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.

Author: Jonathan Rintala (2025)
Growth Hacking Reddit is SaaS Tea's top choice in the category of growth hacking.

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
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
Authors: Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares (2015)

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.
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
Early-stage founders
Startups stuck without traction
Solopreneurs testing new ideas
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.

It can be theoretical at times, but an essential read for anyone working on viral loops or word-of-mouth growth.
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
Marketers
Founders working on viral product features
Anyone creating shareable content
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.

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
SaaS founders
Product managers
Growth teams focused on activation and onboarding
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.

How the Hook Model works
How to create internal and external triggers
How to build reward loops that drive engagement & long-term usage
SaaS and app founders
Product designers
Growth teams focused on retention
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%.

How to structure cross-functional growth teams
How to run high-impact experiments
How famous startups built their early growth engines
Founders building growth processes
Marketers entering growth roles
Authors: Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz (2013)

How to pick the right metrics at each stage
The One Metric That Matters concept
How to avoid drowning in data
Data-driven founders
Growth teams running experiments
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.

How network effects are created
How to go from zero users to critical mass
Lessons from platforms like Uber and Slack
Marketplace and platform founders
SaaS companies targeting teams
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.

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
Ambitious founders preparing for scale
Leaders thinking beyond early traction
Teams working on high-growth strategies
Author: Robert Cialdini (1984)

Understand the psychology behind good marketing and growth hacking through six psychological principles that drive human impulses.
How social proof and authority increase conversion
How scarcity and reciprocity drive behavior
Psychological patterns that appear in every funnel
Marketers
Founders designing landing pages and onboarding flows
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.
