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The Best Growth Hacking Books in 2026

The Best Growth Hacking Books in 2026

Updated: November 30th, 2025

Growth hacking has evolved dramatically over the past decade - from early Silicon Valley experiments in the dawn of the Internet, to a deep cross-functional discipline used by SaaS founders, marketers, and solopreneurs to grow faster than competitors.

In 2026, the best growth hackers are blending data, psychology, product, and creativity into a scalable GTM. Distribution is today everything, as products get cheaper and faster to build. Growth hacking helps cut through the noise and get your SaaS in front of the right people.

Whether you want to master the acquisition of your first customers, retention of existing ones, scale GTM, go viral, or learn the 101 of marketing, the right book can help you get ahead. Skipping years of painful trial-and-error. Below is a curated list of the best growth hacking books in 2026, including proven classics and fresh, modern additions in the age of AI.

10 Top Reads for SaaS founders, marketers & growth hackers who want to grow their SaaS faster.

Learn More About The Best Growth Hacking Books in 2026

1. Growth Hacking Reddit: How to Get Customers Using Reddit

Author: Jonathan Rintala (2025)

Growth Hacking Reddit is SaaS Tea's top choice in the category of growth hacking.

Growth Hacking Reddit - Best growth hacking book

Why is this the best book on growth hacking 2026? Reddit is one of the most underrated and misunderstood growth channels for SaaS in 2026. Growth Hacking Reddit breaks down a practical, repeatable system for using Reddit communities to validate, get SaaS customers, and grow companies.

As one of the reviews on Amazon puts it, "It’s a short book, but speaks sense and covers a strategy which works. It’s been a useful read for me, and put me on the right path - already showing results."

Also, Growth Hacking Reddit is one of the few updated books on growth hacking in this list, adapted to the age of AI, and the modern landscape.

What you will learn:

  • How to identify subreddits where your ideal customers spend time

  • How to promote ethically and get traction without getting banned

  • How to build a growth system on Reddit to grow in a repeated way

  • How to get your SaaS into AI search results

Best for:

If you want a modern guide to organic acquisition, focused on B2B SaaS, this is the top pick for 2026. Whether you are a marketer, founder, or growth hacker.

  • ✅ SaaS founders

  • ✅ Indie hackers

  • ✅ Marketers who want untapped organic channels

2. Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth

Authors: Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares (2015)

Traction: Books on Growth Hacking

A framework-oriented book that analyzes how successful SF tech companies like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Evernote found their breakout growth channels. Even though it is a bit older, the Bullseye Framework remains relevant for experimenting with growth and focusing on the channels that matter.

You will learn:

  • How to test and compare 19 different marketing channels

  • How fast-growing companies found their traction channel

  • How to choose the right growth channel through the Bullseye Framework

Best for:

  • Early-stage founders

  • Startups stuck without traction

  • Solopreneurs testing new ideas

3. Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Author: Jonah Berger (2013)

A deep look into why things go viral. Berger breaks down the psychology of sharing, cultural triggers, storytelling, and what makes products spread person-to-person.

Contagious: Best on Growth Hacking

It can be theoretical at times, but an essential read for anyone working on viral loops or word-of-mouth growth.

You will learn:

  • Why people share certain ideas, products and messages

  • The six STEPPS model for virality

  • How social currency increases spread

  • How to engineer word of mouth into your product

Best for:

  • Marketers

  • Founders working on viral product features

  • Anyone creating shareable content

4. Product-Led Growth

Author: Wes Bush (2019)

A complete guide to building products that sell themselves. This book explains how to let users experience value quickly, turn them into fans, and convert organically. In-product growth is one of the most underrated parts of growth hacking, and this book nails it.

Product-Led Growth: Books on Growth Hacking

You will learn:

  • How to design a product that drives its own sales

  • How to reduce friction in onboarding

  • How existing users become your largest acquisition channel

  • How to structure product-led funnels

Best for:

  • SaaS founders

  • Product managers

  • Growth teams focused on activation and onboarding

5. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Author: Nir Eyal (2014)

Inspired by companies like Apple, Twitter, and The Bible App, Hooked breaks down how to build habit-forming products. It is ideal for founders focused on retention, engagement, and getting people to use your stuff in the long run.

Hooked - Books on growth hacking

You will learn:

  • How the Hook Model works

  • How to create internal and external triggers

  • How to build reward loops that drive engagement & long-term usage

Best for:

  • SaaS and app founders

  • Product designers

  • Growth teams focused on retention

6. Hacking Growth

Authors: Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown (2017)

A foundational book that explains the modern growth process. It covers how the fastest-growing companies build growth teams, run experiments. And how to find scalable channels like the top 1%.

Hacking Growth - Best books on growth hacking

You will learn:

  • How to structure cross-functional growth teams

  • How to run high-impact experiments

  • How famous startups built their early growth engines

Best for:

  • Founders building growth processes

  • Marketers entering growth roles

7. Lean Analytics

Authors: Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz (2013)

Lean Analytics - Books on Growth Hacking

You will learn:

  • How to pick the right metrics at each stage

  • The One Metric That Matters concept

  • How to avoid drowning in data

Best for:

  • Data-driven founders

  • Growth teams running experiments

8. The Cold Start Problem

Author: Andrew Chen (2021)

A modern book on network effects and scaling. Chen explains how platforms like TikTok, Uber, and Slack solved the hardest problem in growth: reaching critical mass.

The Cold Start Problem - Growth hacking books

You will learn:

  • How network effects are created

  • How to go from zero users to critical mass

  • Lessons from platforms like Uber and Slack

Best for:

  • Marketplace and platform founders

  • SaaS companies targeting teams

9. Blitzscaling

Authors: Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh (2018)

This book explores how companies scale very fast by prioritizing speed over efficiency. It is strategic and sometimes controversial, but valuable for understanding hypergrowth.

Blitzscaling - Growth hacking books

You will learn:

  • How hypergrowth organizations think and operate

  • The tradeoffs between efficiency and speed

  • When to scale aggressively and when not to

  • Lessons from LinkedIn, Airbnb, and other unicorns

Best for:

  • Ambitious founders preparing for scale

  • Leaders thinking beyond early traction

  • Teams working on high-growth strategies

10. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Author: Robert Cialdini (1984)

Influence - Books on growth hacking

Understand the psychology behind good marketing and growth hacking through six psychological principles that drive human impulses.

You will learn:

  • How social proof and authority increase conversion

  • How scarcity and reciprocity drive behavior

  • Psychological patterns that appear in every funnel

Best for:

  • Marketers

  • Founders designing landing pages and onboarding flows


Final Thoughts: The Best Growth Hacking Books for 2026

The books above give you a complete overview as a modern growth hacker - mastering how to:

  • Identify and prioritize channels

  • Design and run high-impact experiments

  • Build products that retain users

  • Scale through loops, psychology, and network effects

Written by scientists, unicorn SaaS founders, and marketers. If you want the most relevant and modern growth hacking book for 2026, SaaS Tea's top choice is Growth Hacking: How to Get Customers Using Reddit.