Amazon has led the way with its Kindle lineup when it comes to reading e-books and interacting digitally with our favorite stories. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is one of the most popular e-readers on the market and has been since its release. The best Kindles have a lot to offer, but not everyone wants to go with an Amazon product. If you’re one of those people you may be wondering what the best Kindle alternatives may be. There are quite a few brands out there making quality e-book readers, and we’ve tested them out. In the process we’ve made our selections for the best Kindle alternatives.
The best Kindle alternatives in 2024
Buy the if you want the best Kindle alternative overall.
Buy the if you want the best Kindle alternative for reading ebooks.
Buy the if you want the best premium Kindle alternative.
Buy the if you want the best Kindle alternative for all-purpose use.
Buy the if you want the best Kindle alternative for kids.
Kobo Libra 2
Best Kindle alternative overall
Kobo
Pros
Cons
Glare-free display
Slow to startup
Ergonomic design
Support for audiobooks
Kobo is a Japanese brand that makes high-quality and stylish e-book readers. The Kobo Libra 2 been among our best e-book readers for some time, and Kobo even manages to place other devices on the list. The Libra 2 comes with a fast display with deep contrast and quick page turns. It’s always glare-free, and it has ComfortLight Pro adjustable brightness and blue light reduction technology to limit eye strain. The Libra 2 is fully waterproof, so you can do your e-reading at the beach, by the pool, or anywhere else you may prefer.
The Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight 4e is intentionally simple. B&N has left out a lot of the frills you find in the some of the best tablets in order to make an affordable e-book reader, and in the process it has made the best Kindle alternative for reading e-books. This device isn’t going to be that great at anything else, but if you simply want to get lost in a book for hours at a time, this is the Kindle alternative for you.
Specifications
Display
6-inch touchscreen
Battery life
Up to 4 days
Boox Note Air 3
Best premium Kindle alternative
Boox
Pros
Cons
Simulates reading on paper
Expensive
Note-taking functionality
Large 10.3-inch display
If you’re looking to treat yourself with a new e-reader, the best premium Kindle alternative is the Boox Note Air 3. It’s sleek and incredibly refined, and it offers a distraction-free reading experience with exceptional black and white contrast for sharper text and better focus. It comes with a ton of power, as it features an 8-core processor. This will come in handy if you plan to use the Note Air 3 for things like note-taking or marking up documents, as it allows you to write on documents in addition to its capabilities as an e-reader.
Specifications
Display
10.3-inch touchscreen
Battery life
Up to 4 weeks
Apple iPad (10th-gen)
Apple
Best Kindle alternative for all-purpose use
Pros
Cons
Beautiful display
Poor battery life
Colorful lineup
Expensive
Large app ecosystem
If you’re looking for a device that can do more than just e-reading, the Apple iPad (10th-gen) is the best Kindle alternative for all-purpose use. This is much more of a tablet than an e-reader, and as such, you’ll be getting all sorts of additional functionality. You’ll have a plethora of apps at your disposal, and the beautiful display is as immersive when watching movies as traditional e-readers can be when reading books. Apps available include things like the Kindle App and Apple Books, so you can rest assured you’ll have access to e-books with the iPad.
Specifications
Display
10.9-inch Liquid Retina touchscreen
Battery life
Up to 10 hours
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Best Kindle alternative for kids
Amazon
Pros
Cons
Robust parental controls
Poor battery life
Access to books, movies, and more
Full HD screen resolution
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is more than a great e-reader for kids. It’s also one of the best tablets for kids, and we think it’s the best Kindle alternative for kids. It’s made for kids ages 6-12 and has access to thousands of ad-free books, games, videos and apps. It’s also set up for parents to stay in control of the device. Kids can request apps and e-books, while parents must approve purchases and downloads. The web browser has built-in controls to help filter out inappropriate sites and let you block specific ones. The Amazon Fire HD Kids Pro can reach up to 12 hours of life on a single charge, and its 10.1-inch display comes in at Full HD resolution.
Specifications
Display
10.1-inch touchscreen
Battery life
Up to 12 hours
How we chose these Kindle alternatives
We love to read as much as the next bookworm, and we’ve put a lot of e-book readers to use because of it. When considering the best Kindle alternatives we leaned on our knowledge of the Kindle lineup and what makes it so popular. We compared those features to other e-readers, and came away with a the list of the best Kindle alternatives you’ll find above. We placed a strong emphasis on e-readers we’ve used ourselves, with a secondary emphasis on affordability, screen resolution, and battery life, as we feel these competence in these areas are important when it comes to getting yourself an e-reader that makes for one of the best Kindle alternatives.
This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.
Amazon Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 prices slashed… for now
If you're looking for affordable tablet deals, it's highly recommended that you check out Amazon's Fire tablets. The latest releases of the brand's largest models are still relatively cheap, and limited-time discounts have further lowered their prices on Amazon right now. The 32GB version of the Amazon Fire HD 10 is down to $95 from $140 for savings of $45, and the 64GB version of the Amazon Fire Max 11 is down to $180 from $230 for savings of $50. You're going to have to be fast with your purchase once you've chosen which one to buy though, because these tablets may be back to their regular prices as soon as tomorrow.
Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB, with lockscreen ads) -- $95, was $140
The 2023 release of the Amazon Fire HD 10 retains the tablet's budget-friendly price despite several improvements compared to its predecessor, including 25% faster performance, slightly less weight by 30 grams, and an upgraded front-facing camera from 2MP to 5MP for clearer selfies and video calls. The Amazon Fire HD 10 features a 10.1-inch Full HD touchscreen that's durable enough to withstand daily wear and tear, compatibility with Amazon's Alexa for voice commands, and decent performance for your daily tasks with its octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. The tablet comes with 32GB of internal storage, but if you need additional space for your apps and files, you can get up to 1TB more through its microSD card slot.
Hurry! This Apple Watch just had its price slashed to $189
For great smartwatch deals, head to Amazon immediately. Today, it has the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) for $60 off bringing it down to just $189 from $249. A fantastic price for an exceptionally well-made smartwatch, this tops our list of the best Apple deals right now. If you’re keen to buy a watch that will motivate you to move more while also looking good, check it out by tapping the button below. Alternatively, read on while we explain all.
Why you should buy the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen)
One of the best smartwatches around, the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) is best described as “simple, cheap, and brilliant”. It’s designed to help you exercise more effectively, while keeping connected with your digital life, and also staying safe.
One of the best budget phones just got even better
Phone deals feel extra sweet when they involve a discount on an already great value phone. That’s the case with the Google Pixel 7a which is currently on sale at Amazon for just $349. Usually priced at $499, it’s even better value while it’s $150 off. It’s unlikely to stay this price for too long and it’s already proving popular, so if you want to get in on the action, do so now. If you’re not certain, take a look at what we have to say about it below.
Why you should buy the Google Pixel 7a
The Google Pixel 7a is a big upgrade from its predecessor and while our review pointed out that its increased price was an issue, that’s no longer something to worry about while it’s on sale. One of the best cheap phones, it offers a lot of great features. One immediate thing to notice is its 6.1-inch OLED display. It’s a full HD screen with a 1080 x 2400 resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for durability. It also has a 90Hz adaptive refresh rate so you get smoother scrolling and a generally better experience when watching videos or playing a game.
