# Lectern

> Lectern is a calm, private ebook and audiobook reader for Android. It reads EPUB, PDF, MOBI, FB2 and comics with faithful typography, and reads the text ones aloud with on-device voices. It runs fully offline, with no tracking and no account. Available on Google Play.

Key facts: Android app; a paid app with no ads (current price shown on Google Play); package id `nl.hofstack.lectern`; made by Hofstack; interface languages English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Hindi. Privacy: 100% offline runtime, no account, no analytics, no tracking: the network is used only for optional, opt-in catalogs and sync. Download on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.hofstack.lectern

Launch offer (limited): to celebrate the launch, the first 100 readers can claim Lectern free for life with a Google Play promo code: one per reader: at https://lecternreader.app/free. This is time-limited; once all 100 codes are claimed the offer ends and the app stays a one-time paid purchase on Google Play. Check the page for current availability.

Supported formats: EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, KF8, FB2, plain text (TXT), and CBZ, CBR and CB7 comics, including fixed-layout books.

Features: faithful typography: a calm, consistent reading system, plus drop caps, poetry that keeps its line breaks, and centered scene-break ornaments instead of a bare divider. Read-aloud: on-device text-to-speech reads any book aloud and highlights the current sentence (read-along), supports EPUB3 Media Overlays for narrated books, and has a sleep timer. Personalisation: light, dark and custom themes; fonts including OpenDyslexic; adjustable size, spacing and margins; one-tap reading presets (Dyslexia, Standard, Bedtime); graceful on e-ink. Study tools: colour highlights with notes, bookmarks, a built-in WordNet dictionary with a vocabulary list, and footnotes in a popover. Library: smart grouping, search and filters, favourites, reading statistics, and home-screen widgets that follow the app theme. Getting books: open local files; browse OPDS catalogs (Project Gutenberg, DBNL and Ebooks libres et gratuits built in, plus custom catalogs), search and sort them, and sign in to your own server; connect Storyteller or Calibre-Web. Sync: progress, highlights and reading settings travel through a cloud folder you own, each with its own switch; voice choice and brightness stay on the device.

FAQ: How much does Lectern cost? It is a paid app with no ads; the current price is on its Google Play listing. Does it work offline? Yes, completely; only optional catalogs and sync use the network. Can it read books aloud? Yes, with on-device text-to-speech and sentence highlighting, plus EPUB3 Media Overlays. Does it track users? No account, no analytics, no tracking; data stays on the device. Is it good for dyslexia or e-ink? Yes: a bundled OpenDyslexic font, a Dyslexia preset, and e-ink-friendly behaviour.

How Lectern compares: vs ReadEra: ReadEra is free and ad-free with a very wide format list (incl. Office and DjVu) and system TTS; Lectern is paid, with neural on-device voices (Piper, Kokoro), read-along highlighting, linked audiobooks and account-less sync. vs Moon+ Reader: Moon+ has a free ad-supported tier and a paid Pro, with text-to-speech Pro-only; Lectern has no ads at any tier and includes read-aloud with neural voices. vs Librera: Librera is free, open-source (F-Droid), ad-supported, very configurable, with Office/DjVu support and system TTS; Lectern is paid, polished, with neural voices, faithful typography and account-less sync.

## Key pages
- [Free for life: launch offer](https://lecternreader.app/free): claim a free Google Play code while the first 100 last
- [Full feature list](https://lecternreader.app/features.html): every Lectern feature in detail
- [Facts & press kit](https://lecternreader.app/facts.html): quotable reference facts
- [About](https://lecternreader.app/about.html): who makes Lectern and why
- [Privacy policy](https://lecternreader.app/privacy.html): how data and privacy are handled

## Guides & comparisons
- [Self-host OPDS for Lectern](https://lecternreader.app/guides/self-host-opds-calibre-storyteller): Set up Calibre-Web or Storyteller, then connect your private catalog to Lectern.
- [EPUB reader for Android](https://lecternreader.app/epub-reader-android.html): using Lectern as an EPUB reader
- [PDF reader with text-to-speech](https://lecternreader.app/pdf-reader-android.html): reading and listening to PDFs
- [Offline ebook reader, no ads](https://lecternreader.app/offline-ebook-reader.html): the offline, ad-free case
- [ReadEra vs Lectern](https://lecternreader.app/readera-vs-lectern.html): detailed comparison
- [Moon+ Reader vs Lectern](https://lecternreader.app/moon-reader-vs-lectern.html): detailed comparison
- [Librera vs Lectern](https://lecternreader.app/librera-vs-lectern.html): detailed comparison

