# Alternatives to Kindle

Amazon's reading ecosystem.

Kindle ranks #7 of 8 in Ebook readers, with an Alt Score of 75. It is proprietary, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Web. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kindle/
Category: Ebook readers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Anyone who reads e-books and wants their library and reading progress available across phones, tablets, computers, and Kindle e-readers rather than tied to one device.
- **What you get**: Access to titles purchased or borrowed from the Kindle Store, plus supported library loans and personal document uploads. Adjustable text size, font, and layout for comfortable reading, with built-in dictionary, translation, and X-Ray lookups. Whispersync automatically saves your furthest page read, bookmarks, and notes so you can switch devices without losing your place. Offline reading is supported once content is downloaded to a device.
- **How it works**: You buy or borrow a book through the Kindle Store (or send a personal document to your Kindle library), it downloads to the Kindle app or e-reader you're using, and Whispersync keeps your page position and annotations synced whenever you open it on another registered device.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Calibre](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/calibre.md) | 90 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [Moon+ Reader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/moon-reader.md) | 90 | Proprietary | Android |
| 3 | [KOReader](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/koreader.md) | 80 | AGPL-3.0 | Android, Linux |
| 4 | [Librera](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/librera.md) | 80 | GPL-3.0 | Android, macOS |
| 5 | [Apple Books](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-books.md) | 75 | ? | iOS, macOS |
| 6 | [Google Play Books](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/google-play-books.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Android, iOS, Web |
| 7 | [ReadEra](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/readera.md) | 35 | Proprietary | Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Ebook readers checklist | Kindle | Calibre | Moon+ Reader | KOReader | Librera | Apple Books |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free | ? | Free | ? | Free |
| License | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | ? |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Android | Android, Linux | Android, macOS | iOS, macOS |
| Formats (EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CBZ) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Sync position across devices | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annotation & highlights export | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| Dictionaries | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OPDS support | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Text-to-speech | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Page turn customization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Library management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DRM support | Yes | No | No | ? | ? | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Kindle. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TqLHvK6eo6O7DJVQoZ> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “the free Kindle app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Mac, and Fire tablets”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GAJYEL5VJLU5KF6L> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Buy Books for Your Kindle for Android App Buy Books for Your Kindle for iOS App Buy Books for Your Kindle for Windows App Buy Books for Your Kindle for Web App ... Install or Update the Kindle for Mac”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GLSBYFE9MGKKQXXM> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Amazon or its content providers grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and make personal and non-commercial use of the Amazon Services”
- **Starts at**: Free — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TqLHvK6eo6O7DJVQoZ> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “the free Kindle app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Mac, and Fire tablets”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GZSM7D8A85WKPYYD> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The Legacy Kindle app (previously called Kindle for PC) isn't supported as of June 30, 2026. Supported Operating Systems: Windows: Windows 11.”
- **Formats (EPUB, PDF, MOBI, CBZ)**: Partial — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G5WYD9SAF7PGXRNA> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: EPUB and PDF via Send to Kindle; no CBZ.
  - Quote: “Send to Kindle supports the following file types: HTML (.HTML, .HTM) RTF (.RTF) Text (.TXT) JPEG (.JPEG, .JPG) GIF (.GIF) PNG (.PNG) BMP (.BMP) PDF (.PDF) EPUB (.EPUB)”
- **Sync position across devices**: Yes — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GGFEXXS8Z7DPJSTN> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Sync automatically backs up and saves data from your Kindle devices and apps, including your reading position, notes, and highlights, to Amazon's servers. Saved data syncs with all Kindle apps and dev”
- **Dictionaries**: Yes — <https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17717476011> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Dictionary lookup When you come across a word you don't know, you can quickly look up dictionary definitions right from your book. Just press and hold a word, then release to see the definition.”
- **Text-to-speech**: Yes — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TqLHvK6eo6O7DJVQoZ> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Assistive Reader uses your device's OS-level Text-to-Speech engines to read aloud the text of the book.”
- **Page turn customization**: Yes — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=TABlJ4ot69emTO8jJG> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Continuous Scrolling : Read by scrolling vertically instead of swiping pages.”
- **Library management**: Yes — <https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=T4KX4ALDBNr9flMGqC> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Collections are folders that you create to organize your library and easily find your Kindle books and documents.”
- **DRM support**: Yes — <https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GDDXGH9VR22ACM8U> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Applying DRM limits reader access to Kindle apps and devices only.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/