Reader’s Guide
Which e-reader should you buy?
Updated . Prices are Amazon’s and refresh every hour.
The right e-reader depends less on which one is “best” than on what you read and where you get your books. We sorted these by that. We didn’t lab-test them. What we know comes from each maker’s specs and from what thousands of owners report in their Amazon reviews, and we say where a device falls short.
The short answer
Best for most readers
Warm light, waterproofing and weeks between charges, and it reads the Kindle store and Kindle Unlimited.
$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest on a budget
As sharp as the Paperwhite on a smaller screen, without the warm light or waterproofing.
$149.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest color Kindle
Comics, cookbooks and covers in soft color, if you buy your books from Amazon.
$289.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest for library books
Borrow, read and return library ebooks on the device itself, with no ads at any price.
$159.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest outside Amazon
Color, page-turn buttons, built-in library borrowing, and EPUB files straight from your computer.
$259.46 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest for notes and documents
An 11-inch Kindle with a pen in the box, for notebooks and marking up PDFs.
$499.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ETBest for kids
No apps or games, a cover, a two-year guarantee and six months of Amazon's children's library.
$179.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
Side by side
| E-reader | Screen | Waterproof | Battery (claimed) | Pen | Kindle Unlimited | Library books | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle | 6″ black and white | No | Up to 6 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $149.99 |
| Kindle Paperwhite | 7″ black and white | IPX8 | Up to 12 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $199.99 |
| Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition | 7″ black and white | IPX8 | Up to 12 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $249.99 |
| Kindle Colorsoft | 7″ color | IPX8 | Up to 8 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $289.99 |
| Kindle Scribe | 11″ black and white | No | Up to 12 weeks reading | included | Yes | Sent from Libby | $499.99 |
| Kindle Scribe Colorsoft | 11″ color | No | Up to 8 weeks reading | included | Yes | Sent from Libby | $679.99 |
| Kindle Kids | 6″ black and white | No | Up to 6 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $179.99 |
| Kindle Colorsoft Kids | 7″ color | IPX8 | Up to 8 weeks | No | Yes | Sent from Libby | $299.99 |
| Kobo Clara BW | 6″ black and white | IPX8 | Weeks (no figure given) | No | No | Built in | $159.99 |
| Kobo Clara Colour | 6″ color | IPX8 | Weeks (no figure given) | No | No | Built in | $179.99 |
| Kobo Libra Colour | 7″ color | IPX8 | Weeks (no figure given) | sold separately | No | Built in | $259.46 |
| BOOX Go Color 7 Gen II | 7″ color | No | No figure; owners report 1 to 2 weeks | sold separately | Kindle app | Libby app | $289.99 |
| PocketBook InkPad Color 3 | 7.8″ color | IPX8 | Up to 1 month | No | No | Libby app | $345.00 |
Amazon prices as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET. Where it says Check price, we have no current price for that device.
If you read Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited books open only on Kindle e-readers and in Amazon's Kindle apps. If most of your reading comes out of Kindle Unlimited, that settles the brand before any spec does.
The catalog is deepest in romance, fantasy, thrillers and long self-published series, the books people read fast and in runs. For that kind of reading, get the Paperwhite. The screen is sharp, the warm light is kind at midnight, and a charge lasts weeks, which matters when you finish a book a day.
The basic Kindle reads the same books for less. It gives up the warm light and the waterproofing, and its screen is an inch smaller.
107 of the books we’ve reviewed are included with Kindle Unlimited right now. Browse them, or see what Kindle Unlimited includes.
- Our pick Kindle Paperwhite$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle$149.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition$249.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you borrow from the library
Kobo e-readers have library borrowing built in. Sign in with your library card once, and you can search, borrow and return ebooks on the device.
A Kindle reads library books too, in the US, but the loan starts somewhere else: you borrow in the Libby app on a phone or computer and send the book to your Kindle through Amazon. It works. Owners who switched to Kobo name those extra steps as the reason.
The Kobo Clara BW is the cheapest way to borrow well. The Libra Colour adds a bigger color screen and page-turn buttons.
- Our pick Kobo Clara BW$159.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Libra Colour$259.46 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Clara Colour$179.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you read comics, cookbooks or picture books
Every color e-reader here puts a color filter over e-ink, and every one makes the same trade. Covers, comics, maps and highlights look far better than in black and white. The page behind the text turns darker and grayer, and color shows at half the sharpness of black and white.
Owners of every brand call the colors muted, closer to newsprint than to a tablet. People expecting an iPad are disappointed. People reading comics, cookbooks, travel guides and picture books mostly stop noticing.
If you buy your books from Amazon, the Kindle Colorsoft is the one. Reviewers who put it beside the Kobo Libra Colour tend to prefer the Kobo's screen, and the Kobo has page buttons, but it can't open a Kindle book.
