Kobo Plus vs. Kindle Unlimited: A Better Way to Read Outside Amazon?

If you are on a budget or just love subscription reading but would like to spend less money with Amazon, I have some very good news.

You do not have to give up unlimited ebooks.

Kobo Plus gives readers access to a huge subscription library of ebooks and audiobooks, including many of my books, without requiring a Kindle, an Amazon account, or even a Kobo eReader.

And in several important ways, I think Kobo Plus has a much more reader-friendly model than Kindle Unlimited.

So, if you've been wondering how to read my books outside Amazon, this is a great place to start.

What is Kobo Plus?

Kobo Plus is Rakuten Kobo's ebook and audiobook subscription service.

Think of it as an alternative to Kindle Unlimited.

You pay one monthly subscription price and get access to the books included in the Kobo Plus catalog.

Ready to try it? Start your Kobo Plus free trial here.

In the United States, Kobo currently offers three plans:

Plan	Includes	U.S. Price
Kobo Plus Read	1.5+ million ebooks	$7.99/month
Kobo Plus Listen	150,000+ audiobooks	$7.99/month
Kobo Plus Read & Listen	1.5+ million ebooks + 150,000+ audiobooks	$9.99/month

New U.S. subscribers currently get a 14-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time.

For comparison, Kindle Unlimited currently costs $11.99 per month in the United States.

That means Kobo Plus Read is $4 less every month, or $48 less over a year at the regular subscription prices.

Even Kobo's combined ebook AND audiobook plan is $2 per month cheaper than Kindle Unlimited.

Kobo Plus really does mean unlimited

This is one of my favorite differences.

Kindle Unlimited lets you borrow up to 20 eligible titles at a time. When you reach the limit, you have to return something before adding another book.

Kobo takes a different approach.

Kobo tells subscribers to add as many Kobo Plus titles as they'd like to their books.

So if you discover a 30-book alien romance series and immediately decide that every single dragon man belongs in your library?

Kobo isn't going to make you choose which 20 get through the door.

Add them.

Your future self can sort out the consequences.

Do I need to buy a Kobo eReader?

No.

This is probably the biggest misconception I want to clear up.

You can use Kobo Plus with the free Kobo Books app on your phone or tablet. You can also read on a compatible Kobo eReader.

So if you already have an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet, you can try Kobo Plus without purchasing another device.

Kobo Plus books can also be read offline. Kobo allows you to open up to 15 Kobo Plus books during an offline period before you'll need to reconnect and sync the app or eReader again. After syncing, you can disconnect and continue reading offline.

One small Apple quirk: you can't subscribe to or manage Kobo Plus directly inside the iOS Kobo app. You do that through Kobo's website, then open the app and download your books there.

How do I find books included with Kobo Plus?

It's simple.

Search Kobo for an author, title, series, or ISBN and choose the option to show Kobo Plus books.

Eligible books will be marked “Available with Kobo Plus,” “Included with Kobo Plus,” or “Free with Kobo Plus.”

Tap or click Add to My Books, and the book goes into your Kobo library.

There isn't a checkout deadline like a traditional library loan. Your access comes through your Kobo Plus subscription.

If you cancel the subscription, you lose access to the Kobo Plus books you haven't separately purchased.

Can I read Miranda Martin books with Kobo Plus?

YES.

This is the part I'm particularly excited about.

I'm moving more of my catalog outside Amazon, and many of my books are already available through Kobo Plus.

As of August 2026, Kobo is showing Kobo Plus access on books across several of my worlds and series, including:

Red Planet Dragons of Tajss

Red Planet Jungles of Tajss

Survivor Brides of Tajss

Survivor Brides of Tajss

Red Planet Fated Mates

Draconian Warriors

Dragons & Phoenixes

The Power of Twelve

and many more.

The easiest way to see what's available right now is to search Miranda Martin on Kobo and look for the Kobo Plus label.

I'm continuing to expand my books outside Amazon, so that selection will keep changing.

Why I like Kobo Plus for authors, too

Here's something readers usually never see.

Kobo Plus does not require authors to make their ebooks exclusive to Kobo.

Kobo describes Kobo Plus as a non-exclusive subscription program and explicitly tells authors that they can publish their books on other retailers at the same time.

