- Who is behind Perlego and where it came from
- What you get with a Perlego membership
- Perlego plans: Essential versus Complete
- Auto-renewal and cancelling Perlego
- The catch with Perlego
- Perlego, study help and academic honesty
- Fake Perlego sites and scams
- Verdict: is it worth joining
- Frequently asked questions
Yes, Perlego is a real ebook subscription service run by Perlego Limited and founded in London in 2017, according to Wikipedia. You pay to read rather than own books, plans renew automatically, and some titles may not appear in your library because of regional rights. Cancel from account settings if you don't want to keep paying.
Students and book lovers keep spotting Perlego ads promising a huge library for one membership, and it's fair to ask whether that's too good to be true. I've read Perlego's homepage, pricing page and privacy policy, plus its Wikipedia entry, so you can see who's behind it and what you'd really be signing up for.
Who is behind Perlego and where it came from
Wikipedia says Perlego was founded in 2017 in London by Gauthier Van Malderen and Matthew Davis. Its privacy policy names Perlego Limited as the company responsible for your personal information, and describes it as an ebook service provider. So there's a named company, named founders and a published privacy notice.
Wikipedia describes it as a membership-based, all-you-can-read ebook service. It also lists major publishers such as Wiley and Bloomsbury among its partners, and university partnerships including the University of West London in 2022 and the University of Leeds in 2024.
What you get with a Perlego membership
Perlego's homepage describes a digital library of more than 1.5 million books and says it's trusted by 5,000+ academic publishers. The logos it shows include Cambridge University Press, Taylor and Francis, Elsevier, Stanford University Press, Wiley and Harvard University Press.
The key point is that you're renting access, not buying. Perlego's pricing page says you can read books as many times as you like while you have an active subscription. When the subscription ends, so does your access.
Perlego plans: Essential versus Complete
The pricing page lists two plans. Essential includes 800,000+ titles, and Complete includes 1.5M+ books plus Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant. Both can be billed monthly, termly or annually. I haven't quoted prices, because they're shown at checkout and can change, so check the plan page before you pay.
It also says that moving from Complete to Essential takes effect at the start of the next billing cycle, while moving up to Complete takes effect immediately with a pro-rata charge. That's worth knowing if you only need the bigger library for one project.
Auto-renewal and cancelling Perlego
Subscriptions renew automatically. Perlego's pricing page says your subscription renews on a monthly, termly or annual basis depending on the billing cycle you chose. That's the single biggest thing to watch if you sign up to finish one assignment.
To stop it, the page says you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings, and your subscription stays active until the end of the current billing period. Put a reminder in your calendar a few days before renewal, and take a screenshot of the cancellation confirmation.
| What I checked | What Perlego's pages say |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Perlego Limited, founded in London in 2017 per Wikipedia |
| Library size | More than 1.5 million books on the homepage |
| Plans | Essential and Complete, billed monthly, termly or annually |
| Renewal | Automatic, based on your billing cycle |
| Cancelling | Anytime from the Subscription tab in account settings |
| Offline reading | iOS and Android apps support it |
The catch with Perlego
It's legit, but it's not perfect for everyone. A few things to weigh up before joining:
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- You don't own the books, so nothing is yours once you cancel.
- The pricing page says some titles may not appear in your library because of regional sales rights or plan inclusion, so check your exact book first.
- Essential has fewer titles than Complete, so a niche textbook could be on the higher plan only.
- Auto-renewal can catch you out if you forget to cancel.
- Your school may recommend a particular edition that isn't in the library.
Before paying, search Perlego for each title on your reading list. If your course needs a handful of specific books, compare the total cost with borrowing or buying second-hand.
Perlego, study help and academic honesty
Perlego gives you books to read; it doesn't write your essays. If you also use AI tools in your studies, your school's academic integrity rules apply, and my explainer on whether AI writing counts as plagiarism covers what to watch for. It's also sensible to read my roundup of free AI tools for students before you pay for several subscriptions at once.
Fake Perlego sites and scams
Any popular student brand attracts copycat sites offering 'free textbooks' or 'lifetime access' for a one-off payment. Perlego's offer is a subscription, so treat anything different with suspicion.
- Go to Perlego by typing its address yourself, not through an ad or a message link.
- Don't download 'free PDF' versions of textbooks from unknown sites; they can carry malware.
- Never pay by gift card, bank transfer to a stranger or cryptocurrency.
- Check your card statement after signing up for the name and amount you expected.
- Contact Perlego through its own site if a charge looks wrong.
Verdict: is it worth joining
Perlego is a real company with named founders, big-name publishers and a clear cancellation route, so I'd say it's legit. Whether it's worth the money depends on whether your books are in the library and whether you'll remember to cancel. Search for your titles first, pick the plan that covers them and set a renewal reminder.
Frequently asked questions
Is Perlego a real company?
Yes. Its privacy policy names Perlego Limited as the company responsible for your data, and Wikipedia says it was founded in 2017 in London by Gauthier Van Malderen and Matthew Davis.
Does Perlego renew automatically?
Yes. Perlego's pricing page says subscriptions automatically renew on a monthly, termly or annual basis depending on the billing cycle you chose.
How do I cancel Perlego?
Its pricing page says you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in account settings, and the subscription stays active until the end of the current billing period.
Do I own the books on Perlego?
No. You can read books as many times as you like while you have an active subscription, but access ends with the subscription.
Are all books available on Perlego?
No. Its pricing page says some titles may not appear in your library because of regional sales rights or plan inclusion, so search for your exact titles before paying.
