Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Play Books VS Scribd

Compare Google Play Books VS Scribd and see what are their differences

Google Play Books logo Google Play Books

Google Play Books lets you search, preview, and buy millions of books using Google Book Search.

Scribd logo Scribd

Unlimited books, audiobooks & comics. Unparalleled discovery. Any device. $8.99/month
  • Google Play Books Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10
  • Scribd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

Google Play Books features and specs

  • Extensive Library
    Google Play Books offers a vast collection of books, including bestsellers, new releases, classics, and niche genres.
  • Cross-Platform Accessibility
    Books purchased can be accessed on multiple devices including smartphones, tablets, and computers, ensuring a seamless reading experience.
  • Offline Reading
    Users can download books for offline reading, which is convenient for travel or areas with poor internet connectivity.
  • Integration with Google Services
    Google Play Books integrates well with other Google services, allowing easy syncing and access via a Google account.
  • Customizable Reading Experience
    Offers various reading modes and customizable settings including font size, type, and background color to enhance user comfort.

Possible disadvantages of Google Play Books

  • Limited International Availability
    Some books and features may not be available in all countries, restricting access for international users.
  • Potential DRM Limitations
    Digital Rights Management (DRM) can limit the ability to share or transfer books between different platforms and devices.
  • Higher Cost
    No subscription model is available; books must be purchased individually, which can be more expensive compared to subscription-based services.
  • User Interface Complexity
    Some users may find the interface less intuitive compared to more straightforward e-reader applications.
  • Dependence on Google Ecosystem
    The service works best within the Google ecosystem, which may not be ideal for users heavily invested in other platforms.

Scribd features and specs

  • Extensive Library
    Scribd offers a wide variety of content including books, audiobooks, magazines, and even documents from multiple genres.
  • Unlimited Access
    Subscribers get unlimited access to a rotating library of titles at a fixed monthly fee, allowing ample reading without purchasing each book individually.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform provides an easy-to-navigate interface with personalized recommendations and a customizable reading experience.
  • Cross-Device Syncing
    Scribd syncs your progress across devices, so you can start reading on your phone and continue on your tablet or computer seamlessly.
  • Offline Reading
    Users can download titles for offline reading, making it convenient for areas with limited internet access.

Possible disadvantages of Scribd

  • Rotating Library
    While Scribd offers unlimited access, some books may become unavailable over time due to the rotating nature of the library.
  • Limited Audiobook Selection
    Compared to dedicated audiobook services, Scribd's audiobook selection is not as extensive.
  • Regional Restrictions
    Certain books and content may not be available in all regions due to licensing agreements.
  • Monthly Fee
    Although comprehensive, Scribd does come with a monthly subscription fee, which might not be justifiable for infrequent readers.
  • Data Consumption
    Streaming or downloading large files such as audiobooks and high-resolution magazines can consume significant data, affecting users with limited internet plans.

Google Play Books videos

Google Play Books Review | Is Publishing on Google Play Worth It?

More videos:

  • Review - Google Play Books for Android Review
  • Review - Pros and Cons of Google Play Books

Scribd videos

Is Scribd Worth It?

More videos:

  • Review - Scribd Review
  • Review - Audible vs Kindle Unlimited vs Scribd Review (and why I switched)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Play Books and Scribd)
eBook Reader
76 76%
24% 24
Digital Publishing
0 0%
100% 100
Ebooks
76 76%
24% 24
eBook Manager
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Play Books and Scribd

Google Play Books Reviews

We have no reviews of Google Play Books yet.
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Scribd Reviews