That's a very different model from the system indie authors use to put ebooks into Kindle Unlimited.

Independent authors who enroll an ebook in Amazon's KDP Select program automatically put that ebook into Kindle Unlimited. During the 90-day KDP Select enrollment period, Amazon requires the ebook to remain exclusive to the Kindle Store. The author cannot sell or distribute that digital edition through another retailer or even through their own website during that exclusivity period.

That matters.

With Kobo Plus, I can give subscription readers access to a book and still sell that ebook directly from my own store, offer it through Kobo, Barnes & Noble and other retailers, and make it available in other places.

Readers get choices.

Authors get choices.

I like that arrangement quite a bit.

Does reading my book through Kobo Plus actually support me?

Yes.

A Kobo Plus read isn't simply Kobo giving my book away for free.

Kobo pays participating Kobo Writing Life authors based on the amount of time subscribers spend reading their books.

Each month, Kobo calculates subscription revenue and total minutes consumed. That determines a value per minute, and participating Kobo Writing Life authors receive a share based on the time readers spent with their books.

So when you're tearing through one of my books at two in the morning because apparently sleep is less important than finding out whether the enormous alien dragon warrior gets the girl...

That reading supports the author.

Please continue. For science.

Is Kobo Plus better than Kindle Unlimited?

For everyone?

No.

I don't think it would be honest to say that.

Amazon currently advertises a larger Kindle Unlimited catalog, and KU has an enormous number of independently published romance, fantasy and science-fiction books. Because Amazon's KDP Select program requires ebook exclusivity, some authors who choose KU simply cannot offer those same ebooks through Kobo.

So if most of your favorite authors are Amazon-exclusive KU authors, you may find books there that aren't available anywhere else.

But that's only half of the story.

Kobo Plus has its own catalog.

And readers who've tried both repeatedly make an interesting point: switching away from KU led them to discover books and authors they hadn't been seeing before.

Some Kobo readers report preferring the quality of the books they've discovered through Kobo Plus. Others particularly like its fantasy, science fiction, romance, historical romance, queer fiction, and foreign-language selections. There are also readers who prefer KU's larger selection, so your experience will depend heavily on what you read.

A very recent Kobo Plus subscriber described finding so many books they enjoyed that they hadn't needed to purchase an additional ebook for months. Another reader reported having 86 Kobo Plus titles already sitting on their device across fantasy, science fiction, manga and romance.

That's why I wouldn't recommend blindly cancelling one service and hoping for the best.

Try Kobo Plus free first.

Search for the authors you love.

Browse your favorite genres.

Fill up your library.

Then decide.

There's another Kobo advantage: libraries

This isn't technically part of Kobo Plus, but it's worth knowing if you're considering moving more of your reading outside Amazon.

Many Kobo eReaders include integration with public-library ebook borrowing through Libby/OverDrive in supported countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and several others.

That means one Kobo device can become a home for:

your purchased Kobo books, your Kobo Plus subscription books, your public-library ebooks, and ebooks you've obtained from other supported sources.

That's part of the larger reason some readers prefer Kobo. It's a less Amazon-centered reading ecosystem.

What I think Kobo Plus gets right

For me, the biggest difference isn't one feature.

It's the philosophy behind the service.

Kobo Plus gives readers subscription access without demanding that participating independent authors remove their ebooks from everywhere else.

It lets readers add as many Plus books as they want instead of maintaining a 20-title KU checkout shelf.

Its ebook-only subscription costs less than Kindle Unlimited.

Its combined ebook and audiobook subscription also costs less than Kindle Unlimited.

And you don't have to buy a Kobo eReader before you can try it.

Most importantly, it gives readers another genuine choice.

For a long time, it has felt as though being a voracious ebook reader automatically meant living inside Amazon's ecosystem.

It doesn't.

Want to try reading my books on Kobo Plus?

Start your Kobo Plus free trial here and then search Kobo for Miranda Martin.

Look for Free with Kobo Plus beneath the book.

Add anything that catches your eye.

Dragon warriors are encouraged. 🐉

I'm working hard to make my books available in more places so you can choose where you buy, where you subscribe, and how you read.

Your books shouldn't come with a required retailer.

And neither should your favorite authors.