Best fb2 reader for computer. How to open an Fb2 file and how to comfortably read e-books

FBReader is a free computer program for reading electronic books in various formats. The program works in operating systems Android, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, BlackBerry OS and others. FBReader is open source software.

FBReader was originally written to run on Sharp Zaurus and later ported to many platforms, including Siemens SIMpad, Archos PMA430, Motorola (E680i, A780, A1200, E8/Em30, Zn5, u9), Nokia Internet Tablet, Familiar, Microsoft Windows XP and Linux on computers and e-readers. The desktop version uses libraries (version 3 or 4) or to build the user interface.

The FBReader program can create virtual libraries in which you can group books into thematic sections. The advantage of such libraries is that it is not required to wander through the directories of the file system in search of the desired edition.

FBReader supports most common e-book formats: ePub, FB2 (without tables), PalmDoc, zTXT, TCR, TXT. Version 1.6.1 (Android) introduced support for the Microsoft Word doc format. Declared support for HTML, CHM and RTF. PDF and DjVu formats are not supported. FBReader can open book files inside zip, tar, and . A distinctive feature of the program is the lack of support for tables for all formats.

There is no traditional menu, only a toolbar with buttons is presented. At the bottom of the window, by default, an indicator is displayed showing the total number of pages and the current page, as well as the system time. Customization options include control of text formatting and page turning, the ability to mark text, set the amount of text indent from the edge.

Main features of FBReader

Working with texts inside zip, tar, .
Encoding support:

UTF-8, US-ASCII, Windows-1251, Windows-1252, KOI8-R, IBM866, ISO 8859, Big5, GBK.

Support for hyperlinks.
Remembers the last opened book.
List of recently opened files.
Text search.
Full screen mode.
Screen rotation 90°, 180° and 270°.

Supported FBReader formats

FictionBook (.fb2 .fb2.zip)

plucker (.pdb)

Palmdoc / AportisDoc (.doc.prc)

openreader

Unprotected DRM (eng. DRM) mobipocket format

Plain text

Which can be read on almost every computer are doc, txt or pdf. However, when reading fiction and technical literature, you often come across other popular extensions. Trying to read such books for the first time, users are wondering what fb2 is, what format it is, what program it opens with. Indeed, with the help of ordinary office applications, as well as the built-in resources of Windows and other operating systems, this cannot be done. And the automatic search for programs that can open books with the fb2 extension does not always give positive results.

Format Benefits

Created back in the 1990s, the fb2 (Fiction Book) standard is designed to create electronic versions of documents and books, in which each element has its own tag (informative label). And among the features that distinguish it from other formats, it is worth noting:

ease of creating an electronic document;
a wide range of programs for reading literature in this format on a computer and on a mobile phone;
the presence of structural markup with information about the book and attachments in the form of quotes, illustrations and book covers.

Another advantage worth paying attention to when answering the question, fb2 - what kind of format and what to open, is the lack of a specific appearance of the document. The file will be displayed as specified by the program settings for viewing it. This means that the user can customize the design of the e-book to his taste (for example, make a large font, yellow background and blue letters - this combination makes the eyes less tired) without changing the document itself.

Programs for working with fb2 on a Windows PC

One of the first programs to answer the question, fb2 - what kind of format, was the free Cool Reader application. It is noteworthy that it first appeared for Android platforms, but then gained popularity on PC. The differences between the "reader" and the rest are a simplified design and a significant number of supported electronic document formats.

Another simple and free reading program is FBReader. An almost completely absent interface, consisting of several buttons, is combined with the ability to open most popular book formats. In addition, with this application, books can be read directly from the archive.

Allows you to answer the question, fb2 - what kind of format and what to open on a computer, and the STDU Viewer application. Among the advantages of its use:

the ability to easily select and copy text to save interesting moments;
a system of bookmarks that do not change the document itself, but can be imported to another PC with STDU Viewer installed;
the presence of a Portable version of the application, which allows you not to install it on a computer for reading books.

How to open the format on other OS?

Users of devices running other operating systems can also open the fb2 format. For computers with MAC OS, this opportunity is provided by the Caliber program, which opens e-books with almost any popular extension. What's more, you can directly connect to online libraries like Amazon using the app.

