Cross-platform readers that remember your current page?

[mcandre]

Hi,

I am looking for ereader apps that sync your current page very well across multiple devices. I know of a few applications, but so far, every last one of them has one or more glaring problems:

* Adobe Reader DC: No swipe page turning. Overly complex UI. Unwieldy cloud sync.
* Adobe Reader Touch: Rotten zoom. Poor cloud sync support. Broken support links.
* Aldiko: No desktop support. Their website is a crummy WordPress blog that hosts a single raster image.
* Alreader: Android only.
* Bluefire Reader: No macOS support.
* BlueStacks: Battery drain.
* BookFusion: No desktop support. Artificially low upload limit.
* Cool Reader: No PDF support.
* iBooks: Limited to Apple devices. Unknown whether this syncs sideloaded last page.
* FBReader: Desktop apps unmaintained.
* FoxIt: Can't delete the dummy PDF.
* FullReader: Android only.
* Google Play Books: Desktop support is limited to a very basic Web app with zero dark mode options. Uploading is slow for large, multi-megabyte PDF's. Poor book title metadata recognition. No option to rename uploaded books (which stinks because Calibre's filename scheme corrupts the vast majority of my books); All you can do for that is to manually rename, reupload, and manually navigate to the desired page. Google Play Books don't even appear in your Google Drive, so management is that much more painful. For all we know, Books could completely drop support for sideloaded content tomorrow, like they did for Music.
* Freda: The bulk item UI doesn't actually perform operations in bulk.
* Kindle: No sideloading on desktop.
* Kitaboo: The login form is invisible.
* Kobo: Page count is wrong. No PDF support. Bad cross-platform bookmark sync.
* KyBook: iOS only.
* Lucidor: No mobile support.
* Moon+ Reader: No iOS support, no desktop support.
* Nook: Crashes Windows, no desktop cloud sync, bad launch view, page turn stutter, horizontal swipe direction reversed.
* OverDrive: No sideload/PDF support.
* PocketBook: Only works with select book store accounts.
* Prestigio: Android only.
* ReadEra: Android only.
* Scribd: No Windows Metro app.
* Yuzu: Only works for active students on select college campuses.

What is your favorite, hyper cross-platform ereader that works with mobile and desktop environments?

Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, sideloading, current page sync, PDF, and ePUB/MOBI support are a must. Preferably Ubuntu GUI support as well.

If your books are ePUB, you have limited options. If your books are PDF, you have even more limited options. If your books were generated by some boneheaded grad student who exported to DJVU format, your options are basically nil.

[rantanplan]

* Pocketbook: Everything you require (webapp for macOS)

[mcandre]

I do not see a Windows app for PocketBook. The website is a tragedy.

[DNSB]

BTW, you can sideload books to the Kobo app. control-shift-S will copy books from your My Digital Editions directory. Unfortunately, AFAIR, it does copy all the books.

[kovidgoyal]

Use the calibre content server. It has a builtin reader that works in any browser and therefore any platform.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by DNSB

BTW, you can sideload books to the Kobo app. control-shift-S will copy books from your My Digital Editions directory. Unfortunately, AFAIR, it does copy all the books.

Wait, really? I never new that! Does it sync reading position of sideloaded books?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Wait, really? I never new that! Does it sync reading position of sideloaded books?

No, as usual with Kobo, only books purchased and synced from Kobo sync reading position.

[JSWolf]

There is no app that works on Android, iOS, Windows, and OSX that will snyc the way you want. You may as well either forget it or forget some of the OS requirements.

[mcandre]

Ironically, I'm not even sideloading a pirated book. I'm sideloading a Packt Publishing
DRM-free book I legally purchased, and this reading progress sync problem is proving to be a completely unnecessary nightmare.

Google Play Books has the widest cross-platform support for syncing sideloaded reading progress. Its main detractors include lack of dark mode (Web view) and lack of dedicated desktop / Metro touchscreen apps.

Eh, better than nothing.

[Numnumnum]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Use the calibre content server. It has a builtin reader that works in any browser and therefore any platform.

Does the calibre content server sync back reading location (and highlights, annotations) back to the Kobo reader ?

For clarity, I read on the Kobo Clara HD at home and on iOS (iPhone) when I'm on the run. I've been using calibre for years and have many side loaded books but never tried the server.

Is there anyway to have the Kobo and iOS (and therefore calibre server) in sync for reading, highlighting, annotating sideloaded books ? I understand that this cannot be done on the Kobo app.

Many thanks for your contributions and work!

[kovidgoyal]

No, it syncs only to other instances of itself on other devices, notthird party reading applications.

[Numnumnum]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

No, it syncs only to other instances of itself on other devices, notthird party reading applications.

Okay, thank you. Very cool anyway; I understand that it is basicall impossible to break through the kobo firmware to “sync” through another platform. I suppose the best solution if I want an e-ink reader that syncs between devices is to buy an e-ink tablet with a good browser (Kobo browser likely too clunky) on it and do all reading through the calibre server and built in reader through the web/network.

Thanks for your work; I’ve been using calibre for years but had no idea the server function existed.