If you’re a reader more than a TV viewer, you probably would’ve scrolled through Netflix wishing something similar was available for books. And guess what? A few people have gotten the same brilliant idea, and indeed, you CAN have a subscription where you can access books on demand!
In this post, we hope to share some of the options online for this kind of service.
Best Places to Rent Books Netflix-Style
First of all, know that not all book subscription services work! A few companies tried the Netflix model and, sadly, failed, such as Entitle and Oyster, throwing light on the challenge of sustainability for the business model.
Thankfully, a good handful are still up and running, and doing well, so don’t fret.
Scribd
Scribd is one of the longest-running and most popular e-book subscription service. Having begun in 2007, their main premise was to operate kind of like a “YouTube for documents.” They are available on iOS and Android devices, including both tablets and smartphones, and also on Nook, Kindle Fire, and PC.
Here are some of the benefits of jumping onto Scribd:
- You get access to more than a million book titles from about a thousand publishers
- You can read not just books but even other media like comic books
- You won’t be bogged down by trashy romance novels or erotica, because Scribd chose not to include them!
- For the affordable price of only $8.99 per month (at the time of this writing), you get unlimited access to the site’s selected books
- Your unused credits can be rolled over to the next month so you get more credits for borrowing books
- You can try it out for free over 14 days to see if you like it.
Based on the benefits, it seems that Scribd is best for readers who enjoy reading as much as possible and don’t mind reading them on devices. Also, take note that it doesn’t carry the romance genre, so if that’s a deal breaker for you, we would recommend you to look at the other subscription services.
Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited
Amazon Kindle Unlimited is without a doubt the current leader in the world of Netflix for books. Check out its benefits:
- For only $9.99 a month, you get access to more than 1 million book titles PLUS thousands of audiobooks
- You can read your e-books on multiple devices (with the Kindle app installed) and sync them so that you pick up on where you left off, no matter which device you pick up next!
- The Audible audiobooks means that you can seamlessly switch to listening on an audiobook or going back to reading whenever you feel like it
- You can try the service for free for 30 days
- Their booklist keeps growing with many indie authors choosing to self-publish on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), giving you instant access to budding, first-time authors
- Their audiobook selection is the largest by far, so if this is one of your considerations, Amazon is likely the place to go
In our opinion, Kindle Unlimited is the best choice when it comes to the size of the selection. However, if you still prefer to read hard copy books, you won’t get that here, and we would recommend checking out BooksFree/BookLender, which is the only company that mails out hard copy books for rent.
BooksFree or BookLender
The oldest online book subscription service, Booksfree may have been overtaken by Scribd’s popularity, but it still has its own share of benefits:
- You get access to more than 250,000 books
- It’s the only book subscription service that offers you physical books, which you receive by mail, with free shipping and which you can send back using the postage paid return mailer!
- You can swap books with other users through the website, working kind of like a thrift book market. You can even put a book on your wishlist, and get hooked up with another member who has it .
- You can also pay for individual audiobooks
- You can pick the pricing plan that works best for you, paying a higher monthly fee if you want a higher book limit, or even renting individual titles without needing to subscribe to a monthly membership
- They have a more unique offering compared to their bigger competitors
At the time of this writing, Booksfree/BookLender offers the following pricing plans, and they also regularly have promotions, such as a 50% off your first month:
- Unlimited Book Plan Pricing starts at $19.79 monthly for two paperback books at a time
- Limited Book Plan Pricing starts at $11.49 monthly for two paperback books per month
Important Note: BooksFree.Com is different from booksfree.org. The book lending company is BooksFree.Com, which redirects to BookLender.Com.
Based on these benefits, we believe that BooksFree/BookLender is the best choice for hard copy enthusiasts. This is the only company that ships (and expects you to ship back) books for free—kind of like a glorified library, as some readers describe it.
Come to think of it, if paperback books are what you’re going for, it may be a good idea to check out the selections in your local library first, including inter-library loan, before jumping into the BookLender wagon!
Bookmate
The Bookmate mobile reading app is available for use on any computer, tablet, or phone, for one of the cheapest subscription rates of only $4.99 a month. Here are some of the benefits you can get from the app:
- You get unlimited access to about 650,000 books
- If you prefer to read in a language other than English, Bookmate has you covered, with at least 12 languages available
- The app interface is very user-friendly and intuitive, so it will save you time trying to learn how to navigate a new app
So far, the main benefit to Bookmate is perhaps its available languages—which you can also get through the wide selection in Kindle Unlimited. And it’s cheaper than most of the other services, so if budget is an issue and you don’t have a public library available nearby, this may be a good option.
Subscribing to Netflix for books
We hope this post has given you an overview of some of the largest and most reputable companies offering book rental subscriptions in the spirit of Netflix. In the end, it will depend highly on your reading habits and preferences, as well as your budget.
If anything, going for the free trials that some of them offer may be your best bet, as that will give you a clearer picture of the titles that they have available. After all, you wouldn’t want to pay a monthly fee (no matter how small) if it turns out you won’t be able to make good use of it!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
