Chegg eReader Reviews

by Mooomuuu

As far as being able to see words on a screen it does that job really well. However, as being a replacement for a book. It is terrible. Taking notes is impossible if you plan to do so without paper. You can not take notes on screen without having to switch to a note taking app, you’re limited to amount of pages you can print(two at a time.... I did PURCHASE the ebook right?), taking notes using what’s available in app is not ideal for me, I tried using ebook on a surface and iPad. Let me tell you, not being able to use the pens for their respective devices is really really bothersome especially since I was ideally forced to purchase the ebook from chegg or pay over $100 more from amazon(ridiculous right). Im a college student of course I am most likely to take the cheapest option. But if I could do it all over again I would pay the extra money to be able to use a different eReader than the one chegg offers. Being unable to utilize my iPads feature is a disappointment. I have spoken with my classmates also and several feel similar about this.

by Kayleeyv

I bought an e-textbook off chegg. I study and work on my iPad Pro and in order to read the textbook better you must download CheggeReader. I can’t even access my account or textbook from CheggeReader because it makes you login through safari as soon as you open CheggeReader , then, CheggeReader freezes at that point and won’t let you log in. To make the experience even worse, i called customer service to submit a claim about this issue, and they said they would contact the developer to fix this bug. It’s been a week since and CheggeReader still doesn’t work. I’m very frustrated that I even bought my school e-textbook with chegg. Extremely disappointing, and does not work at all. Poor customer service for not doing anything about it and taking the issue seriously too.

by Emm220

Really upset and annoyed. CheggeReader does not work. I purchased to ebooks then was prompted to download eReader app. CheggeReader just shows a loading symbol when I log in. I called customer service and the girl was nice but nothing was fixed. They just reset my password and said they “put a ticket in” but was told there’s no way for me to know if it’s fixed. I’ve been trying for over a week and CheggeReader still does not work.

If CheggeReader does not work I will be getting a refund and taking my business elsewhere, as an app is critical when buying an Ebook. The browser version is not user friendly as the book only cover half the screen so I have to zoom in.

I hope the makers of CheggeReader see this and do something about it.

by Brandisith

CheggeReader is awful, it doesn’t load at all! I typed in my full email and full password instead of clicking the auto fill because i didn’t know if that was the problem, but nope it wasn’t that, it’s just CheggeReader . It looks like it’s loading, then it “loads all the way” and then it stays loading with the little dots moving. You can still access your books if you use google chrome or any other web browser, but if i pay for some ebooks then CheggeReader for it should work... this needs to be fixed, it’s ridiculous. Make an update asap chegg, this is unacceptable. Next time i’ll just purchase my books from somewhere else.

by NL Crush

CheggeReader is useless and a waste of time. I bought an eBook from the website and, while I can easily use it from my laptop, the “library” for other devices is always empty. I have tried everything to update it but continuously get errors thrown back at me from their servers. Clearly, Chegg hired some rookie web and app developers to build their structure and nothing is automated and it simply doesn’t work for me. I regret choosing Chegg.

I followed up with their helpline based on their response already and no one knows why this doesn’t work on iPhone 6. By the time they’re done and figure it out, my class will be over. Buyer beware if you use an iPhone, stay away from Chegg.

by T-Mills59

I have only been using CheggeReader for a couple of days, but there is already a couple of things that I think need improved that keep it from being a good app.
The nice thing about CheggeReader is that it makes carrying multiple textbooks much more bearable throughout the day and is really nice to study when you have only a little time between classes. The other obvious plus is the price break on the ebook compared to traditional textbooks.
What I really don’t like about CheggeReader almost outweighs the good though!
1.) There is no support for the Apple Pencil on the iPad. This makes it very cumbersome for annotating and highlighting sections of the book while reading. This is my main grip! If it wasn’t for this it would be a much better app. I didn’t spend over $1000 on an iPad Pro to be tied to a keyboard!
2.) It seems that you cannot change the name of book marks after you select one. It just gives the generic name of the chapter and page, but this is unhelpful for finding exactly what you’re looking for or what you book marked.
3.) The read to text function could be really awesome, but it sounds very digital. CheggeReader says you change the voice and directs you to settings, but after you change the voice for the iPad in the settings it doesn’t actually take effect within CheggeReader and continues using the same robotic voice.

by Jadey :)

I like ereader Chegg for the simple fact the price for an e-book was much less on chegg online, than renting a physical copy. HOWEVER, it’s now a catch 22 because I honestly prefer a physical book:
-ease of highlighting
-less strain on the eyes
-physical pages to turn (especially when taking open book tests)
Just without the physical price (school textbooks are expensive af!).

