There are six official ITIL 5 books, all published by PeopleCert, and a Foundation candidate needs exactly one of them: ITIL Foundation (Version 5). You probably do not need to buy it separately either. Every official PeopleCert exam package for ITIL Foundation (Version 5) includes the official eBook alongside the exam voucher.
That changes the question most people are really asking. The question is not "which ITIL 5 book should I buy?". It is "do I need anything beyond the eBook I already get?". This guide answers both. It covers the full Version 5 library, which book goes with which module, what the official packages contain, and where the "free PDF" copies you will find in search results come from.
The Six Official ITIL 5 Books
ITIL (Version 5) replaced the ITIL 4 library with a new set of core publications. Each book lines up with one exam module. ITSM Academy, an authorised reseller of the hardcopies, lists these six titles:
| Official ITIL 5 book | ISBN | Exam module it supports |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL (Version 5) Foundation | 978-9925-39-149-3 | ITIL Foundation (Version 5) and the Foundation Bridge |
| ITIL (Version 5) Product | 978-9925-39-152-3 | ITIL Product (Managing Professional) |
| ITIL (Version 5) Service | 978-9925-39-151-6 | ITIL Service (Managing Professional) |
| ITIL (Version 5) Experience | 978-9925-39-153-0 | ITIL Experience (Managing Professional) |
| ITIL (Version 5) Transformation | 978-9925-39-150-9 | ITIL Transformation (every designation) |
| ITIL (Version 5) Strategy | 978-9925-39-154-7 | ITIL Strategy (Strategic Leader) |
Three gaps are worth knowing about.
- There are no Version 5 Practice books yet. The Version 5 Practice modules that lead to Practice Manager have not been released. PeopleCert currently meets that requirement with the ITIL 4 Practice modules, which use ITIL 4 material.
- ITIL AI Governance ships as an eBook with its exam. You sit that exam with the official eBook and a separate Scenario Booklet open in front of you. Our ITIL AI Governance exam guide covers how that works.
- The four Managing Professional books are also sold as a bundle. ITSM Academy lists an "MPT Bundle" of Product, Service, Experience and Transformation in hardcopy.
Which ITIL 5 Book You Need for Foundation
For the ITIL Foundation (Version 5) exam, the only official book is ITIL Foundation (Version 5), ISBN 978-9925-39-149-3, published by PeopleCert in early 2026. The same book supports the Foundation Bridge (Version 5), which tests only what changed from ITIL 4.
Do not study from the ITIL 4 Foundation book. The two exams have the same format, but the syllabus is different. Version 5 moves ITIL from IT service management to digital product and service management. It replaces the old value chain with eight activities and adds AI governance. Our ITIL 5 vs ITIL 4 comparison walks through each change. An ITIL 4 book will teach you material the exam no longer asks about, and it will miss material it does.
Exam Tip: ITIL Foundation (Version 5) is a closed-book exam: 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, with a 65% pass mark. The book is for learning the material. You cannot take it into the exam.
What the Official Exam Packages Already Include
This is where most candidates overspend. PeopleCert sells ITIL Foundation (Version 5) in three packages. All three include the official eBook.
| PeopleCert package (UK, incl. VAT) | Price | Official eBook | Learning Resource Kit | Sample papers | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam Bundle | £541 | Yes | Yes | No | None |
| eLearning | £1,235 | Yes | Yes | Auto-marked | 9 hours of interactive eLearning |
| eLearning+ | £1,483 | Yes | Yes | Auto-marked | eLearning, free retake, Official Mock Exam |
The Learning Resource Kit contains a Learner Workbook and a Quick Reference Guide. Most people searching for an "ITIL 5 study guide" are looking for something like the workbook. The Quick Reference Guide is the best revision sheet for the final week.
So if you buy any official Foundation package, you already own the official ITIL 5 book in digital form. You also get the two companion resources that resellers advertise as separate "official training materials".
The same applies above Foundation. The ITIL Product (Version 5) packages, and the other higher-level modules, include the official eBook for that module. Those exams are open book, so knowing your way around that eBook matters on exam day. The ITIL 5 certification path guide covers the format, the mandatory training and the prices for each module.
