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This post lists the best free novel websites to find fascinating and captivating reads. There are enough novels to keep you entertained for the rest of your life.
I love reading, but books can be so expensive. Now, I can proudly say I haven’t bought a novel in five years. All my reads come from the novel sites listed below. Join me and enjoy the free reading experience!
💡 Quick Answer: Read Free Books Online Without Downloading
The best free novel websites include:
- Webnovel
- Tapas
- Wattpad
- Fanfiction.net
- Archive of Your Own
- Project Gutenberg
- Open Library
1. Webnovel
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 2017
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: 75 million
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Over 370,000
Webnovel is the most famous novel site. It is a global online reading platform that features novels and comics. Authors release books by chapter and frequently update them. On Webnovel, you won’t find ordinary novels. Instead, the site features amateurs and professional publishers alike.
Users can vote, and the most popular novels are published. As a result, there are many hidden gems on Webnovel. Because users rate each book, the good stuff is easy to find.
What I like about Webnovel is the reader. It is one of the best I have seen. You can leave comments in a chapter, and the design is pleasant to the eye.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Lots of novels User-friendly eReader Can connect with other readers easily | Not all novels are free Getting gift cards and fast passes takes effort |
How to Read Novels on Webnovel for Free
Coins are the currency on Webnovel, and you can buy them with real money. One coin is worth $0.01 to $0.02, depending on which pack you buy.
A chapter typically costs around ten coins, meaning $0.10 to $0.20. Costs add up if you read more than one chapter. But we are here to read novels online for free. To do this on Webnovel, you have a few options:
- Get Webnovel gift cards for free
- Get free Fast Passes
- Read free novels
1. Get Free Webnovel Gift Cards for Free
You can get free Webnovel gift cards for completing writing competitions. Check the Webnovel discord to find out how to enter these.
2. Get Free Fast Passes
You can get two Fast Passes for logging in every day and voting. If you refer friends, you can get two extra passes per friend. Collecting enough fast passes to read a complete may take some time. It helps to log in on days you do not plan to read.
Fast Passes expire within seven days. To make the most of them, unlock a chapter immediately. If you do not want to read it immediately, you return later.
3. Read Free Novels
Some novels are free to read on Webnovel. However, they are usually not featured on the homepage. Digging for them may take some time. Often, the easiest way to find a free novel is to ask in the forum.
2. Tapas
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 2012
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: 9 million
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Around 25,000
Tapas, formerly known as Tapastic, is a website that enables users to publish their serialised fiction. You can also read comics for free on Tapas. At first glance, you may think the stories are lower quality than traditional books. Anyone can post their novels.
And this is true to some extent. But while you may have to dig a bit to find a quality story, many talented authors on Tapas have unique stories to tell. You can’t find this much variety in a bookstore. Check Tapas’s curated list to find the best books quickly.
Some premium novels are free to read if you wait for each chapter. You can also read premium novels with free ink.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Can read professionally written novels for free User-friendly eReader Active forum Also great to read comics Can read premium novels with free ink | Not all novels are free Mostly for LGBTQIA+ novels |
How to Get Free Ink on Tapas
Many stories on Tapas are free to read without coins (or ink, as Tapas calls it). Depending on the popularity of a novel, authors can earn money from adverts. They may also receive donations.
You also support the author when reading a free novel on Tapas. This sets Tapas apart from other online-publishing websites. You can earn free ink by completing missions on the Tapas app. On the website, you can earn free ink by completing surveys. The surveys are short, and there are a lot of them.
3. Wattpad
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 2006
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: 90 million
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Around 400 million
Wattpad describes itself as a social story-telling platform for readers and writers. The website allows self-published amateurs and established writers to publish their novels. You can find unique and refreshing stories.
The platform is similar to Webnovel. It even has a similar in-chapter commenting function. However, their reader is not as well developed and can be distracting.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Has both original novels and fanfiction One of the biggest platforms for novels Huge variety | eReader could be better |
How to Read Novels for Free on Wattpad
Many stories are free to read, but some are only available to paid users. The site also has a premium membership for $4.99 or $7.49 per month with some benefits:
- Two paid stories per month (on the $7.49 plan)
- No ads
- Unlimited offline stories
- Bonus coins
- More colour themes
You can search for free novels if you want to read stories online for free. There are some fantastic free novels available.