So I decided to print the chapters from my current text book: The Policy Based Profession (6th Edition). This has been a headache because:
1) I feel like I’m having to buy ink weekly!
2) i feel like I’ve having to buy sam’s club size packets of print paper
3) the publisher only allows you to print out TWO pages at a time, which means one page could very well have only THREE sentences on it, which is a complete waste of paper.

I’m hoping this can be fixed. If not then I’ll just go back to physical books and pay the extra money on the front end to rent, so I’m not having to pay extra money on the back end and wasting resources to print e-book pages because just like books aren’t cheap, neither are printer ink and paper!

by FateHasYou

As others have already stated, the new update just doesn't work. Prior to the update I had no issues. Highlighting was smooth as was page turning. Now I have to wait for the page to load and when highlighting, I have significant lag that prohibits me from moving or turning the page until the system catches up. It is now taking me twice as long to study. Additionally, the text seems smaller and it looks like some study features (the percentage of notes read) are missing. Please address these issues. I would have given CheggeReader 5 stars if these changes had not occurred.

by Tiny But Fierce

When using the ‘Read Aloud’ feature, the default voice used is a dead, robotic voice that mispronounces many words, even some of the most simple ones. When you go to settings there’s directions to change the voice in my iPhone settings. No matter what I select though, the same robot voice is used. Painful.

Selecting where you want the reader to start reading in the text is also a pain. It will start at whatever is at the top but if you missed hearing a sentence or want to relisten to a part that was just read, hit the back button will result in it jumping to the beginning of that paragraph. There is no option to back up a few seconds like in audio book apps. This results in having to search around for your place, scrolling it to the top then hitting play.

Read Aloud will read everything on the page including page numbers, photo captions and every number listed in a graph in that horrible robot voice. Makes following the main part of the text confusing with that extra info randomly thrown in. Be nice, though I don’t know if technologically possible, to have the option to exclude that superfluous detail.

I also have issues with pausing the book using the play/pause button on my headset. Sometimes it will work then other times I have to pull my phone out, unlock it, open CheggeReader and tap the pause button a time or two like it’s on a roll and doesn’t want to stop. Doesn’t matter what type of headset I use either.

by Kassydear

Overall I’m happy with CheggeReader , but after downloading the text book when I turn the page it takes a few seconds to load. Since I downloaded the book I would have expected all of the pages to already be loaded for fast flipping. Also, the voice used for reading the page needs to be updated. It sounds like a robot rather than a person, and it reads the word based on how it’s spelled out, not how it’s supposed to be pronounced. Or maybe allow the option to use the voices that apple has?

by NoName2012

If anyone is having the same issue of not being able to sign in to eReader I found a way to access my books. What I did was I signed in on Safari then read my textbooks from there. Once I opened the books (on safari) I went to settings at the bottom and a menu pops up with Account at the top. Go to the tab that says chegg books and somehow it auto signed in allowing access to the eReader. Hopefully I was clear enough and you were able to sign in. Chegg has to fix this problem soon.

by YoWhicker

I enjoy CheggeReader because it’s not trying to be too much. It functions well for its main purpose... reading. There are two features, however, that I feel should be added/improved upon:

1) Margins: Maybe it’s just the specific textbook I am reading but I can only adjust the text size and not the margins. As of now, the text goes to the very edge of the screen.

2) Text Selection: CheggeReader seems to use their own version of text-selection compared to the native iOS text-selection feature. While it’s not hard to use, it’s a bit finicky at times. Hard to be precise all the time because you can’t quite see what you are selecting as your finger gets in the way.

Overall though, CheggeReader performs excellent as a simplistic e-reader as intended!

by Raechelle

I had no issues setting up or getting my rented ebook to show up. The page turns are a little slower than kindle, but the speed is still reasonable and not going to hinder my learning experience. The read aloud feature is pretty cool; it’s a bit robotic but it works when CheggeReader is in the background! I had debated going with B&N and their yuzu app, but decided that Chegg has way more responsive customer service if I do end up having any problems.

by Kat42180uuytrwqq

I have one minor issue with the reader. I can’t scroll to the bottom of a page. When i scroll all the way down, if i want to see the last 2-3 lines i have to manually hold my scroll up if that makes sense. Could be user error or maybe my phone but it’s a bit annoying. I do most of my reading on a PC or laptop anyway so this is the minorest of minor complaints. Otherwise great app from a great company.

by Rjsaucier

I love Chegg!!!! Easy purchasing, easy account integration across apps. Easy returns in the 14 day window. The only down sides are that eTextbooks can only be purchased in the browser and not the Cheggbooks app. Also, returns can only be processed in the desktop site, not the mobile site. Over all these a nominal inconveniences. Chegg saved me over $300 in books.