You often see people online saying they want to switch from Kindles to a different ereader brand for some reason or another (they want an ereader with page buttons, they don’t like something that Amazon did, they’re fed up with Kindles deleting their sideloaded ebooks, etc), and most people recommend Kobo as an alternative to Amazon.
I agree that Kobo is the best option if you want to get away from Amazon and their locked down ebook system, but I would argue that the best option is to simply embrace both platforms. Having a Kindle ereader and a Kobo ereader opens up more options. Why do some people feel like they have to be loyal to just one brand?
There are some people that prefer Boox devices because they can read Kindle ebooks and Kobo ebooks, among others, on the same device using Android apps. Android apps aren’t optimized for E Ink and apps usually offer less features than dedicated ereaders (Kobo’s Android app is pretty awful, frankly), so this isn’t as good of an option as you might think it is. The Kindle app works pretty well on Boox devices, especially ones that support BSR, but you’d probably be better off removing the DRM from your ebooks and using the built-in NeoReader app on Boox devices, or something like KOReader.
One of the worst things about Amazon that some people don’t know about is their exclusivity rules. A lot of ebooks are only available through Amazon; most authors that use Kindle Unlimited aren’t allowed to sell their ebooks elsewhere.
If you stop using Kindles entirely then you won’t be able to purchase certain ebooks anymore. Kobo’s platform is also seriously lacking when it comes to stuff like comics and magazines.
But Kobo offers a number of advantages when it comes to their software. Kobos have more customization options, they don’t make you pay an extra $20 to show book covers on the sleep screen instead of advertisements, they work seamlessly with Calibre, they support more formats, and you can do different things with your Kobo like install an alternative reading app such as KOReader without having to jailbreak your device.
One thing people miss when switching from Kindle to Kobo is the fact that Kobo doesn’t sync sideloaded books like Kindles do. If you want to exclusively use one platform then you’re going to have to give up certain features one way or another.
If you really want to stick it to Amazon, buy your ebooks from Kobo, remove the DRM, and then use Send to Kindle to have Amazon backup your Kobo ebooks for free, so then you can read the same ebooks on Kindles and Kobos if you want to.
I like switching back and forth between Kindles and Kobos. I’ll admit that I rarely buy ebooks from Kobo because I simply despise Adobe Digital Editions and refuse to have it installed on any of my computers, but Kobos are great for borrowing ebooks from public libraries. They have OverDrive support built-in so you can get library ebooks directly on Kobos without having to use a separate device, and that’s pretty convenient (you can actually borrow ebooks directly on Kindles now too ever since they updated the web browser, but it’s not integrated into the store like it is on Kobos).
I see a lot of people wanting to switch from Kindles to Kobos, or vice versa, but I think the best option is to use both to take advantage of the upsides of each platform. You can get a basic Kindle on sale for under $100, and the Kobo Clara BW is $129, so you can get both for less than the price of one of the more expensive models. I’ve been using the Boox Palma 2 lately and I like it a lot, but damn, you can buy a Kindle and a Kobo for less and still have money left over for ebooks.
Having a Scribe and Paperwhite… I don’t see any reason, for me, to have another reader.
However…. I wouldn’t mind getting a new, cheap Kobo device, that is directly integrated with Libby, and use that as my Library Book. Other than that, I do have a few Kobo books, and would only buy a book there if it’s cheaper.
The main reason I have stayed with Amazon is I highlight and write notes and Amazon syncs those. When I download the book again, my notes and highlights are there. I don’t think anyone else does this.
I didn’t start out with Kindle, and before I ever bought any digital books, I learned how to remove DRM. My take is that one simply can’t count on any ONE manufacturer to *always* provide you with the reader device you will like best.
I’m not sure why people feel they have to only do ONE or the OTHER, or why people feel that having a Kindle is being in a family or club (um, no, at best, one is simply grouped as one who owns a particular device). Folks often act like it is a religion!
It’s super common for instance, for someone to marvel over how a KINDLE can hold thousands of ebooks. Yet, the exact same thing is true for virtually EVERY OTHER EREADER BRAND MADE! Crazy!
One reason I’m not set on a single manufacturer … one gets older! The font sizes that were comfortable to me in 2010 are no longer so comfortable in 2025. I like a larger screen than what Amazon provides on their Paperwhite line, while NOT needing the extra size and weight of a Scribe.
Kobo offers that in-between 8″ size in the Sage.
While I’m not a huge fan of page-turn buttons, I do use them sometimes, and Kindle no longer has them in their current line-up of devices. Kobo still does, and so does Pocketbook.
While Kobo doesn’t offer sync for side-loaded content, Pocketbook does, so I also have uses for that device and quite like it in addition to my Kindle and Kobo. I keep my options open. I read a lot, in the 100+ books a year realm, so I can keep several readers in use fairly easily, rotating between, depending on what I’m reading.
It’s too bad that Kobo hasn’t updated the Sage to meet the specs of the current generation of their devices. They still sell it, but it’s an older model at this point, and those interested should probably wait for a device update. I wish there was an 8″ color Kindle with page turn buttons like the Oasis. Probably my ideal device.
I’m enjoying my Kindle/Nook combo. I like the buttons of the Nook for long reading sessions.
I do use both platforms, i.e. I buy books from Amazon and Kobo both, and from other sellers besides them. But I only use Kobo ereaders at the moment. That’s because Amazon no longer offers a device I’d like to have (no buttons, no lopsided shape), I don’t like the Kindle software (too locked down and too few customizations options) and Amazon has that extremely annoying bug of deleting your sideloaded books (no, I don’t want to use Send to Kindle or keep wifi constantly on).
I just read my Amazon purchases on my Kobos. Simple. No need to buy a Kindle device I wouldn’t like to read on. And I don’t need syncing for sideloaded books – I’m perfectly capable of finding the place where I left off myself.
I also have both Kindles (for over 15 years now) and a Kobo for a lot of the reasons this article mentions, although the Kobo is no more “open” than the Kindle, as their books are also DRM-encumbered, and as mentioned, the Adobe software is horrible. If you use Calibre, it’s equally as easy to sideload books just by connecting your device via USB (auto-converting along the way) so that’s a wash as well. It really comes down to which hardware device you prefer at that point. I like a lot of things about both Kobo and Kindle, but it’s not like Kobo sells DRM-free books (it’s the publishers who require the DRM).
For those who mention Kindles deleted your sideloaded books, that was a bug that happened for a few months a few years ago. This isn’t a thing anymore with any recent Kindle. I have tons of sideloaded books on my Kindles that have had zero issues, and I leave WiFi on all the time.
Yes, it still happens. Not if you have wifi on all the time; it happens if you leave wifi off for a few weeks and then connect again.
And Kobo devices are certainly far more open than Kindles. You can install various patches, hacks and alternative reading apps without jailbreaking; you can manage metadata, series and collections on your Kobo automatically via Calibre. None of these things are possible with Kindles.
I greatly prefer the Libra above any Kindle except the Voyage (still have mine but it’s gotten a bit old), but I wish Kobo would improve the Elipsa – as it stands it’s just not comparable to the Scribe.
With Amazon selling the Scribe at a fair loss, however (with the sale prices I mean), I can see Rakuten deciding that heavy investment in what’s likely their slowest seller isn’t worth it.