Kobo

Kobo is the main alternative to Kindle, and the reason to choose it is usually one of two things: you borrow from a public library, or you already own EPUB files. Kobo handles both natively where Amazon makes you work for it.

Kobo is owned by Rakuten, which also means a stronger presence in Canada, Europe and Japan than Amazon’s competitors usually manage.

Our picks

Best for library borrowers: Kobo Clara HD

OverDrive and Libby are built in — search your library from the device, borrow, and read. No cables, no sideloading.

Where to buy Kobo Clara HD
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Big screen, waterproof: Kobo Aura One

7.8 inches and waterproof, built for large libraries and PDF-heavy reading. Discontinued, so this is a used-market buy.

Where to buy Kobo Aura One
17 listed on eBay right now — from 114.99 USD
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Page-turn buttons: Kobo Forma

Asymmetric grip and physical buttons, for one-handed reading.

Where to buy Kobo Forma
23 listed on eBay right now — from 160.00 USD
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Every Kobo review

Everything we have written about Kobo devices, newest first.

Every Kobo article on Easy Ereader

All 15 of our Kobo reviews and guides, in one place.