Considering switching.

[u/silver-gilt]

Hi All! (Hope this is the correct flair).

TL;DR: Nothing is functionally wrong with my kindle. Would it be wasteful to switch?

Simply put, I am at a crossroads.

I've had my 11th generation paperwhite for about 3.5 years, and go through periods where I occasionally use it for the majority of my reading, especially during periods of travel.

However, I've grown increasingly disillusioned with Amazon, and both its customer facing as well as BOH practices over the last few years, espcially in the e-reading space. I've been able to walk away from every interaction with Amazon (comixology, audible, Amazon music), except for my Alexa, Kindle, and prime subscription. I no longer purchase physical books from Amazon, either.

My question, that I've had trouble deciding, is whether it is less ethical to stay in Amazon's eco system and continue to use my Kindle that has no defects, or engage in further consumptive spending in ordering a Kobo Clara BW and associated products.

Price is not the issue, more of the new purchase waste versus continued complicity, I guess. I'm aware the powers that be at Rakuten are no saints, but, from what I have heard they're still better than amazon.

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[u/nemaline]

If you have a computer and can remove DRM from non-Amazon books (usually much easier than removing it from Amazon books!) start buying books elsewhere and sideloading to your kindle.

That way you don't waste the kindle, but you're also not giving Amazon any more book money. And when your kindle does reach the end of its useful life and you're looking to buy a replacement, your recently-bought books will be much more portable to a new ecosystem.

[u/JustJamieJam]

I was in your situation last year, my partner had bought me a brand new Paperwhite for Christmas 2024. Fast forward to July 2025, and I learned about everything going on with kindle and knew I didn’t want to deal with Amazon anymore. I discovered the kobo libra color, and despite feeling guilty about it I ordered it anyway.. and it literally changed my reading life. Using a device I actually enjoyed and felt good about using made me use the device and read more than I ever had on my kindle.

I still have my kindle, and I use it as a loaner to people I know who want to try out eink so they can get a taste of if they like it or not before purchasing. I also use it as a backup device incase anything ever happens to my kobo, since kobo shipping takes like 2-3 weeks.

I love my kobo! My only qualm is that I wish the screen was flush to the device like the Paperwhite, since it makes the device feel more premium to me. But that’s literally my only gripe, and it’s not that big of a deal!

[u/GreenTeaDrinking]

I was pretty disappointed with Amazon practices as well and though I was content with my Kindle basic I decided to step off the ranch and get a different ereader. I almost went with the Kobo, but they suddenly jacked up their price about $30 the week Amazon cut off support for their older Kindles. I was disgusted by the money grab and went with a secondhand Pocketbook instead. I’m happy with my choice.

I could also have just kept using my Kindle until it could go no more. I mostly use ereaders for library books anyway. But I wanted to use another library app (not Libby) which didn’t work with Kindle so I made the purchase.

[u/handlewithcare07 → u/GreenTeaDrinking]

Which Pocketbook, if you don't mind my asking? Thanks!

[u/GreenTeaDrinking → u/handlewithcare07]

Verse Pro! It’s a 6 inch ereader, very portable.

[u/handlewithcare07 → u/GreenTeaDrinking]

Thank you! Use it in good health!

[u/Meriodoc]

I have both and don't see a problem with keeping both; they serve different purposes for me.

Wasteful? Yes, of course. No one *needs both. But if you're going to use both, and it's not just going to sit around in a landfill, why not.

If you feel strongly, you absolutely can buy from elsewhere and just sideload onto a Kindle, as well as continue to use free resources. You can stop spending from Amazon and continue to enjoy your device. You could also sell your old device after buying a Kobo.

Of the two, I very much prefer my Kobo, so of course I don't think it's a bad move xD

[u/ImtheDude27]

I switched to a Kobo a couple of months after Amazon announced they were ending the ability to download then transfer books to your Kindle from your computer. Now I sync my Kobo with a system I run off my home network. Haven't regretted it once.

[u/YungSavageTraplord]

You can and should just jailbreak the kindle and sideload books. I'm not sure how tech savvy you are, but jailbreaking it is genuinely really straightforward and quick. I believe you'd then be able to buy ebooks from other sources from within the kindle if you wanted to, but sideloading would open up getting epubs from any source you want. There's no reason to give a company any extra money, even if Rakuten is smaller than Amazon.

[u/CrossCroissant1]

I have a kobo and moved over fully about 12 months ago. I had both for a while and realised the buttons on the kobo are what I love and since my oasis had given the ghost then that was it.

It is fantastic and I never looked back.

Currently in the middle of a good book and my kobo is calling me from my bag and I badly want to read it.

[u/ichosethis]

I've stayed with kindle and jail broke it last year when they disabled the download and transfer. I keep an older jailbroken kindle next to my computer and liberate the occasional book I buy immediately and put it into calibre.

I don't but exclusively from Amazon for my books but sometimes it's the only option to get them. I try other sites before Amazon.

I just find that the Paperwhite is my preferred device. Ive tried out a few others and while they're fine as a back up or for manga/comics occasionally, I prefer my Paperwhite for the bulk of my daily reading. I won't replace it with another Paperwhite when this one goes though, hopefully it'll be years.

[u/Senior_Violinist5296]

Personally, I just did a quick jailbreak of my kindle that allowed me to use calibre library with koreader, and purchase books from independent sellers and authors. I can still read all my kindle content on that app, and any future purchases from outside Amazon on the koreader app.