calibre
Ebook library manager that catalogues, converts and sends books to a reader. The standard tool for your own ebooks.
Our verdict
calibre is the same program on Linux as on Windows, so your library moves across untouched. Copy the calibre folder over and point the Linux version at it.
It catalogues books, tidies up titles and authors, fetches covers, converts a file from one ebook format to another, and copies books onto an ereader over the cable. It also has a built-in reader, though Foliate is nicer for actually sitting down with a book.
The honest limit is copy protection. Books bought from the Kindle store carry it, and calibre cannot open those. It is at its best with books that have no protection on them, such as EPUB files from an author, a library service or a bookshop that sells them plain.
What's good
- Organises a large ebook collection and fetches covers and descriptions
- Converts between EPUB, MOBI and other formats
- Copies books onto a plugged-in ereader, including a Kindle
- Free and open source, the same program as the Windows version
What to know first
- Cannot open books that carry copy protection, which covers most shop-bought Kindle titles
- The interface is busy and dated, with a lot of buttons
- The download from the calibre website expects you to type a command, so take the app store version instead
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-3.0)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
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