When you buy an ebook with DRM, you don’t really own it. You own a license — one that can be revoked, that locks you into a single app, and that stops working if the store shuts down. DRM-free ebooks are different: you get a file, it’s yours, and you can read it however you want, on any device, forever.
This is a curated list of stores and publishers that sell DRM-free ebooks. Every link and DRM policy on it was re-checked in September 2026, except the shops added in October 2026, which were checked on their own sites that month. The first two sections list stores and publishers where everything is DRM-free by default. The third lists publishers that are DRM-free when you buy from their own store. The fourth covers comics, manga, tabletop RPGs and fiction magazines. The fifth covers major bookstores that carry both DRM and DRM-free titles — you’ll need to check per book, but they’re worth knowing about. We also cover tips for finding DRM-free titles and how to read them once you’ve bought them.
This list is curated, so it leaves a lot out. For the full picture, Libreture’s directory of DRM-free bookshops tracks more than 580 shops, from large stores to small presses, magazines and single-author shops, and every shop we added in October 2026 came from it.
DRM-Free Stores
Everything these stores sell is DRM-free. Buy with confidence.
Smashwords — One of the largest independent ebook platforms, now part of Draft2Digital. Strong on indie fiction, romance, mystery, and self-published authors. Books come in multiple formats including EPUB, PDF, and Kindle-compatible MOBI. Prices range from free to full retail, with many authors offering discounts. The catalog leans heavily toward indie and small-press titles — if you’re looking for mainstream bestsellers, look elsewhere, but for discovering new voices it’s hard to beat.
Baen Books — Military sci-fi, space opera, and fantasy from one of the genre’s most respected publishers. Baen has sold DRM-free ebooks since the early 2000s — one of the first publishers to embrace it. Their Free Library has dozens of complete novels available at no cost, including first books in popular series. Ebooks are priced between $6–$10, well below most traditional publishers, and come in EPUB and MOBI formats.
StoryBundle — Pay-what-you-want bundles of DRM-free ebooks, usually themed by genre (sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, comics, non-fiction). New bundles rotate regularly, typically offering 5–15 titles per bundle. A great way to discover authors you’d never find otherwise. Bundles run for a limited time, so check back often. All books are provided as EPUB and MOBI.
Weightless Books — Small indie bookstore focused on SFF, comics, literary magazines, and small-press titles. Everything is DRM-free in EPUB and PDF. The catalog is curated rather than massive — think quality over quantity. Particularly good for finding indie SFF magazines and anthologies.
Humble Bundle — Pay-what-you-want bundles of DRM-free ebooks, usually themed by genre or publisher. Bundles typically include 5–20 titles and run for a few weeks. Part of each purchase goes to charity, and you choose how much. Great for discovering new authors or picking up a stack of books on a specific topic for a few dollars. Books come as DRM-free downloads, usually EPUB and PDF.
Fanatical — Similar bundle model to Humble Bundle but without the charity component. Regular ebook bundles at steep discounts, all DRM-free. Smaller catalog than Humble but worth checking when bundles rotate.
Beam eBooks — A German store that sells only DRM-free ebooks (“eBooks ohne DRM”). Its roots are in science fiction and fantasy, and the catalog now spans crime, romance, non-fiction and more, mostly in German. One of the few stores where DRM-free is the default, not the exception. Prices in euros.
Book View Café is an author-owned publishing cooperative whose members include New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, writing across genres from science fiction to romance, historical and mainstream fiction. Every book in its store is DRM-free EPUB (MOBI on request for older Kindles), and 90% of the earnings go to the author.
DRM-Free Publishers
These publishers sell DRM-free everywhere — even on Amazon or Apple Books. If you see their name on a book, the ebook version is DRM-free regardless of where you buy it.
Tor Publishing Group (Tor, Forge, Tordotcom, Nightfire) — Tor dropped DRM on all their ebooks in 2012 and never looked back. One of the largest science fiction and fantasy publishers in the world, home to authors like Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, and N.K. Jemisin. Buy Tor titles from any retailer — they’re DRM-free everywhere. This single policy change made Tor the gold standard for DRM-free genre publishing.
Angry Robot Books — Indie SFF publisher known for taking risks on unusual, genre-bending fiction. All their titles are available DRM-free across all retailers. Their catalog skews toward inventive, boundary-pushing sci-fi and fantasy — the kind of books that don’t fit neatly into a single category.
