Kobo

A digital reading company founded in Canada, offering E-Readers, Ebooks and audiobooks.

Ad-Free Works Offline Open Data
Website

Purchased ebooks and audiobooks remain protected by DRM, and ownership by Rakuten, a large Japanese e-commerce group, means the platform ultimately serves a major commercial conglomerate rather than an independent company.Source: The Verge: How Rakuten, the Amazon.com of Japan, plans to make a name for itself in the US (2013)

Updated:

Why Kobo is an ethical alternative for E-Readers and Audiobooks

Rakuten Kobo is a digital reading company founded in Toronto and named after the Japanese word "kobo", meaning "atelier". Since its acquisition by Rakuten in 2012, it has grown into the most significant competitor to Amazon's Kindle in the e-reader market, offering a full hardware range from the compact Clara series to the note-taking Elipsa, alongside the Kobo ebook and audiobook storefront and the Kobo Plus subscription. Kobo devices natively accept sideloaded EPUB and PDF files, integrate with public library lending services such as Libby and OverDrive and support the widely used OverDrive and Pocketbook ecosystems, which means readers are not confined to a single retailer's catalogue.

Where the Kindle store functions as a gateway into Amazon's wider commercial and data empire, the Kobo Store confines itself to books, imposes no exclusivity regime that locks content away from other retailers, and shares revenue with independent bookshops through Kobo's bookstore partnership programmes, under which participating shops sell Kobo devices and receive a portion of ebook and audiobook revenue. Kobo devices also natively accept sideloaded EPUB and PDF files and integrate with public library lending services such as Libby and OverDrive, which means readers are not confined to Kobo's own catalogue at all. The reading experience itself, including the well-regarded ComfortLight adjustable front lighting and deep typographic customisation, is competitive with or superior to Amazon's equivalents.

Website

Sustainability Features of Kobo

Ad-Free - Services that do not display advertisements to users, ensuring a cleaner and more private experience.

Kobo e-readers display no advertisements on the device itself or on the sleep screen, and unlike Amazon's Kindle line there is no discounted, advertising-subsidised hardware tier.

Works Offline - Works even without internet connection

Once ebooks are downloaded or sideloaded, Kobo e-readers function entirely without an internet connection, and features such as annotation and adjustable front lighting are available offline.

Open Data - Supports open data standards and transparency, allowing users to access and control their data.

Kobo supports the open EPUB format, which prevents complete vendor lock-in for sideloaded content.

Website

Summary

Kobo is a viable alternative to Amazon's Kindle and Audible for readers and listeners who wish to escape Big Tech's grip without sacrificing convenience. Its marketplace sells both ebooks and audiobooks without exclusivity pressures on authors, its self-publishing portal offers creators a non-exclusive route to market, and its partnerships return revenue to independent bookshops rather than displacing them.

Sustainability Score
73

Other Sustainable Alternatives for E-Readers and Audiobooks

libro-fm logo

Libro.fm

An audiobook platform supporting local bookstores.

Neither the platform nor the listening apps display third-party advertisements; the service is funded entirely by audiobook sales and memberships.
Libro.fm operates no advertising ecosystem does not engage in cross-context behavioural tracking for advertising. It is a commercial company rather than an anonymised service, so account and purchase data are retained, but its data practices are modest in comparison with Big Tech competitors.
The DRM-free MP3 format ensures that purchases remain portable and free of lock-in.
Audiobooks can be downloaded for offline listening in the apps, and because the files are DRM-free, they can be transferred to any device and kept permanently without any connection.
Website
pocketbook logo

PocketBook

An e-reader manufaturer supporting an open ecosystem and user freedom.

PocketBook is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland.
PocketBook E-readers do not display ads, providing a clean, uninterrupted reading experience.
PocketBook devices are known for their privacy-focused approach, allowing users to disable Wi-Fi and sideload books without proprietary restrictions. The Linux-based OS also enhances user control over data
PocketBook E-readers use highly optimized Linux-based OS for e-paper displays, resulting in exceptional battery life (up to a month on a single charge).
Basic functionality, such as reading locally stored books, does not require registration or an account.
PocketBook eReaders are designed to work fully offline, allowing users to read without an internet connection
Website

Tolino

Ethical E-readers by a coalition of German book retailers.

Tolino is a brand developed by a consortium of German book retailers.
Tolino eReaders do not display ads to users, providing an uninterrupted reading experience.
Tolino emphasises user control over data and does not require extensive personal information for basic functionality, aligning with European privacy standards
While some features may require an account, basic eReader functionality (e.g., reading locally stored books) does not mandate registration.
Tolino eReaders are designed to work offline, allowing users to read downloaded eBooks without an internet connection
Website

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email