Kindle vs. Kobo eReader App Review

Being an avid reader, I decided to try out a couple of the eReader Apps for my iPhone; Amazon’s Kindle and Kobo.

I first started with the Kobo app and have to say I was impressed right from the start. Touting 1.8 million free eBooks, the App has so much more to offer. The interface is appealing,  easy to use and best of all, easily allows you to browse and search new books. The home screen (called I’m Reading) is set up so that you can view either in Shelf or List mode. The Discover section is excellent, allowing you to stumble upon books in various featured categories while the Browse section breaks down all the genres for you with a title count. You need a Kobo account to get books (NOT the same as a Chapters account) regardless if they’re free or not.

Reading is an enjoyable experience. You can swipe to turn pages or touch the bottom corners and tap the top-right to bookmark. Tap the middle of the page to get navigation and option controls including a slider to navigate through pages, a return button, a button to return to the I’m Reading section, a Contents button and an Options button. With the latter, you can choose your font size, adjust brightness, enable Night Reading Mode (white text on black), add or remove your bookmark and a button to go into the Settings with more options.

The Kindle App is naturally quite similar with some interface differances and added options to set it apart from Kobo. First, the Home screen simply lists your books and you don’t have the nice Shelf option. Plus, if you want to browse and/or purchase books, it switches over to Safari for you to browse the Kindle store, a feature I wasn’t too crazy about. Once you purchase a book, the web page does give you the option to continue shopping or go back to the app.

Reading in Kindle is very much the same with a few minor differences. You have more font size options but no option to change the font itself like in Kobo’s Settings page. Kindle does have the added text colour option of Sepia which is a nice touch, a search option and Book Extras.

Having tried each extensively, I’d have to give the edge to Kobo. The ability to browse and purchase books within the app makes for a better experience and the visual elements of the Bookshelf and page curls when thumbing through pages are nice, aesthetic touches that I think helps set Kobo apart from Kindle. Whatever your personal preferences in eReaders though, either of these are great and FREE!

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