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 |
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.