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The complaint on r/ereader is rarely about the hardware. It is that you do not own what you buy.
In February 2025 Amazon removed the option to download your purchased books and transfer them by USB, which made that concrete.
Prices and availability were checked on 14 September 2026.
The best Kindle alternatives at a glance
One device that reads library books natively, one that runs any app you like, and the free software that keeps your library yours.
Kobo
The straight swap
Devices from entry to premiumBoox
Android, reads anything
Devices, mid to premiumCalibre
Own your library
Free, open sourceKobo
Kindle, without Amazon
The obvious replacement, and the only one that feels like a finished Kindle rival. Crisp screens, warm front light, waterproof models, and a store with most of what Amazon has. Two things matter more than the hardware: it reads EPUB natively, so books from anywhere open without conversion, and library borrowing is built in rather than bolted on. Kobo books still carry DRM, so this fixes the lock-in, not ownership.
Free tier: Free content: yes. OverDrive library borrowing is built into the device in supported countries, so library books arrive without a computer.
Boox
The one that runs anything
An Android tablet with an e-ink screen, which means you are not choosing a bookstore at all: install Libby for library loans, Kindle for books you already bought, and a file manager for everything else. The Palma models are phone-sized and genuinely pocketable. The trade-offs are real: battery life is shorter than a dedicated reader, and software polish varies between models.
Free tier: Free content: whatever you can install. It runs Android, so Libby, Kindle, Kobo, Google Play Books and your own files all work.
PocketBook
Reads every format
European, and notable for supporting more file formats out of the box than anything else here, including the awkward ones a decade of downloading leaves you with. Several models have physical page buttons and audio for audiobooks over Bluetooth. The store is weak and the interface is plain; buy it for the format support and load your own books.
Free tier: Free content: yes, via open formats and library apps; no purchase required from any single store.
Libby
Free books from your library
Not a device, and the most valuable thing on this page. Libby borrows ebooks and audiobooks from your public library for nothing, and sends them straight to a Kobo or any Android e-reader. Most people paying for books every month have a card in a drawer that would cover half of them. Waiting lists for popular titles are the only real cost.
Free tier: Free tier: yes, completely. All you need is a library card from a participating library.
Calibre
The library that outlives stores
Free software that manages your ebook collection on your own computer: converts between formats, fixes metadata and covers, and sends books to any reader over USB or email. If the ownership question is what brought you here, this is the practical answer, because a library sitting in a folder you control cannot be changed by a policy update. It also runs a personal server so you can read your own collection anywhere.
Free tier: Free tier: yes. Free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Apple Books
Fine, if you are already Apple
Included on every iPhone and iPad, syncs highlights and position across devices, and reads EPUB files you add yourself without fuss. Reading on a phone is worse for your eyes and your attention than e-ink, which is the honest caveat. But if you want to stop buying from Amazon this week and not buy hardware, this is the zero-cost move.
Free tier: Free tier: the app is free and includes a catalogue of free public-domain titles.
| # | Tool | Best for | Free tier | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Kobo | Kindle, without Amazon | Store purchases plus free library loans | A range of devices from entry to premium |
| 02 | Boox | The one that runs anything | Any store app you install | Devices from mid-range to premium |
| 03 | PocketBook | Reads every format | Open formats, no store lock-in | Devices, entry to mid-range |
| 04 | Libby | Free books from your library | Yes, entirely free | Free with a library card |
| 05 | Calibre | The library that outlives stores | Yes, fully free | Free, open source |
| 06 | Apple Books | Fine, if you are already Apple | Free app and free classics | Free app, pay per book |
The reason people actually leave
It is not the screen. Kindle hardware is good and the ecosystem works.
A thread on r/ereader in August 2026 put it plainly: the poster was moving away from Amazon ebooks because you do not truly own the material you purchase. That sentiment has a specific cause. On 26 February 2025, Amazon removed the “Download & Transfer via USB” option, which had been the way to keep a local copy of a book you had paid for.
Before that change, a purchased Kindle book could be downloaded to your computer and archived. After it, your books live in Amazon’s cloud and arrive on your device over the air. The practical difference is that a licence you cannot copy is a licence somebody else administers.