4. Fanfiction.net
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 1998
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: 12 million
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Around 14 million
Fanfiction.net is a site for fanfiction. Making money from fanfiction is illegal, so all content is free to read. As a non-profit organisation, the site structure is simple.
Many people consider fanfiction not real writing. This is a shame because there are some real treasures out there. It is common knowledge that Fifty Shades of Gray started as fanfiction. However, there are also interesting fanfictions from other genres.
Because fanfiction isn’t for-profit content, some novels are refreshing. Fanfiction often targets a smaller audience. You can find stories that would never be published otherwise.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| All novels are free to read | Can only read fanfiction Aged website design Simple reader |
5. Archive of Our Own
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 2009
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: 6 million
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Around 11 million
Archive of Our Own, or AO3, is another web fiction site. This means it has the same limitations as Fanfiction.net. It is a non-profit site and relatively simple. Yet, you can still find many captivating stories on AO3. Romance is the most common genre on the site.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| All novels are free to read | Can only read fanfiction Simple reader |
6. Project Gutenberg
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 1971
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: –
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Over 70,000
Project Gutenberg is a place for new releases and classic books. Project Gutenberg is a library of eBooks aiming to encourage their creation and distribution. Its founder, Michael Hart, is the inventor of eBooks.
The site is free, and you do not have to register. Search for a book, and choose to read online or download novels. The platform has enough books that you have reading material for the rest of your life. Many of the well-known classics are available.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Read professionally published novels Huge range of novels Can read online or download novels | Simple reader Mostly older novels |
7. Open Library (Digital Library)
Key Facts
- 🥳 Established: 2006
- 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼 Number of users: –
- 🌍 Countries: Available worldwide
- 📔 Number of novels: Over 20 million
Open Library is a free online library with the grand aim of including every published book. Currently, there are three ways you can borrow public domain books through Open Library:
- OneDrive: Open Library has a partnership with OneDrive. You can read e-books from over 11,000 libraries as long as you are a patron of one of them.
- Physical books: Open Library allows you to search many libraries worldwide. However, to borrow a book, you must be a member of the library in question.
- The Internet Archive: Many libraries have digitalised their books, and you can borrow them. You only need to be a patron of a library.
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Lots of titles available | Needs to be a member of a library No eReader |
Other Places to Read Novels Without Coins
If the websites listed above aren’t enough, try the following sites to read books online for free:
| Site | Number of Novels |
|---|---|
| The Online Books Page | 3 million |
| Kindle Store | Over 80,000 (free only) |
| Smashwords | Over 100,000 |
| BookBub | Over 1 million (not all are free) |
| Robin Reads | – |
| Reader News Today | – |
| FreeBooksy | – |
| Manybooks | Over 50,000 |
| Goodreads | Around 30,000 |
| reedsy discovery | – |
| Simon Teen | – |
| Harlequin | 500 |
| Tor.com | – |
| Libby | – |
| hoopla | |
| Open Culture (audiobooks) | 1000 |
| LibriVox (audiobooks) | – |
| Storynory (audiobooks) | – |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Webnovel Free?
Webnovel takes a freemium approach to reading. While there are some free novels, you can read the first few chapters for free for most books. The remaining chapters will then cost coins. There are free ways to get coins (see above). If you are patient enough, you can read most novels for free.
How Can I Unlock Chapters on Webnovel for Free?
To unlock a chapter on Webnovel for free, you can use Fast Passes. You can obtain free fast passes by logging in daily, inviting friends, and completing missions.
Are There Free Novel Apps Without Coins?
Most apps advertise themselves as free novel apps without coins. However, you must pay to read once you have downloaded the app.
There are few legit free novel apps without coins. Your best bet is to use Amazon Kindle. As an Amazon product, there are no false promises. Simply search for free novels on the app. You can also use Google Play Books. Once you download the app, you can search for free ebooks.
Free Online Books Websites Summary
Nowadays, reading novels for free and finding the best books is easy. Some of the best sites include:
- Tapas
- Webnovel
- Wattpad
- Fanfiction
- Project Gutenberg
- Open Library
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