## Blog
- [Blog index](https://lecternreader.app/blog/): guides to calmer, more private reading on Android
- [Best EPUB reader for Android (2026)](https://lecternreader.app/blog/best-epub-reader-android): ReadEra, Moon+ Reader, Librera, KOReader, Kindle, PocketBook and Lectern, compared honestly.
- [Best Android ebook reader for dyslexia](https://lecternreader.app/blog/best-ebook-reader-dyslexia-android): What research says about OpenDyslexic, what actually helps more, and how six Android readers compare.
- [Best offline text-to-speech apps](https://lecternreader.app/blog/best-offline-text-to-speech-apps): Speechify, ElevenReader, Google TTS, Edge, NaturalReader and Lectern, judged on whether they truly work without a connection.
- [Listen to any EPUB as an audiobook on Android](https://lecternreader.app/blog/listen-to-epub-as-audiobook-android): Every way to have a book read aloud, from free system TTS to offline AI voices that never leave your phone.
- [How to read PDFs aloud on Android](https://lecternreader.app/blog/read-pdf-aloud-android): Free tools, browsers and readers with built-in TTS, plus why scanned PDFs stay silent and what to do about it.
- [Piper vs Kokoro: on-device AI voices compared](https://lecternreader.app/blog/piper-vs-kokoro-tts-android): Two open TTS engines can narrate whole novels on your phone. How they differ on quality, speed and languages.
- [Why offline AI voices matter](https://lecternreader.app/blog/why-offline-ai-voices-matter): The cost, privacy, latency and longevity case for running the voice on your own device.
- [Android TTS vs Piper and Kokoro](https://lecternreader.app/blog/android-tts-vs-piper-kokoro): Hear how default Android TTS compares with Lectern’s offline neural voices for books.
- [How synchronized highlighting improves reading](https://lecternreader.app/blog/synchronized-highlighting): Reading while listening, with the current sentence marked. Why it works, who it helps, and how to set it up.
- [Dyslexia-friendly reader settings that actually help](https://lecternreader.app/blog/dyslexia-friendly-ebook-reader-android): Why fonts alone aren’t enough, the spacing, colour and audio settings that genuinely reduce reading strain.
- [Best fonts for reading](https://lecternreader.app/blog/best-fonts-for-reading): Serif or sans on screen, which typefaces hold up over a novel, and the settings that matter more than the font.
- [Reading apps on Boox & e-ink devices](https://lecternreader.app/blog/android-reading-apps-boox-eink): What separates apps that fight an e-ink screen from apps that respect one, and how to set it up.
- [Reading on OLED vs e-ink](https://lecternreader.app/blog/reading-on-oled-vs-eink): Emitted against reflected light, refresh, flicker, colour and battery. And what the blue-light claims really support.
- [Quick Read, sentence focus and auto-scroll](https://lecternreader.app/blog/reading-modes-focus-tools): A practical tour of Lectern’s focus modes for skimming, guided reading and hands-free sessions.
- [Learning a language by reading books](https://lecternreader.app/blog/language-learning-with-ebooks): Picking the right book, reading along with audio, looking words up without losing the story, building vocabulary.
- [EPUB vs PDF](https://lecternreader.app/blog/epub-vs-pdf): Reflowable text versus a fixed page, what it means for phones and read-aloud, and when a PDF is right.
- [MOBI vs EPUB](https://lecternreader.app/blog/mobi-vs-epub): Why MOBI was retired, what AZW3 and KFX are, and how to convert an old library without losing anything.
- [Kindle vs EPUB](https://lecternreader.app/blog/kindle-vs-epub): Why Kindle never really supported EPUB, what AZW3 and KFX are, and when switching is worth it.
- [Ebook DRM explained](https://lecternreader.app/blog/ebook-drm-explained): What DRM is, who uses which system, what the law says, and how to build a DRM-free library legally.
- [How to organise a digital library](https://lecternreader.app/blog/how-to-organize-a-digital-library): A folder structure and naming scheme that lasts, why metadata beats folders, and how to keep it portable.
- [Sync your reading progress without an account](https://lecternreader.app/blog/sync-ebooks-without-account-nextcloud-drive): Keep progress, highlights and books in sync through a cloud folder you already own, no vendor server.
- [Drive vs Dropbox vs Nextcloud for ebooks](https://lecternreader.app/blog/google-drive-vs-dropbox-vs-nextcloud): Which cloud folder should hold your library: speed, privacy, conflicts, and what to do when devices disagree.
- [How to build your own audiobook library](https://lecternreader.app/blog/build-your-own-audiobook-library): Where to buy audiobooks you keep, why M4B beats loose MP3s, and how to fill the gaps with narration.
- [What is OPDS?](https://lecternreader.app/blog/what-is-opds): RSS for ebooks: browse and download catalogues straight inside your reader, with no browser in the way.
- [Calibre-Web vs Storyteller](https://lecternreader.app/blog/calibre-web-vs-storyteller): Two self-hosted OPDS servers compared: a calm ebook shelf or synchronized ebook plus audio.
- [Where to download public domain books](https://lecternreader.app/blog/where-to-download-public-domain-books): Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, the Internet Archive, national libraries, and how to check what is public domain near you.
- [Project Gutenberg vs Standard Ebooks](https://lecternreader.app/blog/project-gutenberg-vs-standard-ebooks): Scale against craft: what actually differs between the two, and which to download from for a given title.

## Optional
- [Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.hofstack.lectern): download and current price
- [Website home](https://lecternreader.app/): the Lectern homepage