Kobo Plus vs Kindle Unlimited

[hobnail]

If you have experience with both does Kobo Plus have all of the books that Kindle Unlimited does? I'm currently using DeDRM with Kindle for PC and then converting the book to EPUB and loading it on my Kobo. But that may no longer work after the June update to Kindle for PC.

[DNSB]

Simple answer is no. Unless you are a very major publisher/author, Kindle Unlimited books must be exclusive to Amazon. For instance, you will find J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books in KU but you will not find Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books.

For my spouse, that means about 50% of the books she reads are by indie authors and only available on Amazon. OTOH, for the books I read, 95% of them are available on both Kobo and Amazon since Kobo does not insist on exclusivity. Once you select a Kobo Plus book, it stays with your account until you decide to remove it so no 10 book or 20 book limit. Currently, I have 417 Kobo Plus books showing in My Books.

[Sirtel]

Yeah. As DNSB said, most KU books are only available on Amazon, while Kobo Plus books are usually available both on Kobo and Amazon, but are not in KU.

If you prefer to read a specific subgenre where most authors are in KU, then you're out of luck, as their books aren't generally sold anywhere else.

[Dr. Drib]

On the other hand, just buy the current cheap-ass Kindle (as I did, which is a fine reading device), and then simply subscribe to KU.

Of course, you will (should) read KU titles on that Kindle so that the authors can get paid.

As you can see in the devices that I own - below my avatar - I enjoy reading ad owning both Kobo and Kindle devices.

[cgsmom]

I got 3 months of Kindle Unlimited free with my Colorsoft. I liked some of the authors there but not enough to be worth the price. I tried Kobo Plus and I found that the selection suits my reading preferences better. But, as others have said, most of the KU authors are locked into Kindle and not available anywhere else, even my public library.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

On the other hand, just buy the current cheap-ass Kindle (as I did, which is a fine reading device), and then simply subscribe to KU.

Of course, you will (should) read KU titles on that Kindle so that the authors can get paid.

You can also download the Kindle app and read Kindle Unlimited books on a phone, tablet, computer, etc. No eink Kindle required.

(Yes, yes, yes, I know there are people who swear eink is a must, but there really are people who do most/all of their reading on a phone or tablet or computer and live to tell the tale.)

[Apache]

I read on my tablet, a Surface Pro. I like it because I can run Calibre and have my complete library with me. My wife doesn't see how I do it. She thinks it is too heavy.
Apache

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by odamizu

You can also download the Kindle app and read Kindle Unlimited books on a phone, tablet, computer, etc. No eink Kindle required.

(Yes, yes, yes, I know there are people who swear eink is a must, but there really are people who do most/all of their reading on a phone or tablet or computer and live to tell the tale.)

Oh yes, I realize that. It's just that I enjoy reading on eink devices.

About phones: It's not the reading so much that I dislike, as it is the fact that I just don't like the idea of carrying a phone around with me. For me, staying connected or enjoying various entertainment venues from a phone is - again, for me - something I find distasteful.

I have read on small tablets, and they're OK. As far as reading on a computer, I don't enjoy that.

[Sirtel]

I do carry my phone around with me, but I never read books on it. I just dislike the experience. Same for tablets and computers. Web articles are ok to read on them, but for long form (books) eink is the only way for me. And yes, I've tried plenty of times. I just don't enjoy reading books on other devices and that has not changed in the 15 years I've been reading ebooks.

[Yapyap]

I spend ~12 hours a day staring at a computer screen (working from home). I also watch the news on TV and sometimes even the occasional episode of a TV show.

I do use a phone and I have an iPad (often handy for checking something quickly or to take a quick look at social media or online news when not at the computer) but I’m feeling an increasing amount of eye strain, especially problems with dry eyes, and the more I look at backlit screens, the more pronounced it is.

I think if I had to read long-form texts (like fiction/novels) on a phone or iPad screen, I’d just stop reading. I can’t do it. Call it a penchant or a preference or whatever, after a long day it can literally hurt to try to read for more than a few minutes at a time on the phone or iPad.