Pragmatic Bookshelf — Technical books for software developers. Every ebook purchase includes DRM-free EPUB and PDF — buy once, get every format. Known for high-quality, hands-on programming books with frequent updates. Their catalog covers languages, frameworks, and developer practices. Prices typically $20–$50.
No Starch Press — Technical and hacking books, plus some science and math titles. Every ebook purchase includes DRM-free PDF, EPUB, and MOBI, and every print book bought from nostarch.com comes with the ebook free. Particularly strong on cybersecurity, Linux, Python, and hardware hacking. Also publishes accessible science books and manga guides to technical topics. Buy direct from their site or any retailer.
Manning Publications — Technical publisher covering software development, data science, and DevOps. DRM-free in all formats. Their “MEAP” (Manning Early Access Program) lets you read books chapter-by-chapter as they’re being written — useful for fast-moving technologies where you can’t wait for a finished book.
Leanpub — Self-publishing platform for technical and non-fiction books. Authors set their own pricing, often with a pay-what-you-want model (suggested price + minimum price). All books are DRM-free PDF and EPUB, and you can also read them in the browser. The catalog is heavy on programming, data science, and business topics, with some fiction. Quality varies since anyone can publish, but the best titles are excellent.
Packt — Technical publisher covering programming, cloud, data, and security. Every Packt ebook is DRM-free PDF and EPUB, and buying a Packt print book anywhere, even on Amazon, gets you a free DRM-free PDF copy through their companion ebook page.
Buy Direct: DRM-Free From the Publisher’s Own Store
These publishers sell DRM-free from their own websites. Copies bought from other retailers may come with DRM, so buy from them directly.
Dragonsteel Books — Brandon Sanderson’s own store. Ebooks are DRM-free EPUB, downloaded from your order page or the confirmation email, and a few titles, like The Way of Kings Prime, are free. His main novels are published by Tor, so they are DRM-free at other retailers too.
Verso Books — Politics, history, and theory. Ebooks bought on versobooks.com are watermarked, DRM-free EPUB files that stay in your library for re-download, and Verso bundles the ebook free with print books where it can.
Haymarket Books — Radical history, politics, and social movements. Ebooks from haymarketbooks.org are DRM-free EPUB and stay in your library for re-download. Haymarket notes that the same ebooks bought from Amazon, Apple, or Google come with DRM, which makes it the clearest case for buying direct.
InformIT — The online store of Pearson’s technology imprints, including Addison-Wesley and Cisco Press. Most ebooks come as DRM-free EPUB and PDF together for one price, with your name watermarked on the file.
Take Control Books — Practical guides to the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and everyday tech, published by Joe Kissell. Every ebook is DRM-free, in PDF and EPUB.
Subterranean Press publishes signed limited editions of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and sells more than 140 ebook editions, many of them novellas and story collections, by authors such as Ben Aaronovitch, Alastair Reynolds, Kelley Armstrong and John Scalzi. All of its ebooks are DRM-free EPUB, and it gives away a free ebook about once a month.
Seven Stories Press publishes fiction and political books, from Kurt Vonnegut and Octavia E. Butler to Annie Ernaux. Ebooks bought on its website are watermarked and DRM-free, and come bundled with print books where possible. Seven Stories says the same ebooks bought from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble or Google come with DRM.
Bella Books calls itself the largest lesbian-owned press publishing books by, for and about women who love women, from romance and mystery to science fiction and thrillers. Its ebooks are DRM-free, and one purchase gives you every format.
Microcosm Publishing specializes in do-it-yourself nonfiction: practical books, zines and card decks. Ebooks from its shop are DRM-free.
Guilford Press publishes psychology, psychiatry, social work and education titles, plus self-help. Every ebook bought on guilford.com is DRM-free, and all available formats come with one purchase.
Zubaan is an independent publisher in New Delhi, set up in 2003 as an imprint of Kali for Women, India’s first feminist publishing house. Its own ebooks are DRM-free (EPUB for books, PDF for essays); only titles on its joint list with Penguin Random House India carry DRM. Prices are in rupees.