This is not unique to Amazon. Almost every major store sells DRM-protected files, including Kobo and Apple. What is unusual is that Amazon closed the exit.
Kindle alternatives compared
What each one costs and what you get free, checked on 14 September 2026.
Separate the device from the bookstore
The single most useful idea on this page, and the one Amazon’s design discourages.
A Kindle is a reader welded to a shop. Every other option here lets you pick the two separately.
Device only. Kobo, PocketBook and Boox will all read files you already have. Buy the hardware you like and ignore its store entirely.
Books only. Libby borrows from your public library for free. Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg give away well-produced public-domain titles. Kobo, Apple and Google all sell books that open on more than one device.
The glue. Calibre converts between formats and sends books to whatever you are holding.
Once those are separate, no single company’s policy change can strand your library. That is the actual upgrade, more than any screen.
Formats, briefly, because it decides everything
EPUB is the open standard almost every store and reader outside Amazon uses. Kobo, PocketBook, Boox and Apple Books all read it natively. Amazon’s own formats are proprietary, though modern Kindles will accept an EPUB you email to them and convert it on arrival.
Two practical notes. DRM-free EPUB files, which is what you get from Standard Ebooks, Gutenberg, many indie publishers and most technical publishers, work everywhere forever with no account. And Calibre will convert between formats, but it cannot remove DRM from a protected file, so the format is only half the question. Buying DRM-free where you have the option is the only thing that genuinely secures a library.
If you want to stop buying books entirely
Worth stating, because it is the cheapest recommendation on this page and most people skip it.
A public library card plus Libby covers ebooks and audiobooks at no cost, on a phone, a Kobo or an Android e-reader. For most readers that replaces the majority of what they were buying. The constraint is waiting lists on new releases, and many library systems let you join more than one authority, which shortens them.
Combine that with Standard Ebooks for classics and you have a reading habit with no monthly cost and nothing that can be revoked.
How we test and price these tools
Prices and availability were checked on 14 September 2026. Hardware in this category is discounted constantly, so we describe where each device sits rather than quoting a figure that will be wrong next week.
For e-readers we weigh three things above screen specifications: which formats the device reads without conversion, whether library borrowing works on the device itself, and whether you can get your own files onto it easily. Those decide whether you are buying a reader or joining an ecosystem.
We read current threads on r/ereader and r/kindle, so the views here are from this year. No vendor pays for a place on this list.
01 Do I really not own my Kindle books?
You own a licence, not a file. In February 2025 Amazon removed the Download and Transfer via USB option, so purchased books can no longer be archived to your computer and live in Amazon cloud instead. Most stores sell DRM-protected books, but Amazon is unusual in closing that route.
02 What is the best Kindle alternative?
Kobo for most people: comparable hardware, a full store, native EPUB support and library borrowing built into the device. Boox if you want to install whatever apps you like, including Libby and Kindle side by side. PocketBook if you have a decade of files in awkward formats.
03 Can I read library books on a Kindle alternative?
Yes, and more easily than on a Kindle. Kobo has OverDrive borrowing built in, so library loans arrive on the device without a computer. Boox runs the Libby app directly. All you need is a card from a participating public library, and it costs nothing.
04 Will my existing Kindle books work on another device?
Not directly, because they are DRM-protected in Amazon own formats. The Kindle app on a Boox or a phone will read them, which is the practical route to keeping access. Books you bought DRM-free, and anything from Gutenberg or Standard Ebooks, move anywhere.
05 What is the cheapest way to keep reading?
A library card and Libby, which costs nothing for ebooks and audiobooks and works on a phone or any Android e-reader. Add Standard Ebooks and Project Gutenberg for classics. For many readers that replaces most of what they were buying each month.
06 What is EPUB and why does it matter?
It is the open ebook standard used by almost every store and reader outside Amazon, and it means a file opens on any device. Kobo, PocketBook, Boox and Apple Books read it natively. Buying DRM-free EPUB is the only way to be sure a book stays readable regardless of what any company decides later.
07 Is Calibre worth setting up?
If ownership is why you are here, yes. It keeps your library on your own computer, fixes metadata and covers, converts between formats, and sends books to any reader. It cannot strip DRM from protected files, so it works best alongside buying DRM-free where you can.
Browse every alternatives guide, or start with the media category.