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Open Library VS Scribd

Compare Open Library VS Scribd and see what are their differences

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Open Library logo Open Library

The ultimate goal of the Open Library is to make all the published works of humankind available to...

Scribd logo Scribd

Unlimited books, audiobooks & comics. Unparalleled discovery. Any device. $8.99/month
  • Open Library Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26
  • Scribd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

Open Library features and specs

  • Accessibility
    Open Library provides access to a vast collection of books and resources that can be accessed for free online, making literature and educational material available to people globally.
  • User Contributions
    Users can contribute by adding books, editing information, and writing reviews, which helps in creating a more comprehensive and accurate library.
  • Variety of Formats
    Books are available in various formats, including PDFs, ePubs, and audiobooks, catering to different reader preferences and needs.
  • Advanced Search Filters
    Open Library offers advanced search options which allow users to find books by author, title, subject, and other criteria, facilitating efficient research and discovery.
  • Borrowing System
    The platform has a borrowing system where users can 'borrow' digital copies of books, mimicking the traditional library experience.

Possible disadvantages of Open Library

  • Copyright Restrictions
    Many modern books are unavailable due to copyright restrictions, limiting access to recent publications and popular titles.
  • Limited Availability
    Popular books may have limited digital copies available for borrowing, leading to wait times before users can access certain titles.
  • Quality and Usability
    Some scanned books might have poor image quality or OCR errors, making them difficult to read or search through.
  • Contributor Accuracy
    Since users can edit and contribute information, inaccuracies or incomplete data might be present, requiring additional verification by users.
  • Login Requirements
    Certain features, such as book borrowing, require users to create an account and log in, which might be a barrier for some users.

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.

Open Library videos

+ Add

Open Library Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Aaron Swartz on The Open Library
  • Review - The Open Library of Humanities

Scribd videos

+ Add

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 Open Library and Scribd)

Open Library

Scribd

eBook Reader
81 81%
eBook Reader
19% 19
Digital Publishing
0 0%
Digital Publishing
100% 100
Ebooks
78 78%
Ebooks
22% 22
Books & Reference
100 100%
Books & Reference
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 Open Library and Scribd

Open Library Reviews

15 Best LibGen Alternatives & Sites Like It in 2024
Open Library stands out by prioritizing accessibility for visually impaired readers, offering a diverse range of books in accessible formats, and reinforcing its commitment to inclusivity and equal access to information.
Source: earthweb.com

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.
Source: www.maketecheasier.com
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...
Source: pdfcatalogcreator.blogspot.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Open Library should be more popular than Scribd. It has been mentiond 267 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.

Open Library mentions (267)

  • Technische Universitat Chemnitz FTP Server
    Fwrite("https://openlibrary.org",1,23,yyout);. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Show HN: I built a modern Goodreads alternative
    - https://joinbookwyrm.com I was actually trying to determine the best free source of metadata for books. I was hoping for something like MusicBrainz. The best I could find seemed to be https://openlibrary.org. There is https://isbndb.com, but it is paid. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Getting to Two Million Users as a One Woman Dev Team
    OpenLibrary has a pretty solid API that I've been using for a bit now. It returns metadata as well as over images. https://openlibrary.org/ https://openlibrary.org/search.json?title=project%20hail%20mary. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Getting to Two Million Users as a One Woman Dev Team
    Https://openlibrary.org/ has a pretty good set of data and a decent API. You can mix and match too, since openlibraries covers kinda suck half the time. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • MLIS books available digitally?
    Check out https://openlibrary.org. You can search ´library science’, librarian’, etc, and something should come up. Just select the ‘ebooks’ option to search for items within the collection. And you can narrow the search by subject, etc. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

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: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Open Library and Scribd, you can also consider the following products

Archive.org - Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies...

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

Z-Lib - ZLibraryPart of Z-Library project. The world's largest ebook library.

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

ManyBooks.net - Thousands of free ebooks, pre-formatted for reading on your computer, smartphone, iPod, or e-reading device - ePUB, Kindle, eReader, PDF, Plucker, iSilo, Doc, RTF, Mobipocket, Newton Paperback, and zTXT ebooks ready to go!

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

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