- Our pick Kindle Colorsoft$289.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Libra Colour$259.46 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Clara Colour$179.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
Paperwhite or Colorsoft?
Buy the Paperwhite if you mostly read novels. Its text is sharper, its page is brighter, its battery claim is 12 weeks against the Colorsoft's 8, and it costs less.
Buy the Colorsoft if you already read comics, cookbooks or illustrated books in a Kindle app and wish they looked right, or you highlight heavily and want colors to sort your notes. If color covers are the main draw, the Paperwhite is the better buy.
- Our pick Kindle Paperwhite$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle Colorsoft$289.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you also listen to audiobooks
Every current Kindle plays Audible audiobooks through Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. None has a headphone jack or a speaker of its own, so pair something before a long trip. Amazon notes that listening shortens battery life.
Kobo plays audiobooks bought from Kobo, also over Bluetooth, but not Audible. The BOOX Go Color 7 is the exception here: it runs Android, so it can install the Audible and Libby apps, and it has a speaker.
If most of your books go in through your ears, your phone already does that job. An e-reader earns its place for the books you read.
505 of the books we’ve reviewed have an Audible edition. Browse them, or start a free Audible trial.
- Our pick Kindle Paperwhite$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good BOOX Go Color 7 Gen II$289.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you take notes or mark up documents
The Kindle Scribe is an 11-inch Kindle with a pen in the box. You can write in notebooks, mark up PDFs, and bring documents in from Google Drive or OneDrive. Owners rate the writing feel highly and say it is close to paper.
Check two things during the return window, because owners report both: front light that looks uneven across the screen, and spots where the pen doesn't register.
The Scribe Colorsoft adds color pens and highlighters, but owners say its screen is noticeably darker, which hurts black-and-white manga and scanned pages. A cheaper Scribe with no front light also exists; it has too few owner reviews to judge yet.
- Our pick Kindle Scribe$499.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle Scribe Colorsoft$679.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If this is your first e-reader
The basic Kindle is the cheapest e-reader here worth buying. Its 6-inch screen is as sharp as the Paperwhite's. You give up warm light, waterproofing and some battery, a claim of up to 6 weeks against 12.
The price you see on most Kindles includes sponsored lock screens. Removing them costs extra at checkout.
If you would rather skip Amazon, the Kobo Clara BW is the budget alternative, with warm light, waterproofing, library borrowing and no ads at any price.
- Our pick Kindle$149.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Clara BW$159.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If it is for a child
The Kindle Kids is the basic Kindle with a cover, a two-year guarantee that replaces it if it breaks, and six months of Amazon Kids+, Amazon's library of children's books. There are no apps, games or videos, which is the point.
Parents' complaints are consistent: page turns and menus feel slow, and getting a library book onto a child profile takes several steps. The Colorsoft Kids costs more and brings color for comics and picture books, with a year of Amazon Kids+.
- Our pick Kindle Kids$179.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle Colorsoft Kids$299.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you are replacing an old Kindle
If your Kindle is several years old, the current Paperwhite is a real step up. Pages turn faster, it charges over USB-C, the screen is 7 inches, and it's waterproof, with a warm light for reading at night.
Two things former owners miss. No current Kindle has physical page-turn buttons, which is why some Oasis and Voyage owners moved to the Kobo Libra Colour. And your old cover will not fit.
Your Kindle library comes with you when you sign in with the same Amazon account.
- Our pick Kindle Paperwhite$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition$249.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Libra Colour$259.46 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
If you would rather not be tied to Amazon
Books bought from Amazon open only on Kindles and in Kindle apps, and a Kindle won't open an EPUB file until Amazon converts it. If you buy ebooks from other stores, keep your own files or want no ads, look at Kobo.
The Kobo Libra Colour is the pick: a 7-inch color screen, page-turn buttons, built-in library borrowing, and EPUB and comic files you can drag straight onto it.
Two more open options come with trade-offs. The BOOX Go Color 7 runs Android with Google Play, so the Kindle, Kobo and Libby apps can sit side by side, but owners describe a long setup and some ghosting, and it's only splash-resistant. The PocketBook InkPad Color 3 has a 7.8-inch screen that some reviewers call the best color panel they tried, but it is slow, and several owners received units with a gap around the screen.
- Our pick Kobo Libra Colour$259.46 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good BOOX Go Color 7 Gen II$289.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good PocketBook InkPad Color 3$345.00 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
Kindle or Kobo?
Choose Kindle if you use Kindle Unlimited, listen on Audible, or already own a shelf of Kindle books. Those three decide it on their own.
Choose Kobo if you borrow from the library, buy ebooks anywhere but Amazon, or want no ads. Kobo's store is smaller, and some owners report library sync hiccups, but no Kindle matches its built-in borrowing.
