shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Home | LibreTexts?

Not disclosed - libretexts.org

Worth it. Students and instructors who want free, remixable textbooks should use it — the core library costs nothing. Skip it if you need uniformly polished titles, a citable formal research source, or vendor-backed support.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources including Reddit reviews, university library guides, grant announcements, and official LibreTexts pages.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence found
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security postureNo findings either way; no security page

Pricing

Free

Online textbooks

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
All-Access$30 / 6 months

Best for

  • Students replacing $200+ commercial textbooks
  • Instructors adopting open course materials
  • Faculty remixing or authoring OER via Remixer
  • Budget-conscious course and curriculum designers

Not for

  • Researchers needing peer-reviewed, formally citable sources
  • Anyone expecting uniformly edited, polished textbook quality
  • Institutions requiring vendor SLAs and dedicated support
  • Buyers wanting documented security and compliance posture

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

'Free' messaging coexists with ~$30/6-month All-Access add-ons — confirm what your course actually requires

medium

Book quality varies title to title; vet the specific book before adopting

low

No security page found; verify data handling before campus-wide rollout

low

Operations depend on continued government and foundation grants

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free open textbooks across 3,000+ titles
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) with major federal grant funding
  • Instructors can customize and remix existing textbooks
  • Includes ADAPT homework system with grant-backed expansion
  • One of the most popular OER platforms, award-recognized

Cons

  • Users report uneven quality across individual books
  • Optional add-ons like All-Access cost money
  • Suitability as formal research citation is questioned
  • No dedicated security page found on site

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; no dedicated security page found.

official x2review x2security x1news x5

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Core textbooks free; nonprofit, grant-funded
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence found
  • Feature depth: 4/5. ADAPT homework system plus Remixer authoring tools
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture. No findings either way; no security page
  • Free Starting price Core online textbooks cost nothing
  • $30 / 6 months All-Access add-on Optional paid access per costs page
  • 3,000+ Library size Textbooks per LibreTexts homepage
  • $4.9M Funding US Dept of Ed Open Textbook Pilot grant

Pricing

Online textbooks

Free

  • 3,000+ open textbooks
  • No account needed for public content

All-Access

$30 / 6 months

  • Supplemental add-on pass
  • Exact scope unclear in evidence; confirm on costs page

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; no dedicated security page found.

What users say

Student feedback on Reddit calls LibreTexts often great but imperfect, while university libraries widely recommend it as a free textbook source.

“Libretext is often great, but isn't per…”
Reddit, r/OrganicChemistry
“Free textbooks developed and peer-revie…”
Triton College Library guide

Companies that use it

  • Western Technical College⁵
  • Northern Illinois University
  • Triton College
  • University of Rhode Island
  • University of North Texas
Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources including Reddit reviews, university library guides, grant announcements, and official LibreTexts pages.

Free nonprofit textbook library. Great for cutting costs; quality varies by book, add-ons run ~$30/6mo.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources including Reddit reviews, university library guides, grant announcements, and official LibreTexts pages.

Sources

  1. Are the LibreText books any good? — Reddit r/OrganicChemistryreddit.com
    review
  2. How much does LibreTexts cost?libretexts.org
    official
  3. LibreTexts homepagelibretexts.org
    official
  4. LibreTexts security pagelibretexts.org
    security
  5. Create Your OER Using the LibreTexts Platform — Western TC LibGuidewesterntc.libguides.com
    news
  6. LibreTexts / OER Remixer — Open Education Awardsawards.oeglobal.org
    news
  7. Student Savings at Scale — SPARCsparcopen.org
    news
  8. LibreTexts wins inaugural Open Textbook Pilot grant — PIRGpirg.org
    news
  9. Is LibreTexts allowable as a reference for formal research? — Academia SEacademia.stackexchange.com
    review
  10. LibreTexts — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news

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