shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use E-Books Directory?

Categorized links to free books - e-booksdirectory.com

Worth it. A solid free starting point for students, self-learners, and librarians hunting legally free e-books. Skip it if you want hosted books, current bestsellers, or an actual reading platform.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~14 public sources; mostly library guides and roundup lists, few in-depth user reviews.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support information in sources
  • Security postureNo public vulnerability reports found

Pricing

$0

Directory access

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Students seeking free textbooks
  • Librarians building OER lists
  • Self-learners in tech and math
  • Budget readers of free titles

Not for

  • Anyone wanting to buy or license books
  • Readers expecting hosted files or an in-site reader
  • Teams shopping for an ebook platform
  • Chasers of current bestsellers

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Books live on third-party sites; formats, terms, and availability vary — check each destination

low

Basic search only; no advanced filters, ratings, or recommendations

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Entirely free database of categorized legal free e-books
  • Organized by subject with site-wide search
  • Peer-reviewed on MERLOT as a learning resource
  • Referenced by many university and public library guides
  • Featured in Norton and ZDNet free-ebook site roundups

Cons

  • Links out only — hosts no books or reader
  • Aging PHP interface; browsing feels dated
  • Crunchbase lists ~$371.5K; tiny operation, upkeep resources look thin

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/26/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x3security x1news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free; nothing to pay
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Basic categories and search; dated look
  • Feature depth: 2/5. Links only; no hosting, reader, or sync
  • Support quality. No support information in sources
  • Security posture. No public vulnerability reports found
  • Free Price No paid tiers found
  • Yes Free tier Entire site is free
  • MERLOT-reviewed Peer review Listed since 2014
  • Widely cited Library adoption University and public library guides

Pricing

Directory access

$0

  • Categorized links to free books
  • Subject listings with site-wide search

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reddit users and library guides treat it as a large, handy catalog of free legal e-books, with few detailed critiques.

“Very BIG and interesting E-Books directory. Also, see ...”
Reddit, r/opendirectories

Alternatives

Compare E-Books Directory with each alternative.

  • DOAB

    Academic open-access books; cited in research on OA collections.

Companies that use it

  • St. Petersburg College10
  • Deakin University
  • Miami Dade College
  • San Diego State University
  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Full analysis

Based on ~14 public sources; mostly library guides and roundup lists, few in-depth user reviews.

Free, categorized links to legal free e-books. Great for students and libraries; not a store or reader.

Methodology

Based on ~14 public sources; mostly library guides and roundup lists, few in-depth user reviews.

Sources

  1. E-Books Directory - Categorized Links to Free Bookse-booksdirectory.com
    official
  2. About E-Books Directorye-booksdirectory.com
    official
  3. Search for books listed on E-Books Directorye-booksdirectory.com
    official
  4. Peer Review of E-Books Directory (MERLOT)merlot.org
    review
  5. Top sites to download free ebooks (Norton)us.norton.com
    news
  6. Want free ebooks? These 10 sites offer thousands of options (ZDNet)zdnet.com
    news
  7. Reddit, r/opendirectories thread on E-Books Directoryreddit.com
    review
  8. E-Books Directory - Crunchbasecrunchbase.com
    news
  9. Product security pagee-booksdirectory.com
    security
  10. OER eBooks guide, St. Petersburg Collegespcollege.libguides.com
    review

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