8 digital book apps and platforms in Indonesia

Since everything seems to be going digital, people now can store objects that used to be physical in their mobile devices. They carry their music, notes, films, and books in their pocket.

And now, in Indonesia’ publishing industry, digital book platforms are becoming a growing trend. There are many startups trying their luck in this industry, and most of them have similar concepts: partner with book publishers, provide digital books or magazines, and let people buy them. We’ve listed eight of them here for you to check out.

1. BSE

To help improve Indonesia’s education quality, a local mobile app developer Mahoni has created BSE (Buku Sekolah Elektronik), an application that provides around 1,300 educational e-books that are all free for download. Since its launch on July 15 (the beginning of the school year in Indonesia), the BSE apps have been seen downloads of 20,000 e-books per day.

With 1,300 books worth IDR 100 billion ($9.16 million), Mahoni hopes that BSE can be utilized by all 43 million of Indonesia’s students, from primary school till senior high school. That should help Indonesian students get a better quality education and help the country compete globally.

Get the free BSE app for iOS and Android.

2. BukuOn

BukuOn is a brand new digital bookstore in Indonesia, launched by Indonesia’s telco Indosat Mega Media in partnership with technology incubator Techbator. It provides digital books from both local and international publishers. Currently there are around 2,000 books on BukuOn.

BukuOn lets customers buy either whole books or select chapters. By the end of this year, BukuOn targets to provide 3,000 books on its platform.

Currently BukuOn e-reader app is available for Android. Its app for iOS and Windows are coming soon.

3. BukuTablet

BukuTablet is an Indonesian marketplace for digital books. It provides books from more than thirty Indonesian publishers and also from its members who write and submit their own works. BukuTablet wants to give authors who have been rejected by publishers a chance to publish their books digitally. Digital books sold on BukuTablet are 40 to 95 percent cheaper than their printed versions.

BukuTablets’s e-reader app is available on iOS and Android.

4. IndoBooks

IndoBooks in an Android-based e-reader app developed by Indonesia’s handset manufacturer Cyrus. It provides various local magazines, books, and news such as Trax magazine, Tempo, Tribun, and Hello Indonesia. For its marketing strategy, Cyrus offers a ‘free-tab program’, which requires customers to purchase a certain amount of IndoBooks voucher to get a free Cyrus tablet.

IndoBooks app is available for Android.

5. Qbaca

Qbaca is an online digital booksstore owned by Indonesia’s telco Telkom Indonesia. It provides digital books in many categories such as business, technology, and family. It claims to only provide good-quality books that provide educational value. Qbaca also helps aspiring-writer customers connect with publishers that hold partnerships with Qbaca.

6. Scoop

7. Toko Buku

8. WayangForce