DRM-Free Comics, Manga, RPGs and Magazines
These shops sell comics, manga, light novels, tabletop roleplaying games and short-fiction magazines as DRM-free files. Comics and RPG books usually come as PDF or CBZ rather than EPUB.
2000 AD is the weekly British comic that gave the world Judge Dredd. Its webshop sells the weekly progs, the Judge Dredd Megazine and thousands of comics and graphic novels, and every purchase downloads as a DRM-free PDF and CBZ. Comics bought in the 2000 AD app can be downloaded from the webshop too.
Panel Syndicate sells creator-owned digital comics, including Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s The Private Eye and Barrier, at a price you name. Each download is a plain PDF, CBR or CBZ file with no DRM and no encryption. Most titles also come in Spanish, and some in Catalan, Portuguese or French.
Iron Circus Comics is an independent comics publisher whose store offers most of its books, Lackadaisy and Banned Book Club among them, as a “DRM-free PDF” next to the print edition. Every book is rated from All Ages to Adult, and a large share of the catalog is adult, so check the rating before buying for younger readers.
J-Novel Club translates Japanese light novels and manga. Its Premium ebooks, bought on its own site with J-Novel Coins, are EPUB3 files, often with bonus content, that you can download as often as you like, convert and keep on any device you own. Coins are sold to anyone, and a subscription makes them cheaper.
itch.io is an open marketplace for independent creators. It is best known for games but also carries a large range of comics, zines and tabletop RPGs. Creators set the price and can let you pay what you want above a minimum, which may be zero, and itch.io adds no DRM: you download the files exactly as the creator uploaded them.
Bundle of Holding runs time-limited bundles of tabletop roleplaying ebooks at a bargain price. Some bundles have one fixed price; others add a bonus collection if you pay more. Every title is DRM-free, usually as PDF.
Kobold Press publishes adventures, monster books and settings for 5th Edition D&D and its own Tales of the Valiant game. PDFs from its store carry a small watermark with your account details in the footer but no DRM, and you can download them again from your account whenever you like.
Lightspeed Magazine is a two-time Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine with a new ebook issue on the first of every month. Its horror companion, Nightmare, works the same way. Issues, subscriptions and bundles bought from either site are DRM-free EPUB, MOBI and PDF.
Read your DRM-free books anywhere
BookShelves reads EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. iCloud sync included.
Mixed Stores (Check Per Title)
These major bookstores sell both DRM and DRM-free ebooks. Whether a specific title is DRM-free depends on the publisher. Worth browsing — they have the biggest catalogs — but always check the product page before buying.
ebooks.com — Large general-purpose ebook store with a dedicated DRM-free section and a DRM filter in search. Wide catalog spanning fiction, non-fiction, academic, and technical books. It also sells DRM-protected titles, but it is one of the few big stores that lets you filter for DRM-free rather than burying it.
Bookshop.org — Online bookstore that supports independent bookshops with every purchase. Ebooks are read in the Bookshop.org app or browser, except DRM-free titles (Tor, for example), which you can download from your Ebook Library with Download / Transfer and read anywhere. They keep a list of DRM-free ebooks. A good option if you want to support indie bookstores and buy DRM-free when the publisher allows it. Libro.fm, the indie-bookstore audiobook shop, plans to sell ebooks to readers from 2027, DRM-free where publishers allow it.
Amazon Kindle Store — Since January 20, 2026, a DRM-free Kindle book can be downloaded as EPUB or PDF: open Manage Your Content and Devices and look for “Download available in additional formats.” Authors and publishers must opt in per title, so older DRM-free books may not have the option yet, and Kindle Unlimited borrows never do. The store has no DRM-free filter, so you usually find out after buying.
Google Play Books — Look for “You can read on devices and apps that support open EPUB” on the book page — that means DRM-free. Wide catalog, competitive prices, and frequent sales. Google doesn’t make it easy to filter for DRM-free titles, so you’ll need to check each book individually. Titles from DRM-free publishers (Tor, Baen, etc.) are DRM-free here too.
Kobo — Look for the “DRM-Free” label on the product page, or start from Kobo’s DRM-free ebooks page. Large catalog with regular sales and a good international selection. Kobo’s own Kobo Plus subscription uses DRM, but individual purchases from DRM-free publishers come through clean. Available in most countries with localized stores and pricing.
