Kobo Plus vs Kindle Unlimited: Who Comes Out on Top in 2025?

A Comprehensive Comparison Between Kobo Plus and Kindle Unlimited

This section gives a very detailed comparsion between these two leading eBook subscription service from perspectives of pricing, subscription options, library size, download and offline reading limitation, global availibity, cancellation and refund policy, author support mechanism and real-user feedback.

Subscription Options and Pricing

When it comes to pricing, Kobo Plus clearly has the advantage. Its subscription service offers more flexibility and options, allowing you to subscribe based on your needs without worrying about forced bundles. The standard plan is $9.99/month and includes both eBooks and audiobooks. You can also choose a $7.99/month subscription for eBooks only or audiobooks only. This is ideal for users who prefer to focus on a single reading format, since many people enjoy either eBooks or audiobooks but aren't interested in paying for both.

Kindle Unlimited costs $11.99/month for both reading and audiobook services, but it occasionally offers promotions like discounted prices or extended free trials for Amazon Prime members during Prime Day and Black Friday. 

In addition, both Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus offer 30-day free trials, so users can explore available content and service features before committing to a subscription. Whether it's Kobo Plus or Kindle Unlimited, when your trial period ends, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid plan, and the fee will be deducted from your account. What differs is the way they compensate authors during these periods. Kindle Unlimited pays authors based on the number of pages read by trial users, drawing from a shared subscription fund. Kobo Plus, on the other hand, doesn't pay authors for reads during the free trial, as a measure to prevent abuse through inflated reading activity. 

Library Size

As for the scale and variety of available eBooks, Kindle Unlimited stands out. While it does cost a few dollars more each month, many would agree it's well worth the price. With Kindle Unlimited, you get access to over 4 million titles along with a large collection of audiobooks. The selection spans a wide range of genres, and it even includes current news, textbooks, and magazines for subscribers in some certain countries. If having a vast and diverse library is important to you, and you want the freedom to explore more of the books you're interested in, Kindle Unlimited offers one of the most comprehensive reading experiences out there.

Compared to the massive library offered by Kindle Unlimited, Kobo Plus does have its limitations — magazines, for example, aren't included. Nevertheless, Kobo Plus still offers a solid and well-rounded selection of books. The service covers a wide range of genres, with particularly strong offerings in areas like history and manga. It also provides access to more niche categories, making it enjoyable for readers who like to explore beyond the mainstream.

Still, when looking at the overall depth and variety of the catalog, there's clearly room for growth. Kobo Plus would benefit from expanding its selection further in the future to better meet the needs of avid readers with a wide-ranging taste.

However, a service advertises a large library does not mean it always offers the books you want to read. Both Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus claim to have millions of titles, but the majority of them are self-published works. It is also worth mentioning that the eBooks you are looking for may not be available on the platform at all. Some authors, for example, only include the first book in a series on Kindle Unlimited to entice users to buy the remainder separately. Furthermore, many works accessible on Kindle are unavailable on other platforms since Kindle Unlimited demands authors to publish solely with them. It should be noted that the books available are not always the same in different parts of the country. It'd better to examine each platform's catalog before committing, merely to ensure that the books you're looking for are available.

Download and Offline Reading Limitation

Many readers like to disconnect their devices from WiFi, either while travelling, or simply to save on battery life. Kindle Unlimited lets you have up to 20 books downloaded at a time for offline reading. Of course, as long as you're connected to the internet, you can still access other titles. You just won't be able to read them without a connection.

On a Kobo eReader or in the Kobo App, you can download and read up to 15 titles offline for up to 30 days. After finishing those books or reaching the 30-day limit, you'll need to reconnect to WiFi and sync your device. Once synced, another set of up to 15 Kobo Plus books can be accessed offline for the next 30 days. If a subscriber has 15 eBooks downloaded while downloading another eBook, the oldest eBook on the device will be automatically removed when a new eBook is downloaded. 

Availability

In the beginning, Kobo Plus was available in only several countries. It first launched in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2020, and later expanded to Canada in the same year. At first, its reach was limited and the service wasn't widely known. But Kobo has been steadily growing, showing strong momentum. By 2021, Kobo Plus had expanded into Australia and New Zealand. In April 2023, it made a significant leap by launching in the US and the UK, two of the biggest markets for digital reading, further boosting its visibility. As of June 2025, Kobo Plus is now available in more than 20 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.

