Sustainable Substitutes for Kindle

The popular E-book-reader by Amazon with privacy issues and monopolistic market share.

kindle logo

Reasons to avoid Kindle

Amazon Kindle should be avoided due to its monopolistic practices, privacy risks and AI-bloat. The product reinforces Amazon’s dominance in digital markets while prioritising profit over ethical and sustainable practices.

Choose a more ethical and sustainable e-reader.

Ethical and Sustainable Kindle Alternatives

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  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.
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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

The 6 main issues with Kindle

Big Tech - Big Tech companies do not nourish people and planet. This is especially true in times of political tension.

Amazon is one of the "Big Five" tech giants (alongside Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft), exerting significant control over digital markets, including e-books, cloud computing, and retail. Its dominance raises concerns about market power, anti-competitive practices, and the influence of a single corporation over multiple industries. Source: The Verge: Authors call on FTC to investigate Amazon’s alleged monopoly in the bookselling industry (2023)

Privacy Concerns - User data is likely to be stored and used against users' best interest.

Kindle devices and the Amazon ecosystem collect vast amounts of user data, including reading habits, annotations, and purchase history. This data is often used for targeted advertising and can be shared with third parties, raising privacy issues. Source: Wired: All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It (2021)

Lack of Transparency - Opacity in operations, data handling, or supply chains, making it difficult for users to understand practices.

Amazon has removed features like USB downloads for Kindle books and has been known to remotely delete or edit books without clear explanations, highlighting a lack of transparency in its policies and actions. Source: The Verge: Amazon will stop allowing Kindle book downloads to your PC soon (2025)

Monopoly - Market dominance that stifles competition and limits user choice.

Amazon dominates the e-book market, controlling over 80% of all e-books sold. This vertical integration allows Amazon to set terms that favor its own services, often at the expense of publishers, authors, and competitors. Source: The Verge: Authors call on FTC to investigate Amazon’s alleged monopoly in the bookselling industry (2023)

Tax Avoidance - Aggressive strategies are being deployed to avoid paying taxes.

Amazon has been accused of aggressive tax avoidance strategies, including routing profits through low-tax jurisdictions and exploiting loopholes to minimize its tax burden, which undermines public services and fair competition. Source: ZDNet: Amazon, Google accused of tax avoidance by U.K. lawmakers (2013)

Support of Authoritarian Regimes - Companies actively supporting, financing and legitimising regimes and unethical policies.

Amazon and Jeff Bezos support Donald Trump's agenda.Source: EthicalConsumer.org: The relationship between Amazon and Trump: profiting from power (2025)

Suggestions and Feedback

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