I have a Boox now and am considering getting a larger BW one to accompany the smaller colour one (since I now also know for a fact that I far prefer reading with the frontlight off, or very low, if possible, and with the colour one it’s not possible), so I’m reasonably source-agnostic at this point, but even so, not all apps excel on eInk screens so I’d still want to de-DRM everything I’ve “bought” (paid money for to acquire a specific book, not a monthly subscription) in order to mostly read in some actually good, eInk-optimised app.

[CAFlanny]

Originally Posted by odamizu

You can also download the Kindle app and read Kindle Unlimited books on a phone, tablet, computer, etc. No eink Kindle required.

(Yes, yes, yes, I know there are people who swear eink is a must, but there really are people who do most/all of their reading on a phone or tablet or computer and live to tell the tale.)

Or, you can do both, and run the Kindle app on an eink tablet. I use a Bigme to read Kindle books.

[MegDreamsofBooks]

I have both subscriptions right now, and get value from both although I'm hoping to get rid of KU by the end of the year because I'm trying to reduce my Amazon usage in general.

Kindle Unlimited:

• requires exclusive publication for most authors, so they can't be available elsewhere (except sometimes libraries)
• has a better algorithm for recommending other books based on the book I just read
• limited to only 20 books "checked out" at a time which is a PITA when you're trying to binge an author's back catalog and might need to reference previous plot points
• a lot more small/indie authors means a lot more options for reading
• starting to get overrun with AI-generated books, so finding those indie authors is getting harder
• can read via e-ink Kindle or app on a PC or tablet

Kobo Plus:

• has more "mainstream" or mid-tier authors since they don't require exclusivity, but the catalog is smaller since many indies are still exclusive at KU
• the recommendation system needs work, sometimes it is good and sometimes it recommends a children's book next to my spicy romance novel
• unlimited number of K+ books added to a personal library, this is great when reading a series or binging an author so I can grab them all at once
• fewer AI-generated books, some slip through but Kobo is pretty good about declining them
• can read via the Kobo app on a tablet, or with an e-ink Kobo device

While the Kobo Plus list is smaller right now, I'm seeing a fair amount of chatter on social media from indie authors who are experiencing publication and payment issues with KU and talking about moving over to "wide" publication including Kobo Plus. A few of my preferred authors have already done so. K+ this year is definitely better than it was a year ago, when I first tried it out I could hardly find anything to read and cancelled the subscription, now I can pretty easily find a couple books per week if I want to.

A note regarding my AI comments in the list: I generally believe that art should be created by humans, and while I read some absolutely low-value light fluffy books most of the time, I do expect them to still have a valid plot, proper editing, and a little bit of depth. The few AI-generated books I have (accidentally) read are pretty generic, low-quality stories so AI-generated books are a negative to me. So this may or may not matter to you as part of the decision.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by CAFlanny

Or, you can do both, and run the Kindle app on an eink tablet. I use a Bigme to read Kindle books.

Yes, yes, yes. My point was simply that you don't need to buy an eink Kindle if you want to read using a KU subscription. You can download a free Kindle app for phone, tablet, eink tablet or computer. All is good!! — but please read on a Kindle or Kindle app so that the author gets paid.

Or, of course, buy the ebook outright. That's even better

[chongshipei]

KU books are mostly only available in Amazon. Amazon demanded exclusivity for its kindle unlimited program. Kobo Plus, on the other hand, welcome all.

[JGriffinMD]

Originally Posted by hobnail

If you have experience with both does Kobo Plus have all of the books that Kindle Unlimited does? I'm currently using DeDRM with Kindle for PC and then converting the book to EPUB and loading it on my Kobo. But that may no longer work after the June update to Kindle for PC.

says to d/l "correct version" for your K, but my reader is F 7, 9th ed...so "no joy" in any prospective d/l? should I go for "kindlefh?"