If the user has a question: fb2 - what kind of format and what to open on an Android phone, you should use the same Cool Reader program, which is easy to find in the Play Market. If the functionality of the application is not enough, you can download another "reader" for "Android" - Esі Reader. With its help, you can change the display of information, save bookmarks and read almost all popular e-book formats.

For smartphones with IOS, the answer to the question: fb2 - what kind of format and how to open it, allows the Total Reader application, which has approximately the same functionality as Cool Reader. And owners of mobile phones running Windows Mobile should pay attention to the Faction Book Reader program.

Reading fb2 online

Having learned, fb2 - what kind of format, what programs should be used to read the books stored in it, you can view files on the Web. There is no need to download and install any applications, but you will need a permanent Internet connection. Among the services that allow you to read directly in the browser, it is worth noting the sites Magazon, ChitaiKnigi and BooksGid. Moreover, the last option offers not only to read books in fb2 format, but also to connect to a free library.

Today e-books have become very popular. You do not need to pay for them and you can download millions of different works of any authors. Therefore, users need an fb2 reader for a computer. Now we will consider some of the best and most convenient options for 2017-2018.

Computer readers

Check out our selection and choose the best solution for reading books on PC.

If you need a portable fb2 reader for a computer or any other formats, such as epub, html, txt, then FBReader is what you need. It has several advantages:

Supports many formats.
It has a simple interface that will be understandable even to dummies.

Of course, it was not without drawbacks:

There is no two-page e-book reading mode.

In all other respects, it is very convenient and will appeal to all lovers of reading works on a PC.

This is another fb2 epub reader for a computer. It is absolutely free, but unlike the previous version, it supports about 70 interface languages. Among its capabilities are the following:

It is able to open even archived texts.
Its interface has an excellent fast search engine.
It can convert beeches from one extension to others.

By the way, another plus is that if the user closes the application and then starts it again, he will be able to continue reading on the page where he stopped.

The last reader in our selection for the fb2 format for a computer is Fiction Book Reader. It is quite handy and able to open booklets in several formats, however it does not support PDF booklets, but it does allow you to sort the books. The application allows you to switch to full screen mode for ease of reading. The only negative is that only users of Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 can install it.

We believe that these three programs deserve your attention. Each of them perfectly copes with the task. For users who have Windows 10 installed, Fiction Book Reader will be an excellent solution for reading text, and for those who have Windows 7 and below, the first two options.

Despite the fact that epub and mobi formats are becoming increasingly popular on mobile devices, fb2 (FictionBook) is still too early to bury. Today we will look at the best fb2 readers under our microscope, which provide maximum comfort for the eyes and without unnecessary frills. These applications should not only open e-books, but also be highly customizable.

The list of mobile fb2 readers for Android includes the following free apps:

All applications are available for download on Google Play, links to them are available next to the description of each fb2 reader. So let's start testing.

FBReader - cute fb2 reader for Android

How to open a file? FBReader - the first thing that comes to mind

Perhaps not a single review is complete without a mention. If you do not know how to open the fb2 file, then this is the application that first of all comes to mind, regardless of the platform. The fact is that FBReader is available everywhere:

for desktop OS (Windows / Mac OS / Linux)
mobile phones and tablets (Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry 10)

Only iOS is missing from this list - but, of course, there are quite a few "native" reader applications for reading in this mobile OS.

In addition to fb2, the FBreader application for Android successfully opens the following document formats: ePub, azw3, Word documents, HTML, plain text documents, PDF and (via a module). True, the last of these are available after installing the plugins, which are available for free download on the application website.

Let's see why the FBReader project was developed, what are the main features of the reader and why should it be used to read books on Android? Let's list the three main features of the reader (highlighted in bold).

Synchronizing books on your phone through the network library. FBReader provides a cloud storage service for books. You can (follow the link - a list of electronic libraries), safely upload documents and books in fb2 format (they can be compressed into a zip archive) to the cloud, and then access and read them on any device. The position (where you are in the document) will be saved. By the way, synchronization is configured in a couple of clicks, by default it is disabled.

How to open fb2 with FBReader?

In addition to your own library, you can connect additional online catalogs and bookstores. As for me, I don’t use the network functions of the FBReader reader at all, I just download books from popular online libraries to my Android in fb2 format. This is a standard way to download books, which works with a bang.

