We have a popular post covering the top 5 ePub reader application for Windows 7, which you still can reference and use on your Windows 8 desktop. However, since Windows 8 is a touch oriented operating system that works better with the native Windows 8 apps, here are 3 best, at least so far, Windows 8 native ePub reader (formally called metro app) that are not only free but let you pick and read your own DRM-free ePub books from your own library as well.
BookReader
BookReader has almost all modern features for a book eReader. It supports DRM-free ePub as well as plain text books, multi-column that allows you to read on a wider screen, 3 different themes with selection of fonts for your day/indoor/night readings. You can even pin your favorite books to Start screen so that you can open the books quick right from there.
BookReader is a free native Windows 8 app that you can download and install directly from Windows Store. Simply open Windows Store and search for its name to locate it.
Category: Books & Reference / E-reader
Publisher: Alex Drel
Age rating: 3+ (which is pretty funny)
OverDrive Media Console
OverDrive Media Console lets you read ePub format ebooks and audio books from 2 different sources: your public, school library, or your own library on your local computer. There are many library that offers the ePub ebook borrowing services but even there is not available in your area, you can still use this app to access your own eBook library.
The reading experience is pretty similar to most popular eReaders out there. Features like bookmarks, table of contents, and font and color selections are all supported.
OverDrive Media Console is a native Windows 8 app that you can download and install directly from Windows Store. Simply open Windows Store and search for its name. It also has different editions for almost all popular different platforms, including Windows Desktop, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, and Windows Phone 7.
Category: Books & Reference / E-reader
Publisher: OverDrive, Inc.
Age rating: 12+
Freda
Freda is the popular eBook reader for Windows Phone platform but now has a division that natively supports Windows 8. It supports DRM-Free ePub, FB2, HTML, and plain text format books. The app fully understands the ePub formatting information and can smoothly render the images and diagrams contained in the books. It also access to quite a few online book categories, e.g. Feedbooks, Smashwords, Gutenberg, Manybooks, etc.. You can even use it to work with the Calibre eBook library manager, if you are using one.
The reading experience is similar to other eReaders with probably more color schemes for people to choose from. But I have to complain about the background. It looks so 90s.
Freda is a native Windows 8 app that you can download and install directly from Windows Store. Simply open Windows Store and search for its name.
Category: Books & Reference / E-reader
Publisher: Turnipsoft
Age rating: 12+
UPDATE: November 11, 2013
Bookviser
Bookviser, is another new ePub reader designed for Windows 8. It’s by far the best ePub reader out there, and it’s free ! Check out a detailed review here.
Final words
The three native eReader Windows apps I picked up here are free at the moment. They all seem to work pretty well with ePub books I have loaded and tested. Since Windows 8 is still in its early stage that doesn’t have many choices for these sort of things, we will keep eyes out on it and will update this post accordingly if there are any new better apps coming out. Tips us in the comments so that we can go and review it as well.
BookReader is best fit to me. Thanks for share.
First fix please
Book Bazaar Reader is my favorite so far
Ur book bazaar did not open for me. Fix it before marketing your app. I tried to open an epub book from google sample books, mahabharata, and your app does nothing…
Sorry author, your work will never be read by this reader, I’m not clicking surveys or ads ever
There are a few more ebook readers on the market now. I’ve made this list of the ones I think are best:
http://windows.appy.ninja/List/ebook-readers
Take a look at Infinity Reader :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imeonsoft.infinity
It supports audio, video and all ePub3 features. The reader comes with a free book, which contains youtube video. You can also download a lot of free books directly from the reader.
I use it with Readium(Chrome plugin) for Windows and Mac
Thanks for sharing the info
It’s Best collection of ePub File Reader please add this one : http://pubfilereader.com/