Thalia — One of the largest bookstores in the German-speaking world (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Look for “Ohne Kopierschutz” (without copy protection) or “Digitales Wasserzeichen” (digital watermark — no hard DRM, just your name embedded in the file). Huge German-language catalog including fiction, non-fiction, and academic titles. Also carries English-language ebooks. Weltbild’s online shop closed in 2024 and weltbild.de now redirects to Thalia, which took over its tolino customers.
buecher.de — Major German online bookstore with a large ebook section. DRM-free titles are marked on the product page. Wide catalog of German and international titles at competitive prices. Good search filters for finding DRM-free options.
Hugendubel — Traditional German bookstore chain with a strong online presence. Filter for “Ohne Kopierschutz” to find DRM-free ebooks. Particularly good for German literature, non-fiction, and academic titles. Part of the Tolino ecosystem, so purchases sync across Tolino devices and apps.
Osiander — Independent German bookstore chain dating back to 1596 — one of the oldest bookstores in Germany. Sells ebooks alongside physical books, with DRM-free options available. Strong on curated recommendations and regional literature. Also part of the Tolino ecosystem.
Tips for Finding DRM-Free Books
Check the publisher, not just the store. Some publishers are DRM-free everywhere they sell. If a book from Tor, Baen, or Angry Robot is on Amazon, it’s still DRM-free — Amazon just wraps it in their Kindle format, but the underlying content isn’t locked.
Buy direct from authors. Many indie authors and small presses sell DRM-free EPUBs from their own websites. Libreture keeps a directory of hundreds of these small DRM-free shops, from indie presses and magazines to comics.
Look for “watermark” or “social DRM.” This is a soft alternative to DRM — the file contains your name or email, but there are no restrictions on copying or device limits. For practical purposes, watermarked ebooks work exactly like DRM-free files. You can open them in any reader, copy them to any device, and back them up however you want.
Download your books. Even from DRM-free stores, download your purchased EPUBs and keep local copies. Stores can close, accounts can be lost. If you have the file, you have the book — that’s the whole point. When choosing between formats, EPUB is almost always the better pick for reading on screens. A reader like BookShelves lets you organize and read your collection across Mac, iPhone, and iPad with iCloud sync.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DRM-free mean? DRM stands for Digital Rights Management — technology that restricts how you can use a file. A DRM-free ebook has no such restrictions. You can open it in any compatible reader app, copy it to any device, back it up, and keep it forever. The file is yours the same way a physical book is yours.
Can I read DRM-free ebooks on my Kindle? Yes. Send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle (email, app, or web), which converts it for your Kindle. Copying an EPUB over USB does not work, and Send to Kindle stopped accepting MOBI files in 2022, so pick EPUB when a store offers both. If you have MOBI or AZW files you want to read on Mac instead, see our guide to reading MOBI and AZW files on Mac.
Is buying DRM-free ebooks legal? Absolutely. DRM-free simply means the publisher chose not to add copy protection to the file. You’re buying a legitimate copy of the book — the only difference is that the publisher trusts you not to redistribute it instead of trying to technically prevent it.
What’s the difference between DRM-free and public domain? Public domain books are free because their copyright has expired (or was never claimed). DRM-free books are commercial titles that you buy — the author and publisher get paid — but the file comes without copy protection. One is about copyright status, the other is about file format restrictions.
Why don’t all publishers sell DRM-free? Most large publishers (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, etc.) still require DRM on their ebooks, believing it prevents piracy. The irony is that DRM is routinely circumvented, so it mainly inconveniences legitimate buyers. Publishers like Tor have shown that dropping DRM doesn’t increase piracy — and may actually increase sales by reducing friction.
Read Your DRM-Free Books Anywhere
That’s the whole point of buying DRM-free — you choose how and where to read. Any EPUB reader works, but a good one makes a real difference in how you manage and enjoy your collection.
Your books. Your reader. No DRM, no lock-in.
BookShelves reads EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and 8 other formats on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. iCloud sync, library management, and 1.5 million free classics built in.
For free public domain ebooks, check out our guide to the 30 best free classic books or browse the free book catalog directly. If you’re comparing reader apps, see our best ebook readers for Mac roundup. And if you’re switching away from Apple Books, our guide to exporting from Apple Books walks you through the process.