You often see people online saying they want to switch from Kindles to a different ereader brand for some reason or another (they want an ereader with page buttons, they don’t like something that Amazon did, they’re fed up with Kindles deleting their sideloaded ebooks, etc), and most people recommend Kobo as an alternative to Amazon.
I agree that Kobo is the best option if you want to get away from Amazon and their locked down ebook system, but I would argue that the best option is to simply embrace both platforms. Having a Kindle ereader and a Kobo ereader opens up more options. Why do some people feel like they have to be loyal to just one brand?
There are some people that prefer Boox devices because they can read Kindle ebooks and Kobo ebooks, among others, on the same device using Android apps. Android apps aren’t optimized for E Ink and apps usually offer less features than dedicated ereaders (Kobo’s Android app is pretty awful, frankly), so this isn’t as good of an option as you might think it is. The Kindle app works pretty well on Boox devices, especially ones that support BSR, but you’d probably be better off removing the DRM from your ebooks and using the built-in NeoReader app on Boox devices, or something like KOReader.
One of the worst things about Amazon that some people don’t know about is their exclusivity rules. A lot of ebooks are only available through Amazon; most authors that use Kindle Unlimited aren’t allowed to sell their ebooks elsewhere.
If you stop using Kindles entirely then you won’t be able to purchase certain ebooks anymore. Kobo’s platform is also seriously lacking when it comes to stuff like comics and magazines.
But Kobo offers a number of advantages when it comes to their software. Kobos have more customization options, they don’t make you pay an extra $20 to show book covers on the sleep screen instead of advertisements, they work seamlessly with Calibre, they support more formats, and you can do different things with your Kobo like install an alternative reading app such as KOReader without having to jailbreak your device.
One thing people miss when switching from Kindle to Kobo is the fact that Kobo doesn’t sync sideloaded books like Kindles do. If you want to exclusively use one platform then you’re going to have to give up certain features one way or another.
If you really want to stick it to Amazon, buy your ebooks from Kobo, remove the DRM, and then use Send to Kindle to have Amazon backup your Kobo ebooks for free, so then you can read the same ebooks on Kindles and Kobos if you want to.
I like switching back and forth between Kindles and Kobos. I’ll admit that I rarely buy ebooks from Kobo because I simply despise Adobe Digital Editions and refuse to have it installed on any of my computers, but Kobos are great for borrowing ebooks from public libraries. They have OverDrive support built-in so you can get library ebooks directly on Kobos without having to use a separate device, and that’s pretty convenient (you can actually borrow ebooks directly on Kindles now too ever since they updated the web browser, but it’s not integrated into the store like it is on Kobos).
I see a lot of people wanting to switch from Kindles to Kobos, or vice versa, but I think the best option is to use both to take advantage of the upsides of each platform. You can get a basic Kindle on sale for under $100, and the Kobo Clara BW is $129, so you can get both for less than the price of one of the more expensive models. I’ve been using the Boox Palma 2 lately and I like it a lot, but damn, you can buy a Kindle and a Kobo for less and still have money left over for ebooks.