ITIL 5 Books in Hardcopy: When They Are Worth Buying
A printed copy of the ITIL 5 Foundation book is not a requirement for any exam. It is worth paying for in three situations:
- You learn better from paper. Some people retain definitions far better from a printed page they can annotate than from an eBook reader.
- You will keep using ITIL at work. The Foundation book is a practical reference for anyone setting up service desks, change processes or product teams, long after the exam.
- Your employer is buying a team library. A shared set of the six titles is a common purchase for organisations adopting ITIL (Version 5).
At the time of writing, ITSM Academy lists each Version 5 hardcopy at $135 including shipping in the US. Amazon and other retailers carry the Foundation title too, and prices vary. Look for PeopleCert as the publisher and the ISBN above. A different ISBN means a different book.
Unofficial ITIL 5 Study Guides
Amazon now carries several third-party ITIL 5 Foundation study guides. Some label themselves "(Unofficial)" in the title, which is honest. They are not approved by PeopleCert, and quality varies.
A third-party guide can still help if it does two things:
- It is written against the Version 5 syllabus. Check that it covers the eight value chain activities and AI governance. If the contents page looks like ITIL 4, put it back.
- It explains why each answer is right. ITIL Foundation questions test whether you can apply a concept, not just recall its name.
Treat any third-party book as a supplement to the official eBook, not a replacement. When a third-party book and the official ITIL (Version 5) Foundation book disagree, the exam follows the official book.
What About a Free ITIL 5 Book PDF?
Searches for "itil 5 foundation book pdf" and "itil 5 book pdf free" turn up uploads of the official book on document-sharing sites. These are not authorised by PeopleCert. They are copies of a copyrighted book, and there is no way to know whether the file you download is complete or current.
The free, legitimate starting point is the official ITIL Foundation (Version 5) syllabus, which PeopleCert publishes on the exam page. It lists every learning outcome the exam tests. Because the eBook comes inside every official exam package, the book itself costs you nothing extra once you have committed to sitting the exam.
How to Use the ITIL 5 Foundation Book to Pass
The Foundation book is a reference text, not a study plan. Read it cover to cover and you will spend hours on context the exam barely touches. A better approach:
- Start with the syllabus. Mark which chapters of the book map to each learning outcome.
- Read those chapters first, with the Learner Workbook open alongside.
- Learn the key definitions precisely, especially the guiding principles and the value chain activities. Answer options often differ by a single word.
- Test yourself early. Switch to practice questions once you have covered each area, and go back to the book only for the topics you get wrong.
- Revise from the Quick Reference Guide in the final week.
Our four-week ITIL 5 Foundation study plan turns this into a week-by-week schedule. The ITIL 5 Foundation exam guide covers the cost and question types in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a book called "ITIL Foundation Version 5"?
Yes. The official title is ITIL Foundation (Version 5), published by PeopleCert, ISBN 978-9925-39-149-3. It is the core publication for the ITIL Foundation (Version 5) exam and the Foundation Bridge. It is included as an eBook in every official PeopleCert Foundation exam package.
Is the ITIL 5 exam hard?
ITIL Foundation (Version 5) is 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, and you need 65%, which is 26 correct answers. It is closed book. Candidates who struggle usually memorised terms without learning how they apply to a scenario. PeopleCert does not publish a pass rate.
Is ITIL 5 replacing ITIL 4?
Yes. PeopleCert plans to sunset every ITIL 4 module on 31 December 2027, and ITIL Foundation (Version 5) is now the standard Foundation exam. Our guide to the ITIL 4 retirement covers what that means for existing certificates and for anyone deciding which exam to book.
Do I need to buy all six ITIL 5 books?
No. Buy, or use the included eBook of, only the book for the module you are sitting. A Foundation candidate needs the Foundation book. A Managing Professional candidate eventually needs Product, Service, Experience and Transformation, and each of those modules' exam packages includes its own eBook.
Ready to Start Practising?
The official ITIL 5 book teaches you the material. Practice questions show you whether you can apply it under exam conditions. CertCrush's ITIL 5 Foundation course includes a study guide and practice exams written against the Version 5 syllabus, with an explanation for every answer that points back to the relevant concept.
Create a free CertCrush account and find out which parts of the Foundation book you actually know before you book the exam.