Setting the display of fb2 books. In addition to the fact that FBReader has a nice user interface, it's nice to be able to fine-tune the display of text in the book. In this regard, it is necessary to note the color schemes, night and day reading mode, screen brightness, changing the background of the substrate, text color, font size and typeface. You can download your favorite TrueType or OpenType fonts to Android and specify them in the reader settings.

Finally, the third feature of this fb2 reader for Android will appeal to those who read books in foreign languages - namely, the easy connection of dictionaries to translate words in the text of books. Take the same Kindle: there you can connect an English-Russian dictionary and quickly find out the translation of a word when it is highlighted. On Android readers, this feature is often not available, but FBReader is a pleasant exception. Add ColorDict, Fora Dictionary, FreeDictionary.org dictionaries to your phone, tell FBReader where to get the words from - and you can read FictionBook books and .

AlReader - old fb2 reader with good functionality

AlReader is a fairly old reader for fb2, which appeared at the dawn of the heyday of mobile phones. When you open the application, there is even a feeling of nostalgia: AlReader is too reminiscent of its earlier versions. That is, the interface has not changed much since then. This can be treated in two ways: on the one hand, if you have already opened books in FB Reader and similar readers, then you will most likely not like the interface of the AlReader application. On the other hand, we still advise you to evaluate other aspects of this mobile application.

The AlReader application boasts support not only for the Fb2 format, but also for reading books in epub, mobi, doc, including from archives. You can use a local or network library to navigate through a document. Actually inside the book, you can also navigate through the sections (one of the fb2 features, by the way), create bookmarks and notes as you read. The app recognizes many gestures, which makes sense. First of all, to adjust the brightness, navigation.

The appearance and style of displaying a book on a phone screen is conveniently customizable: indents, background and font color, headset size, flipping effects - in general, everything that can be found in any developed e-book reader for Android.

In short, we would advise you to pay attention to the AlReader mobile reader just because it is a proven reader among users not only of Android, but also of other mobile platforms. And the unsightly shell is partly compensated by skins and excellent functionality.

Moon + Reader - "moon" fb2 reader for night owls

Reading fb2 with Moon Reader

"Moon reader" is not much inferior to the same FBReader, it can be used with the same success to read books in FB2 format, not only. The list of supported book formats includes popular mobile formats epub, txt, html, pdf, mobi, fb2 and others. Books can be packed into rar and zip archives and opened without problems on Android via Moon+ Reader.

Similar to the FBReader reader, Moon Reader has the ability to connect online libraries with books. You can also download e-books in the formats listed above to an SD card or internal memory, and then open them in the app.

Ease of reading on top: adjusting font sizes, colors, backgrounds, indents, shadows, transparency and other beauties that somehow affect the perception of color. Returning to the name of the application - Moon Reader - yes, reading at night in this reader is quite convenient, there are a dozen design themes, as well as night and day reading modes.

When reading, it is worth noting the following features: autoscrolling, smooth text scrolling, screen brightness adjustment during a slide, optimization for long reading, scrolling effects, text alignment settings, hyphenation, display modes for both tablets and small screens of Android devices.

If we talk about the unique features of the fb2 program, then this is an unusually wide support for gestures. You can customize literally any command by assigning a specific gesture for its execution. And if the Kindle or other e-ink reader bypasses the screen in terms of readability, then in terms of gestures, Android is ahead of the rest. You can set actions for taps, volume control buttons, search, camera button and others. You have 24 operations at your disposal, on which these gestures can be attached.

Good news for lovers of foreign literature and for attentive readers who like to scribble in the margins: Moon Reader is very convenient to highlight text fragments, you can connect dictionaries for text translation, popular dictionaries-translators ColorDict, Fora, ABBYY Lingvo and others are supported. In this aspect, Moon Reader bypasses even the authoritative FBReader reader.

Prestigio Reader - good phone reader for book formats

Prestigio Reader can open many book formats, but first of all, the emphasis is on mobile: these are FB2, ePub, DjVU, etc. If you prefer to listen to audio books, then the reader will satisfy these needs without any problems.

Prestigio Reader is a really "prestigious" fb2 book reader

Prestigio Reader is, frankly, a very pleasant discovery for us. At the first steps, when working with the reader, everything is intuitive. First, the guide illustrates where and what elements to use in the application.

