AlfaReader. It's promoted as a lightweight and speedy ebook reader, perfect for reading electronic magazines, educational textbooks, medical, scientific, technical books and illustrated children's books. It supports PDF, EPUB and TXT formats and allows users to create an attractive virtual bookshelf, set bookmarks and view ebook metadata. AlfaReader offers various e-reader templates, including a realistic virtual book with page-flipping effects. What we find most appealing is its EPUB reader, which enables users to split a book into pages, bookmark pages and view zoomed images. AlfaReader is completely free, making it a great option for those who prefer reading books on a desktop.