Where to Find Free and Low-Cost Textbooks
Buying books at the campus bookstore may not be the most cost-friendly option for every student. Fortunately, there are a number of other places to get the textbooks you need for school. Here are 10 sites that offer free or affordable textbooks for college students.
Free Textbooks
- Textbook Revolution - This student-run site is one of the most popular places to find free textbooks on the Internet. There are textbooks available in PDF format as well as etextbooks that can be viewed online.
- Flat World Knowledge - Flat World Knowledge is a unique site that provides free, peer-reviewed textbooks written by expert authors. All of the site's textbooks can be viewed for free online, printed for a small price or purchased as an audio file.
- Connexions - Connexions offers all sorts of open educational content, including free textbooks. All of Connexions free textbooks are available to read online and sometimes include accompanying homework guides and other helpful materials.
- Textbook Media - Textbook Media offers Fremium Textbooks, real textbooks written by experts and assigned by instructors. These textbooks include ads, but are free, digital and available to anyone - all you need to do is sign up for a free account. Textbook Media also offers ad-free versions of the no-cost textbooks for a small fee.
- FreeTechBooks - FreeTechBooks offers links to hundreds of free textbooks and tech-related books online. Most of the books on this site can be viewed and printed free of charge.
Low-Cost Textbooks
- eCampus.com - This textbook site provides every textbook buying option imaginable. You can choose from new or used textbooks, etextbooks and textbook rentals. eCampus.com also offers a textbook buyback program.
- CampusBooks.com - CampusBooks.com compares prices on more than 8 million textbooks around the web so that you are guaranteed to find the best price online. Site shoppers can choose from new or used textbooks, etextbooks and textbook rentals.
- Chegg - Number one in textbook rentals, Chegg offers thousands of textbooks, free return shipping and customizable renting periods. Chegg will also plant a tree for every textbook you rent, sell or buy through the site.
- Ekeggy Ekeggy is a student-run textbook rental site with thousands of textbooks, free return shipping and customizable rental periods. If you can't find the textbook you need, Ekeggy will find it for you at no extra cost.
- CengageBrain.com - At CengageBrain.com, you can save up to 15% on new textbooks and 50% on etextbooks. The site also sells textbooks by the chapter and in audio form.
Do you like this post?
Get our best student money savers and free resources
Subscribe to Education Insider
Our strict privacy policy keeps your email address 100% safe & secure.

Our Commitment