In contrast, Kindle Unlimited which once excels Kobo Plus in terms of geographic availability hasn't expanded much in recent years. Backed by Amazon, Kindle Unlimited quickly launched in a number of countries. Despite its early lead, it remains available in just a dozen countries today. As competition in the digital reading space heats up, Kobo Plus's ongoing expansion and Kindle Unlimited's relative stagnation have sparked new discussions within the industry about what the future of eBook subscription services might look like.

Supported Devices

Both Kobo Plus and Kindle Unlimited work across a variety of devices. You can use them with their dedicated e-readers, or simply download the official free apps on your phone or tablet. There's also desktop software available if you prefer reading on a computer. So even if you don't own a Kindle or Kobo device, you can still enjoy these subscription services. Moreover, your reading progress is also automatically synchronized across these devices, which means if you switch to the eReader halfway through reading on your phone, the eReader will also automatically synchronize where you were last reading. 

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Signed up but realized the subscription's not right for you? No worries, both Kobo Plus and Kindle Unlimited let you cancel anytime. But neither service offers refunds. You'll still have access to your membership and any borrowed books until the end of your current billing cycle. After that, you will lose access to any content and borrowed Kindle Unlimited/Kobo Plus books.

Not Just About Readers: What's in It for Authors?

Many subscribers also care about how these services treat authors, and there are some clear differences between Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus when it comes to author partnerships and royalty structures.

Kindle Unlimited requires authors to sign an exclusivity agreement, meaning their eBooks can only be published through Amazon. Royalties are based on the number of pages read, and authors can earn up to 70% if their book is priced between $2.99 and $9.99. However, due to low royalty rates, the flood of AI-generated content crowding out quality work, and issues with takedowns and false piracy claims have led many writers to leave the platform.

Kobo Plus, on the other hand, doesn't require exclusivity. Authors are free to publish their work across multiple platforms without concerning obeying regulations. Moreover, royalties are calculated based on reading time, which is better than Kindle Unlimited's quickly dwindling "pot" payment method. In addition, Kobo declared in their most recent TOS that authors will be paid if a reader rereads their work in the program, which Kindle Unlimited does not give. This more flexible and creator-friendly model has made Kobo Plus increasingly popular among authors seeking diverse income streams.

Feedback from Subscribers

Both Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus gain positive feedback from active readers on forums, especially those who consume several books per month. Kindle Unlimited stands out for sheer volume and frequent enjoyment with fast reading habits. On the other hand, Kobo Plus is favored by users who appreciate discovering new authors and flexibility in reading across devices and genres. However, Kindle Unlimited can feel overwhelming due to self-published content, and Kobo Plus may lack popular mainstream titles that some subscribers seek. Here is a list of their pros and cons summarized from subscribers' comments on Reddit.

📍Kindle Unlimited

👍Pros

• Ideal for avid readers: "Kindle Unlimited has a fantastic selection though, so if you do read quickly (3-4 books a month) I think it's completely worth it."
• Large Library Size: "Huge library of content. If you aren't picky or set in your ways of a very specific author or style of writing, then it's certainly great."

👎Cons

• Cluttered content: "You have to wade through the mountains of slush piles of self‑published crapola."

📍Kobo Plus

👍Pros

• A cheaper alternative to buying books: "I have been using Kobo Plus for 2 years now. I find enough books I like to make it worth it. It's a cheaper alternative to buying the amount of books I read in a month."
• Great for exploring new authors & niche genres: "I find lots of new-to-me authors through Kobo Plus and it's been very good value for me."

👎Cons

• Limited Selection: "I took advantage of there free trial but I will be cancelling prior to renewal. I don't find their selection great."

Kindle Unlimited vs Kobo Plus: The Final Verdict

We've now taken a close look at Kobo Plus and Kindle Unlimited from multiple angles, ultimately, the "winner" really depends on what kind of reading experience you're after. If you have a generous budget and want access to a massive library with popular titles (especially magazines), Kindle Unlimited might be the way to go. But if you're looking for greater pricing and better value, hoping to discover hidden gems, and want a service that's more supportive of indie authors, Kobo Plus could be your best bet. Anyway, since both platforms offer a 30-day free trial, why not give them a shot and see which one feels most comfortable with your reading style and preferences?

Bonus: How to Read Your Kobo/Kindle eBooks on Other Devices?

EBooks bought from Kobo or Kindle usually can only be read on their respective eReaders or apps. That really makes it tricky for readers to manage their digital libraries, and significantly restricts their freedom to read across different devices. To tackle this problem, here's a great recommendation for eBook management tools: BookFab Kindle Converter and BookFab Kobo Converter. These tools remove DRM protection and convert files to universal EPUB format, finally solving the backup and compatibility issues that have haunted users of these two eBook giants.