- Our pick Kindle Paperwhite$199.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
- Also good Kobo Clara BW$159.99 at AmazonAmazon price as of Sep 15, 8:21 PM ET
Should you wait for a sale?
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale runs October 6 and 7, and Amazon usually discounts its own Kindles for it. If you can wait until then, wait.
Every e-reader in this guide
Kindle
Amazon · 2024 · 6″ black and white
The entry-level Kindle, and a good one. Its 6-inch screen is as sharp as the Paperwhite's, it fits a jacket pocket, and it reads the whole Kindle store and Kindle Unlimited.
Skip it if you read in the tub, by the pool, or late at night. It has no waterproofing and no warm light.
What owners say. Owners like the size and the value, and many say it is quicker than the Kindle it replaced. The complaints: a touchscreen that sometimes wants a firmer tap, a tap that turns several pages at once, and a plastic back that scratches easily.
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon · 2024 · 7″ black and white
The Kindle most people should buy. A 7-inch screen with warm light, IPX8 waterproofing, USB-C and a battery claim of up to 12 weeks.
Skip it if you want page-turn buttons or color. No current Kindle has buttons, and color means the Colorsoft.
What owners say. Owners praise the glare-free screen, the warm light at bedtime, charges that last for weeks, and page turns faster than older Kindles. Most complaints are about individual units: a touchscreen that stopped responding after months, a back gesture that often fails to register, and slow support when something breaks.
Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
Amazon · 2024 · 7″ black and white
The Paperwhite with extras: a light that adjusts itself to the room, wireless charging (the dock is sold separately) and 32GB of storage.
Skip it if your library is an ordinary size. The base Paperwhite has the same screen, battery and waterproofing, and 16GB holds thousands of books.
What owners say. Owners single out the self-adjusting warm light and fast page turns even with big libraries. A few report blurry patches or yellowing on their screen, and owners split on whether the extras are worth paying for.
Kindle Colorsoft
Amazon · 2025 · 7″ color
Amazon's color Kindle. A 7-inch screen shows covers, comics and highlights in soft color, with warm light, IPX8 waterproofing and no lock-screen ads.
Skip it if you mostly read novels. Text is a little less crisp and the page a little darker than on a Paperwhite, and the battery claim drops to 8 weeks.
What owners say. Owners who read comics, graphic novels and illustrated books call the color a real upgrade, and many grow to like the muted palette. Early units shipped with a yellow band along the bottom of the screen, and owners of recent units mostly report it gone. First-time buyers are often surprised by how muted the colors look next to a tablet.
Kindle Scribe
Amazon · 2025 · 11″ black and white
An 11-inch Kindle with a pen in the box. You can fill notebooks, mark up PDFs and bring in documents from Google Drive or OneDrive, and it is a fine big-screen reader as well.
Skip it if you only read. The Paperwhite reads the same books for far less, and the Scribe isn't waterproof.
What owners say. Owners praise a writing feel close to paper and accurate handwriting-to-text conversion. The most repeated complaint is a front light that looks uneven across the screen, and a few owners found spots where the pen did not register, in one case on a replacement too.
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft
Amazon · 2025 · 11″ color
The Scribe in color, with ten pen colors, five highlighters and an 11-inch color screen for annotating documents and reading illustrated books.
Skip it if you read black-and-white manga or scanned pages. Owners say this screen is noticeably darker than the black-and-white Scribe's, and low contrast hurts exactly that material.
What owners say. Owners like color-coding their notes and say the pen feels smooth and accurate. The steady complaint is a darker, lower-contrast screen, and some owners also report a resting palm turning the page mid-note.
Kindle Kids
Amazon · 2024 · 6″ black and white
The basic Kindle with a cover, a two-year guarantee that replaces it if it breaks, and six months of Amazon Kids+, Amazon's library of children's books. No apps, games or video.
Skip it if your child reads comics or picture books. The Colorsoft Kids shows them in color.
What owners say. Parents say their kids read more and like that nothing else competes for attention on it. The common complaints are slow page turns and menus, and a clumsy process for getting library books onto a child profile.
Kindle Colorsoft Kids
Amazon · 2025 · 7″ color
The Colorsoft for kids: color for comics and picture books, IPX8 waterproofing, a cover, the two-year guarantee and 12 months of Amazon Kids+.
Skip it if your child reads chapter books. The Kindle Kids covers that for less.
What owners say. Parents say color finally makes comics and graphic novels work for kids, and that it is quick enough for a seven-year-old. Some households report occasional freezes that need a restart, and purchased books that would not reach the child profile without a call to support.
Kobo Clara BW
Kobo · 2024 · 6″ black and white
Kobo's answer to the basic Kindle, with more in the box: warm light, IPX8 waterproofing, library borrowing on the device, EPUB support and no ads at any price.