10 of the Best Ebook Readers for Windows, macOS, and Mobile
The reader itself is gorgeous to use and is available on iOS and Android. It’s a bright and modern app that includes a host of options to help you read content from the community. It’s not as in depth with regards to features as other solutions, but like Scribd, the experience trumps all.
Top 25 SlideShare Alternatives To Create & Share Online Presentations
With over 80million monthly active readers Scribd is the world’s most popular open platform for publishing and sharing documents of all types. You can upload your academic or business presentations to Scribd for free and share with anyone. Yes, you can embed your Scribd documents on your own website too.
Source: slidehelper.com
17 Powerful Issuu Alternatives Nobody Told You About (1 BIG winner)
When looking at the costs, Scribd is cheaper, so for anyone publishing a paid for magazine, it could be a consideration. However, the possibility to share isn’t there, and you can’t embed your publications on your website, although it is quite straightforward to load to services like Behance. But, if you are looking for something with an Issuu like PDF viewer, Scribd is not...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google Play Books should be more popular than Scribd. It has been mentiond 108 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Play Books mentions (108)

  • How a Cable Changed Finance
    You also will find a ton of contemporary (and copyright free) books on https://books.google.com/ in many languages, which I find way more amazing to read today than books looking back on that time with today's mindset and all... A favorite of mine is "Lebenserinnerungen", by Werner von Siemens, 1892: https://www.google.ch/books/edition/Lebenserinnerungen/SkIOAAAAYAAJ It's a lovely topic to dive into and adjust... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Google scrambles to manually remove weird AI answers in search
    > The fact is that I think that there is not much written word, to actually train a sensible model on. A lot of books don't have OCRed scans, or a digital version. https://books.google.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Tell HN: Correct Result for "Google Books" in Bing but Not in Google
    Searching for "google books" in google leads to https://books.google.com/ which no longer allows you to read any of your books. https://play.google.com/books is the site to read your purchased books now. Google search does not show https://play.google.com/books in its results at all. Thought it was some weird personalization quirk, but seems others have had the same issue:... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Engineer Bob Novak talks about UFO propulsion and anti-gravity in a 1963 recording
    Please use google https://google.com , https://groups.google.com , news.google.com/newspapers, books.google.com, scholar.google.com , https://archive.org https://yandex.com (the only image reverse search which actually works, google's got broken). Source: over 1 year ago
  • Google Only Giving Book Results After Update
    I have no idea why, but ever since this new update, Chrome has become completely unusable. Every single search I make only retrieves books.google.com links. Nothing near relevant to what I want. I am not sure how to fix this issue. All help is greatly appreciated! Source: over 1 year ago
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Scribd mentions (54)

  • “Manitoba Affidavit” 1870
    If you go to https://scribd.com and enter search term Lawrence Barkwell + Métis and change results to documents/articles, all of his 2,000+ research papers are there. He was the historian for the Louis Riel Institute and Gabriel Dumont Institute for over 20 years. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Complete plans for a 2-storey residential Building
    Look on scribd.com. They have several plan sets for residential structural buildings. Source: over 1 year ago
  • whats your opinion on elvis as an actor?
    Jerry Schilling speaks to this in his book, "Me and a Guy Named Elvis." Highly recommend this audiobook available for free on a trial basis at scribd.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • whats your opinion on elvis as an actor?
    There are several Elvis ebooks and audiobooks you can access for free with a 30-day trial at scribd.com. Registration requires a credit card but you can cancel before the first payment. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • f*cking scribd amex offers
    Get a $6 statement credit by using your enrolled eligible Card to make a single purchase of $11.99 or more online at scribd.com by 10/31/2023. Limit of 5 statement credits (total of $30). See terms. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Play Books and Scribd, you can also consider the following products

Amazon Kindle - Amazon Kindle software lets you read ebooks on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and...

Issuu - Issuu is the leading digital publishing platform delivering exceptional reading experiences of magazines, catalogs, and newspapers.

calibre - Ebook manager, viewer & converter

SlideShare - Discover, Share, and Present presentations and infographics with the world’s largest professional content sharing community.

FBReader - FBReader is an e-book reader for various platforms. Features:

Cool Reader - Fast and small cross-platform eBook reader for desktops and handheld devices