Publishing · head to head
Everand vs Kobo Writing Life
Everand
Publishing
Unlimited ebook, audiobook, magazine and sheet music subscription, the consumer reading service formerly called Scribd
- From
- $11.99/month
- Rated
- -
Kobo Writing Life
Publishing
Rakuten Kobo self-publishing platform paying a 70% royalty with no delivery fee deduction and no upper price cap, a materially different structure from Amazon KDP
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Kobo Writing Life has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Everand the rebrand from Scribd to Everand has left search results and old links pointing at the wrong product, so users researching it need to know the current name to find accurate pricing and reviews.; Kobo Writing Life kobo overall market share is smaller than Amazon Kindle in the US specifically, so an author relying only on Kobo reaches a smaller US audience than KDP alone would.
- They diverge on capability: Everand covers Unlimited ebooks and audiobooks, Kobo Writing Life covers Free publishing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Everand and Kobo Writing Life actually diverge.
| Attribute | Everand | Kobo Writing Life |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $11.99/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Per user per month, unlimited | Free to publish; Kobo earns a royalty share rather than a fee |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | Web |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Everand
- Unlimited ebooks and audiobooks
- Magazines and sheet music
- Podcasts
- Offline access
- Curated documents
- Multi-device sync
Only in Kobo Writing Life
- Free publishing
- 70% royalty, no price ceiling
- No delivery fee
- Automatic price matching
- International reach
- Direct payment threshold
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Everand
- A reader who wants ebooks, audiobooks and magazines in one subscription instead of three separate onesnot Kobo Writing Life
- A musician or student who wants sheet music access alongside general readingnot Kobo Writing Life
- Someone who used to know this product as Scribd and wants the current consumer reading appnot Kobo Writing Life
- A reader who does not want to deal with library holds queues or eligibility rulesnot Kobo Writing Life
Kobo Writing Life
- An author with a long or image-heavy ebook wanting to avoid the delivery fee that would apply on KDP at the same pricenot Everand
- An author pricing a book above $9.99 who wants the 70% royalty without hitting the price ceiling that would apply on Amazon before its July 2026 expansionnot Everand
- A wide-distribution author targeting Canadian, UK or other international markets where Kobo has stronger relative reach than in the USnot Everand
- An author who wants to understand that price-matching to other retailers may automatically change their Kobo price without a manual updatenot Everand
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Everand
- The rebrand from Scribd to Everand has left search results and old links pointing at the wrong product, so users researching it need to know the current name to find accurate pricing and reviews.
- Some very popular or newly released audiobooks are subject to access limits despite the unlimited marketing, so it is not truly unlimited for every title in practice.
- Its ebook catalogue from major publishers is thinner in some genres than Kindle Unlimited, particularly for the newest bestsellers.
- Document and research content inherited from the original Scribd platform is mixed in with literary content, which some subscribers find cluttered.
- Regional catalogue availability varies, and titles available in the US subscription are not guaranteed to be available elsewhere.
Kobo Writing Life
- Kobo overall market share is smaller than Amazon Kindle in the US specifically, so an author relying only on Kobo reaches a smaller US audience than KDP alone would.
- Automatic price matching to other retailers means an author discounting on one platform can see their Kobo price change without a deliberate action, which requires active monitoring to avoid unintended royalty impact.
- The requirement to price at least 20% below any physical edition to qualify for 70% is easy to overlook and can silently drop an author into the 45% tier if a print edition price changes without an ebook price adjustment.
- Below the qualifying threshold, the fallback royalty is 45%, not the 35% floor on KDP, which sounds better but is a smaller total addressable audience given lower Kobo market share, so gross revenue comparison still favours evaluating both platforms together.
- As with any single-retailer self-publishing tool, relying solely on Kobo concentrates risk in one platform policy and market position rather than spreading across a wide-distribution strategy.
Pricing, plan by plan
Everand
$11.99/month- Everand$11.99/month
- Unlimited ebooks, audiobooks and magazines
- Sheet music and podcast access
- Offline downloads
Kobo Writing Life
Free- 70% royalty tierFree
- Applies from $2.99 USD (or currency equivalent) with no upper price cap
- No delivery fee deducted, full 70% kept
- Ebook must be priced at least 20% below any physical edition list price
- 45% royalty tierFree
- Applies below the $2.99 threshold
- No delivery fee deducted
Which should you pick?
Choose Everand if
- You need unlimited ebooks and audiobooks.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want magazines and sheet music.
Choose Kobo Writing Life if
- You need free publishing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want 70% royalty, no price ceiling.
Questions people ask
- Is Everand or Kobo Writing Life better?
- Neither clearly leads. Everand starts at $11.99/month and Kobo Writing Life at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Everand or Kobo Writing Life?
- Kobo Writing Life has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $11.99/month for Everand and Free for Kobo Writing Life.
- Does Everand or Kobo Writing Life run on more platforms?
- Everand runs on iOS, Android, Web. Kobo Writing Life runs on Web.
- Can I use Kobo Writing Life for free?
- Yes. Kobo Writing Life has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Everand starts at $11.99/month.
- What is Everand best used for?
- Everand is most often used for a reader who wants ebooks, audiobooks and magazines in one subscription instead of three separate ones, a musician or student who wants sheet music access alongside general reading, someone who used to know this product as scribd and wants the current consumer reading app, a reader who does not want to deal with library holds queues or eligibility rules. Of those, a reader who wants ebooks, audiobooks and magazines in one subscription instead of three separate ones and a musician or student who wants sheet music access alongside general reading are not what Kobo Writing Life is typically brought in for.
- What can Everand do that Kobo Writing Life cannot?
- Everand covers Unlimited ebooks and audiobooks, Magazines and sheet music, Podcasts, Offline access. Kobo Writing Life covers Free publishing, 70% royalty, no price ceiling, No delivery fee, Automatic price matching.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Everand: Is this the same as Scribd?
It is the successor to the consumer reading side of Scribd; the Scribd name now refers to the document upload and research platform, while Everand is the unlimited subscription.
Kobo Writing Life: Does Kobo Writing Life charge a fee?
No. Like KDP, it is free to publish; Kobo earns its share through the royalty percentage on each sale.
Everand: Do I need a library card?
No, it is a paid subscription with no library eligibility requirement, unlike Libby or Hoopla.
Kobo Writing Life: Is there a price ceiling on the 70% royalty?
No. Unlike KDP, which caps the 70% band at $12.99 as of July 2026, Kobo 70% rate has no upper price limit, only the $2.99 lower threshold.
Everand: Is audiobook access truly unlimited?
Mostly, though some in-demand titles carry access limits despite the general unlimited positioning.
Kobo Writing Life: Does Kobo deduct a delivery fee like Amazon?
No. Authors keep the full 70% regardless of file size; there is no per-megabyte delivery deduction.
Related pages
More on Kobo Writing Life
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