Fb2 books are added to the library automatically through smart search. Which is incredibly convenient, because. you do not need to search for files on your phone yourself, although a file manager is provided in Prestigio Reader for this purpose. In addition, more than 5 thousand books are available for download in the online library.

The interface of the Prestigio Reader application is very pleasant and fresh. By default, everything seems to suit you, but in any case, you can customize the design of the fb2-book for yourself. In quick settings - font sizes, indents, typeface. Going into the advanced settings, you will see the settings for styles, colors, panels, animations - even more than the user needs when reading files in fb2 format.

PocketBook - FB2 and PDF Reader for Android

The PocketBook program is designed to read fb2 books on a mobile device on the Android platform. It is hardly worth listing the book formats that this reader works with - it covers all popular extensions, essentially duplicating both Moon Reader and FBReader.

Hand on heart, we have to admit that among the fb2 readers for Android there are not so many nice programs in which a) the interface looks modern b) it's nice to read books. Unfortunately, on Google Play there are pdf and fb2 readers with a frankly poor shell. You open them and think: well, all the hope is that the pages in the book will look normal, at least the program will not let you down in this. But no, and the fonts match the interface.

As for the PocketBook app for Android, the opposite is true: this is one of the most successful apps for reading books in the FictionBook format. The developers have achieved this through convenient navigation through the library and the implementation of a circular menu.

At first, such a device of the main menu in PocketBook requires getting used to, which is understandable: rarely in any mobile fb2 reader you will find such know-how. But then it becomes clear that through this menu you can carry out almost all the necessary actions: change font sizes, adjust brightness, go to the menu, and so on. In the main menu of the application, a standard basis of parameters for setting up the display of text in the book is available: indents, colors, design themes.

In a word, the developers of the PocketBook application did their best and released a quality reading product for Android. It is curious that the same team is developing e-books on e-ink and related accessories.

EBookDroid - FB2 and PDF Reader

The EBookDroid reader focuses on two book formats - PDF and Deja Vu, but fb2 books can also be read with the same convenience on a phone or tablet. However, what about this very convenience?

After a quick test of the EBookDroid, the feeling is twofold. On the one hand, all the basic reading functions are in place. You can open books, navigate through pages and sections, bookmark and comment in various ways, customize the display of fonts, and even add your own typefaces.

However, as for the shell itself, it is not very pleasing to the eye. Although the EBookDroid application is updated fairly regularly, these innovations do not affect the visual shell to a small extent. The FictionBook reader app looks like it's not 2016, but 2006.

We hope that soon we will be able to download the material design fb2 program. And this is not a taste, but a simple requirement from most Android OS users.

Cool Reader - old fashioned reader for Android

A free old-school fb2 reader for Android called Cool Reader supports almost all popular e-book formats (PDF, MOBI, RTF, FictionBook itself, etc.), although, for example, DOC and AZW3 are not on the list.

Old school - because the interface, as in the previous case, is a bit outdated. This creates certain inconveniences: firstly, the bookshelf is not as effective as in the case of PocketBook (it could simply be replaced with a simple list); secondly, you immediately have to rebuild everything "for yourself": background, color, font size and alignment.

If we close our eyes to the user shell, then, as the developer notes on the program description page, Cool Reader at the same time has similarities with FBReader, Aldiko, AlReader, Moon reader and other representatives of fb2 readers for Android. Therefore, the list of functions is similar to all of the above.

Summary. We have mentioned, in our opinion, the best fb2 readers for Android. As you can see, there is always something to open both fb2 and pdf, epub, mobi. In the following reviews, these mobile formats for storing books on the phone will be considered. Good luck!

FBReader is a popular multi-platform reader that allows you to play e-books and documents in the best possible resolution. It can be installed both on a phone and tablet, and on a computer running Windows.

Features of FBReader

A distinctive feature is a realistic interface. All saved books and documents in any format are displayed on virtual shelves. Also users can create separate directories for free and directories with data for reading. This feature is only available to some readers. Creating your own thematic sections by authors and titles greatly simplifies the search for the desired works. There is no need to scroll through books alphabetically, the user himself sets the necessary parameters.