Just because Kindles are the most popular dedicated reading devices doesn’t mean they are the best. It’s hard to argue with their overall set of features and the convenience of Amazon’s reading ecosystem, but there are alternatives to Kindles that are great for reading ebooks and other forms of digital content as well.
Some people hate all things related to Amazon, just like some people hate everything about Walmart, so here a few options for those that don’t want a Kindle from Amazon.
When it comes to ebook readers with eye-friendly E Ink screens, there are few options outside of Kindles, but there are a couple of solid alternatives.
If you’d rather not be limited to Amazon for buying ebooks and would rather buy ePub ebooks from places like Google and Kobo, any device not named Kindle will work fine without having to remove ebook DRM and mess with converting.
Best Kindle Alternatives
Kobo – The most popular non-Kindle ebook readers come from Kobo, a company based in Canada. Kobo’s lineup of ebook readers is similar to Amazon’s. They offer a 6-inch model called the Kobo Clara HD that’s basically equivalent to the Kindle Paperwhite and they have some larger 7-inch and 8-inch models, the Kobo Forma and Kobo Libra, with buttons on the side similar to the Kindle Oasis.
Kobo’s ebook readers offer more formatting options than Kindles and they have OverDrive support built-in to download library ebooks without having to use a separate device. The only complaint I have with Kobo is their frontlighting often isn’t as uniform as Kindles, but they all have the option to use a warm frontlight, except the new Kobo Nia.
Onyx Boox – Onyx’s lineup of Boox ereaders are another good alternative to Kindles. Because of their open Android operating system they are a lot more advanced than Kindles, and they can even easily read Kindle ebooks without conversion using the Kindle Android app and it actually works surprisingly well.
The good thing about Onyx is they offer a wide variety of screen sizes, unlike Amazon. The current models include a 13.3-inch Onyx Max3, a 10.3-inch Onyx Note2, a 7.8-inch Onyx Nova2, and a 6-inch Onyx Poke2. The only problem with Onyx is their prices are higher than other brands, but they do offer more features, like Wacom touchscreens for notetaking using a stylus, USB-OTG support for connecting things like keyboards and expandable storage, they support audio and text-to-speech, you can install 3rd-party Android apps, and their PDF support is much better than other ebook readers.
More Kindle Alternatives – I would consider Kobo and Onyx the best Kindle alternatives but there are other options as well. Pocketbook has been around for a long time and they recently started selling Pocketbook ereaders on Newegg so at least there’s somewhere to buy them in the US now.
There are other Android-based ereaders as well. Likebooks are similar to Onyx’s ereaders and they’re a bit cheaper, but Onyx has them beat in virtually every category. Likebook’s software has serious flaws and it’s been that way for years so they’re probably not going to fix it anytime soon.
You might be wondering why Nooks aren’t mentioned but after all the things that Barnes and Noble has done damage the Nook’s reputation over the years I would not recommend them at all unless you really know what you’re getting into, especially since they’ve never fixed the problem with sideloaded ebooks sometimes getting corrupted and disappearing from the library. The new ownership might bring Nooks back from the brink but that still remains to be seen.
My husband and I have never had any issue sideloading books to our nooks. He once had trouble with a corrupted database and sideloaded books disappearing from a Kobo, but it was years ago.
I have used Calibre to add sideloaded books to my Nook GL3 , and have not had any problem in accessing them.
Can you keep sideloaded books on shelves in your nook? I had not been able to do so in the 2 years of having a Nook GL3. . After I turned the Nook off and then back on, sideloaded content disappeared from my shelves . I found out that wasn’t a bug, but B&N policy. From the link at “sideloaded ebooks sometimes getting corrupted,” there is a quote( and link) from a B&N service rep’s e-mail that users being unable to keep sideloaded books into shelves is the result of B&N policy: only B&N-purchased books are permitted in shelves.
Nonetheless. I recently tried adding sideloaded books to Nook GL3 shelves, and have had success in keeping them there. Previously, sideloaded books added to shelves disappeared from shelves after I turned the Nook off and back on. This time, the sideloaded books stayed in the shelves. I doubt this is the result of a change in B&N software/policy, as I haven’t u[dated my software in about a year. i have no idea why sideloaded books have remained in shelves this time. Perhaps because many of my sideloaded books have been on the Nook for 6-12 months…..
I have the latest :Oasis and the Kobo Aura One. Yes, the Kobo’s frontlight just isn’t as good. Also, I find touch response of the screen to be inferior to the Oasis as well. Multiple taps sometimes to get it to register and also the accuracy isn’t as good.
Comparing the Kobo Aura ONE to the latest Oasis is an apples to oranges comparison at best. It makes sense to directly compare the Kobo Forma to the latest Oasis.
I have the Forms and the KO3. The comparisons are still valid. The Aura One had a better screen though.
Yeah but that person didn’t own the Forma. This is not a professional reviewer you are critiquing. This is someone that owns two different ereaders and compared them. And your apples to oranges BS is exactly that. Ereaders have stagnated, there has not been any major change since the Voyage released six years ago. Comparing any two premium products released any time between 2014-2020 is valid for that reason.
And Extragooey is not wrong. The Aura One has a touch response inferior to any Oasis model. Not true of the Forma, but the Forma has uneven lighting unlike the Oasis. The only way in which Kobo wins in the premium category is the pricing.
I have both of these eReaders as well. The Kobo is more responsive and has better lighting.
In addition, size does matter.
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However, I do prefer the estimated reading time that the Kindle offers
The Aura One always had that problem with the touchscreen requiring multiple taps. Other Kobos don’t seem to have the issue.
If i had to own just one ereader it would be the Onus Boox Nova Pro / Nova 2.
I use a Kobo Aura One and a Pocketbook Ink Pad 3, and I’m very happy with both. No complaints.
I need an ereader that has a good french/english dictionary and light. What would be the best?
Sorry but since I don’t read French I’m not exactly a good judge of French dictionaries. Kindles are known for having excellent dictionaries but there are probably other good options too.
Hello
I want to get away from Amazon but now own have about 50 Kindle books. Would I be able to access my Kindle books on either the Kobo or the Onyx?
Hope you don’t mind me using the comment section for a question – any answers from users or the author would be greatly appreciated!!
You can access them easily on an Onyx device using the Kindle app. The only way to do so on other ebook readers like Kobos is to remove the DRM and convert them to a compatible format.