The best e-readers of 2026

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.

111 of the books we’ve reviewed are included with Kindle Unlimited right now. Browse them, or see what Kindle Unlimited includes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

545 of the books we’ve reviewed have an Audible edition. Browse them, or start a free Audible trial.

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.

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.

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+.

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.

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.

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.