How book access works on Perlego
Your subscription plan and where you are in the world determines which of Perlego's titles you can access, since Perlego is a subscription service rather than a pay-per-book platform.
Perlego gives you access to a library of over 1 million titles for as long as your subscription is active. This article explains how access works, what's included in each plan, and why a book's availability can change.
Good to know: You don't buy or own individual books on Perlego. Access to a title depends on your subscription plan and on the publisher's sales rights, and we can't unlock a single book outside of either.
How it works
You pay a monthly, semesterly, or annual subscription fee for access to Perlego's library, not for individual books.
You can read any title included in your plan for as long as your subscription remains active.
When your subscription ends, so does your access to books in the library. Though you can still browse and save books for later.
Plans and what's included
Perlego offers two subscription plans, and each gives you access to a different range of titles.
Essential plan
Gives you access to a limited selection of titles from Perlego's library.
Complete plan
Gives you access to Perlego's full catalogue.
What if a book I want isn't in my plan?
If a title is only available on the Complete plan, you'll need to upgrade to read it. We can't unlock individual books outside of your current plan, even temporarily, because of the licensing agreements we hold with publishers.
To check or change your plan, go to Settings > Subscription.
Check if a book is available before you subscribe
You don't need an active subscription to check whether a title is on Perlego. You do however need an active subscription to open and/or read any books on Perlego.
Go to perlego.com and Sign up for a free account.
Use Search to look up the book by title, author, or ISBN, or Browse the library by topic.
Open the book's page to see its Book details, including whether it's included in the Essential plan, the Complete plan, or shown as Unavailable.
If it's available, choose the plan that includes it to start reading.
Note: checking availability doesn't require payment or an active subscription, just a free account.
Publisher rights and availability
Publishers decide which countries and platforms can carry their titles, so a book's availability on Perlego can change for reasons that have nothing to do with your subscription plan:
No longer available: a publisher has removed the title from Perlego's library.
Unavailable in your region: publishers can restrict a title to specific countries. A book available to readers in one country may not be licensed for release in yours.
Currently unavailable: some titles simply aren't part of any current sales rights agreement between Perlego and the publisher, so they're not available on Perlego at all, regardless of your plan.
In all three cases, upgrading your plan won't restore access, since the restriction sits with the publisher's rights rather than with Perlego's plans.
Reading tools included with every plan
Whichever plan you're on, Perlego's eReader includes the following:
Highlights and Notes: Mark important passages and add your own notes as you read.
Search: Quickly find specific terms or topics within a book.
References & citations: Generate citations in multiple styles for academic use.
Read offline: Download many titles in the app to read without an internet connection.
Troubleshooting
If a book shows as unavailable
This can happen for two different reasons:
Your current plan doesn't include it. Check which plan you're subscribed to under Settings > Subscription, and upgrade to Complete if the book is only included there.
The publisher has withdrawn the title, or restricted it to another region. In this case, the book isn't accessible on any plan (see Publisher rights and availability above).
If you've cancelled your subscription and lost access
This is expected. Access to the library and its features ends when your subscription is cancelled, since Perlego holds a licensing agreement with publishers rather than ownership of the books themselves. You can resubscribe at any time to regain access.
Request a book
If you can't find a title you're looking for, you can let us know using our book request form.
A few things to expect:
You will not receive a direct follow up to your request. We suggest periodically checking the library for new additions.
Your request helps us prioritise which titles to pursue for future licensing agreements and advocate for more changes to sales rights.
We review requests based on publisher availability and reader demand, so submitting a request doesn't guarantee the title will be added.