Who Has the Best eBook Subscription?

Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus are subscription services offered by two of the largest eReader brands out there. If you don’t have a Kindle or a Kobo, don’t worry! Both subscription services have apps that you can access through your smartphone. The scene is set, and the contestants are ready, but who will prevail?

Kobo Plus Is Cheaper and More Customizable

If we are looking at price only, Kobo Plus is the cheaper option. Kindle Unlimited is $11.99 per month for reading and listening, although if you keep your eyes peeled, you can often spot deals where you can get Kindle Unlimited for a much cheaper price. You may think that you already have Kindle Unlimited with your Amazon Prime subscription, but this isn’t the case. If you are already paying for Amazon Prime, that subscription does not include Kindle Unlimited but does include Prime Reading, which is a mini version of Kindle Unlimited that includes about 1,000-3,000 titles to choose from.

Kobo Plus comes in at $9.99 per month. And the price isn’t the only way Kobo comes out on top. The beauty of Kobo Plus is actually its customization potential. Many people focus on either reading ebooks or listening to audiobooks and won’t necessarily want to pay for access to both. Kobo Plus is a good option in these cases, as it actually has three options: the standard option to both read and listen, and then two $7.99 per month packages for people who only want ebooks or only audiobooks.

Kindle Unlimited Has More Books to Choose From

Kindle Unlimited is the more expensive option, but that extra few dollars may prove worthwhile because Amazon is the king of ebooks. A Kindle Unlimited subscription gives you access to over four million titles, and you can take out 20 at a time. It works like a library service without the due date: you don’t own the books; they go back on the shelf when you’re done with them, and then you can pick a new one.

When it comes to scale, there is no beating Amazon. Kobo Plus gives you access to 1.5 million ebooks and 150,000 audiobooks. This may not come close to Kindle’s four million, but you’re still pretty spoiled for choice, and with Kobo Plus, there is no limit to the number of books you can take out at any given time.

It’s always worth checking that the service actually has the books you want because even though Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus boast millions of ebooks, many of them are self-published. There is no guarantee the book you actually want to read is available. Some authors just put the first book in a series onto Kindle Unlimited to entice you to buy the rest for full price. Many books that you can find on Kindle won’t be on other subscription services, as Kindle Unlimited demands exclusivity from its authors. It is worth checking the Kobo Plus catalog to see if the types of books you want are actually on there.

Kobo Plus Is Less Restrictive for Authors

One of the reasons Kindle Unlimited offers a better selection of books than Kobo Plus is that it has a more limiting stance towards authors. Amazon’s KDP Select offers benefits such as entry into Kindle Unlimited, promotions, and higher international royalties, but authors have to restrict their publishing to Amazon only. Kobo Plus authors are not restricted in this way, and are allowed to list their books on other platforms too.

Kobo Plus royalties are calculated using time spent reading, whereas Kindle Unlimited calculates royalties by number of pages read. Kindle Unlimited royalties may be better for bigger authors. Still, authors who want to gain revenue from multiple streams would be blocked by the exclusivity clause so that they may do better as part of Kobo Plus.

Who Comes Out on Top?

Honestly, there is no clear winner in this contest. If you are a specific kind of reader, one who only reads audiobooks, for example, the customization factor of Kobo Plus is a big draw. However, if you want it all, Kindle Unlimited is more likely to have the books you’re looking for.

The availability of the books you want is the kicker for both subscription services, so it is definitely worth checking before you commit to either, and with 30-day free trials for both, that is easy to do. It is worth mentioning that libraries often have digital catalogs, and you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks through apps like Libby or BorrowBox. Sometimes, the best subscription is the free one at your local library!