A Kindle alternative for reading your own PDFs and EPUBs
Kindle is built to sell you Amazon's books. The moment you want to read your own PDFs and EPUBs — with highlights that sync — it fights you. Here's a reader that treats your files as yours.
Credit where it's due: for Amazon ebooks on a dedicated e-ink device, Kindle is excellent. The friction starts when the file is yours — a textbook PDF, a paper, an EPUB you bought elsewhere or downloaded free.
You email the file to your Kindle (or use Send to Kindle), the PDF reflows badly, your highlights on a personal document don't sync the way Amazon's own books do, and everything lives inside a walled garden you can't easily read on a laptop browser. It's a store that also reads, not a reader for your library.
What ReadHere does instead
ReadHere is a reader for the files you already own. It opens in any browser, reads PDF and EPUB the same way, and keeps every highlight in one place — backed up to yourGoogle Drive, not a company's cloud.
- Your own files, first-class — drag in any PDF or EPUB; no emailing, no conversion queue.
- PDF and EPUB annotated identically — four highlight colors, notes, and a per-book journal across both.
- Highlights that actually sync — with Pro they follow you to every device, the way Kindle only does for Amazon's books.
- No lock-in — files live in your own Google Drive folder (drive.file scope); cancel and you keep everything.
- Any device — laptop, phone, Chromebook — anything with a browser.
Side by side
| Kindle (your own files) | ReadHere | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting a file in | Email / Send to Kindle | Drag & drop in the browser |
| PDF handling | Reflow is hit or miss | Renders the PDF as-is |
| Highlights on your PDFs | Limited, doesn't sync like Amazon books | 4 colors, notes, journal — syncs (Pro) |
| Where files live | Amazon's cloud | Your own Google Drive |
| Read in a browser | Limited | Yes — any modern browser |
| Lock-in | Amazon ecosystem | None — your Drive, your files |
| Price | Device + per-book | Free to read · $10/yr Pro |
A Send to Kindle alternative
Send to Kindle is the usual way to get a personal PDF or EPUB onto a Kindle: email it, wait for the conversion, hope the layout survives. There is no queue here. Open the reader, drag the file in, and it is ready — the same file, on whatever device you happen to be holding.
Reading your own books on Android or a phone
Because it is a browser reader, the same library opens on an Android phone, an iPhone, or a Chromebook with no app install. See reading an EPUB on Android without an app for that workflow, or how to keep books readable offline for planes and patchy connections.
You can keep your Kindle
This isn't about giving up Kindle for Amazon novels. It's about where your own PDFs and EPUBs go. Keep the Kindle for store books; open your personal library in ReadHere and read it anywhere, with highlights that sync to a Drive you control.
How to try it
- Open ReadHere in any browser — no account needed to start.
- Drag in a PDF or EPUB you own.
- Highlight and take notes; go Pro ($10/yr) to sync them to your Google Drive.
Common questions
Can I read my own PDFs without emailing them to Amazon?
Yes. Drag the PDF straight into the browser. Nothing is emailed or uploaded to a company server — the file stays on your device, and with Pro it backs up to your own Google Drive.
Do my highlights sync like Kindle books do?
With Pro, yes — highlights, notes and progress follow you across devices. On Kindle that reliable sync is really only for Amazon-sold books, not your own files.
Is there lock-in?
No. Your files live in a visible ReadHere folder in your own Google Drive (drive.file scope). Cancel Pro and you keep every file and highlight.
Is it free?
Reading is free with no account. Pro ($10/yr) adds Google Drive backup and cross-device sync, with a full refund within 7 days.
Read your own books, not just Amazon's
Drag in a PDF or EPUB you own and read it in the browser — free, no account.