Skip it if you use Kindle Unlimited or Audible, or own a library of Kindle books. None of those open on a Kobo.
What owners say. Former Kindle owners are its loudest fans, and they cite built-in library borrowing, no ads and EPUB files you can drag straight on. The complaints: freezes that some owners fix with a hard reset every few days, laggy typing, and occasional library sync hiccups.
Kobo Clara Colour
Kobo · 2024 · 6″ color
The Clara BW with a 6-inch color screen and multi-color highlighting. It is the smallest color e-reader in this guide.
Skip it if you mostly read text. The color layer makes the page darker than the Clara BW's, and some owners need the light on even in a bright room.
What owners say. Owners who tried both often prefer it to the Kindle Colorsoft for the interface and the price. The complaints: a darker page than Kobo's black-and-white models, a rainbow-like shimmer on some units, and slow library syncing for a few.
Kobo Libra Colour
Kobo · 2024 · 7″ color
Our pick for anyone who buys books outside Amazon: a 7-inch color screen, physical page-turn buttons, library borrowing on the device, Google Drive and Dropbox import, and support for Kobo's stylus.
Skip it if you're committed to Kindle Unlimited, Audible or your Kindle library. None of them work on it.
What owners say. Former Kindle Oasis and Voyage owners praise the page buttons and the grip, and several reviewers who compared the two say its text and color beat the Kindle Colorsoft's. Owners call the colors muted, which most accept as normal for color e-ink, and some say the optional stylus handles a resting palm badly.
BOOX Go Color 7 Gen II
BOOX · 2025 · 7″ color
An Android tablet with a 7-inch color e-ink screen. It runs Google Play, so the Kindle, Kobo, Libby and Audible apps all fit on one device, and it adds page buttons, a speaker and a microSD slot.
Skip it if you want it to work out of the box, or you read in the tub. Owners describe days of tuning settings, and it's only splash-resistant.
What owners say. Owners love having every reading app in one place. Many also describe a steep learning curve, ghosting they clear with a manual refresh button, darker and more muted color, and a battery that lasts one to two weeks rather than a month.
PocketBook InkPad Color 3
PocketBook · 2023 · 7.8″ color
A 7.8-inch color e-reader, the biggest screen here short of the Scribe, with page buttons on the front, a speaker, text-to-speech, IPX8 waterproofing and wide file support.
Skip it if speed matters to you. Owners describe slow menus and slow-opening comic files, and it can't open Kindle books.
What owners say. Several reviewers who compared color e-readers side by side call its screen the sharpest and brightest they tried. The complaints are serious ones: sluggish navigation, and several reports of a gap opening between the screen and the frame, sometimes on replacement units too.
Questions readers ask
- Can you use Kindle Unlimited on a Kobo?
- No. Kindle Unlimited books open only on Kindle e-readers and in Amazon's Kindle apps. The one e-reader in this guide that gets around it is the BOOX Go Color 7, which runs Android and can install the Kindle app.
- Can a Kindle play audiobooks?
- Yes. Current Kindles play Audible audiobooks through Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. None has a headphone jack or a built-in speaker.
- Which Kindles are waterproof?
- The Paperwhite, Paperwhite Signature Edition, Colorsoft and Colorsoft Kids are rated IPX8, which Amazon says covers 2 meters of fresh water for 60 minutes. The basic Kindle, the Kindle Kids and the Scribe models are not waterproof.
- Can I borrow library books on a Kindle?
- In the US, yes, through the Libby app. You borrow the book in Libby on a phone or computer and send it to your Kindle through your Amazon account. Kobo e-readers have borrowing built in, so the whole loan happens on the device.
- Is the Kindle Colorsoft worth it over the Paperwhite?
- Only if you read in color. The Colorsoft shows comics, cookbooks and covers in muted color, but its text is a little less crisp, its page is darker, and its battery claim is up to 8 weeks against the Paperwhite's 12. For novels, the Paperwhite is the better buy.
- How long does an e-reader battery last?
- Weeks. Amazon claims up to 12 weeks for the Paperwhite and up to 6 for the basic Kindle, based on half an hour of reading a day with wireless off. Color screens and Bluetooth listening use more power, and owners of the Android-based BOOX report one to two weeks.
- Do Kindles have ads?
- Most show sponsored lock screens by default, including the basic Kindle and the Paperwhite, and removing them costs extra. The Colorsoft is always ad-free. Kobo, BOOX and PocketBook show no ads at any price.
- Can a Kindle read EPUB files?
- Not directly. Send the EPUB with Amazon's Send to Kindle and Amazon converts it for you. Kobo, BOOX and PocketBook open EPUB files as they are.
Deciding on a membership too? Read whether Kindle Unlimited is worth it or how it compares with Audible.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support the site at no extra cost to you.