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Publishing · head to head

Kindle Direct Publishing vs Kobo

Kindle Direct Publishing logo

Kindle Direct Publishing

Publishing

Amazon self-publishing platform that is free to use, earning Amazon a royalty cut instead of a fee, with a hard price band and per-megabyte delivery cost governing the 70% rate

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kobo logo

Kobo

Publishing

Rakuten e-reader hardware, app and ebook store, the reader-facing side of the Kobo ecosystem

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kindle Direct Publishing the 70% royalty band has hard edges: pricing even one cent outside $2.99-$12.99 drops the royalty to 35%, which is a cliff, not a gradual scale, and easy to trigger by accident when adjusting price for a promotion.; Kobo the overall ebook and audiobook catalogue, especially exclusive or first-run titles, is smaller than Amazon can offer through Kindle and Audible.
  • They diverge on capability: Kindle Direct Publishing covers Free publishing, Kobo covers E-ink devices.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kindle Direct Publishing and Kobo actually diverge.

Attributes where Kindle Direct Publishing and Kobo differ
AttributeKindle Direct PublishingKobo
Pricing modelFree to publish; Amazon earns a royalty share rather than a feeFree store and app; hardware sold separately; optional subscription
PlatformsWebiOS, Android, Web, Kobo e-readers

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Kindle Direct Publishing

  • Free publishing
  • 70%/35% royalty tiers
  • Print-on-demand
  • KDP Select
  • Delivery fee deduction
  • Pre-order and release tools

Only in Kobo

  • E-ink devices
  • EPUB support
  • Built-in Libby integration
  • Kobo Plus
  • Kobo Store
  • Note-taking models

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Kindle Direct Publishing

  • A self-published author wanting free, no-fee distribution to the largest single ebook and print-on-demand marketnot Kobo
  • An author pricing a book between $2.99 and $12.99 to qualify for the 70% royalty tier rather than 35%not Kobo
  • A publisher considering KDP Select exclusivity to earn Kindle Unlimited page-read royalties, trading away distribution on other retailers for the enrollment periodnot Kobo
  • An author with a large, image-heavy ebook file who needs to understand the per-megabyte delivery fee before setting a pricenot Kobo

Kobo

  • A reader who wants dedicated e-ink hardware instead of reading on a backlit phone or tabletnot Kindle Direct Publishing
  • Someone who borrows heavily from a public library and wants OverDrive integration built directly into the devicenot Kindle Direct Publishing
  • A reader outside the Amazon ecosystem who wants an open EPUB-based alternative to Kindlenot Kindle Direct Publishing
  • Someone who wants the option of both buying individual ebooks and an unlimited subscription from one storenot Kindle Direct Publishing

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kindle Direct Publishing

  • The 70% royalty band has hard edges: pricing even one cent outside $2.99-$12.99 drops the royalty to 35%, which is a cliff, not a gradual scale, and easy to trigger by accident when adjusting price for a promotion.
  • The delivery fee, roughly $0.15 per megabyte, is deducted on every sale under the 70% tier, so image-heavy or long ebooks lose meaningfully more revenue per sale than a plain-text book at the same list price.
  • KDP Select exclusivity, while optional, is the only route to Kindle Unlimited page-read royalties, so authors face a real trade-off between Amazon-only reach with page-read income and wider distribution without it.
  • Public domain or primarily public-domain content is capped at the 35% royalty regardless of price, so that category of publisher cannot access the higher rate at all.
  • As a single-retailer platform, an author relying solely on KDP is concentrated in one sales channel controlled entirely by Amazon policy, which has changed royalty terms before (the July 2026 price band expansion is itself an example) and can do so again.

Kobo

  • The overall ebook and audiobook catalogue, especially exclusive or first-run titles, is smaller than Amazon can offer through Kindle and Audible.
  • Kobo Plus, the unlimited subscription layer, is not available in every country the hardware and store otherwise serve.
  • Hardware pricing for higher-end note-taking models runs into the several-hundred-dollar range, which is a real commitment against reading on a phone for free.
  • Software updates and app polish have historically lagged the Kindle app in some regions, particularly around syncing and highlighting features.
  • This is a distinct product from Kobo Writing Life, and readers looking for author or publishing tools need that separate platform, not this one.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kindle Direct Publishing

Free
  • 70% royalty tierFree
    • Applies to ebooks priced $2.99-$12.99 (expanded from $9.99 ceiling in July 2026)
    • In-copyright works only
    • Delivery fee of roughly $0.15/MB deducted per sale
  • 35% royalty tierFree
    • Applies below $2.99, above $12.99, or for public domain content
    • No delivery fee deducted
    • Applies automatically outside eligible territories for the 70% tier

Kobo

Free
  • Kobo app and storeFree
    • Free app and store, pay per ebook or audiobook
    • Hardware sold separately, from around $110 for entry e-readers
    • Full library of individual purchases
  • Kobo Plus$9.99/month
    • Unlimited access to a Kobo Plus catalogue
    • Available in supported countries only
    • Layered on top of the regular store

Which should you pick?

Choose Kindle Direct Publishing if

  • You need free publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want 70%/35% royalty tiers.
Kindle Direct Publishing review

Choose Kobo if

  • You need e-ink devices.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, Kobo e-readers.
  • You also want epub support.
Kobo review

Questions people ask

Is Kindle Direct Publishing or Kobo better?
Neither clearly leads. Kindle Direct Publishing starts at Free and Kobo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kindle Direct Publishing or Kobo?
Kindle Direct Publishing starts at Free and Kobo at Free.
Does Kindle Direct Publishing or Kobo run on more platforms?
Kindle Direct Publishing runs on Web. Kobo runs on iOS, Android, Web, Kobo e-readers.
Can I use Kindle Direct Publishing for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kindle Direct Publishing best used for?
Kindle Direct Publishing is most often used for a self-published author wanting free, no-fee distribution to the largest single ebook and print-on-demand market, an author pricing a book between $2.99 and $12.99 to qualify for the 70% royalty tier rather than 35%, a publisher considering kdp select exclusivity to earn kindle unlimited page-read royalties, trading away distribution on other retailers for the enrollment period, an author with a large, image-heavy ebook file who needs to understand the per-megabyte delivery fee before setting a price. Of those, a self-published author wanting free, no-fee distribution to the largest single ebook and print-on-demand market and an author pricing a book between $2.99 and $12.99 to qualify for the 70% royalty tier rather than 35% are not what Kobo is typically brought in for.
What can Kindle Direct Publishing do that Kobo cannot?
Kindle Direct Publishing covers Free publishing, 70%/35% royalty tiers, Print-on-demand, KDP Select. Kobo covers E-ink devices, EPUB support, Built-in Libby integration, Kobo Plus.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kindle Direct Publishing: Does KDP cost anything to use?

No signup or listing fee. Amazon earns revenue through the royalty share (65% or 30% of the list price after territory and delivery-fee adjustments) rather than a subscription or fee.

Kobo: Is this the same as Kobo Writing Life?

No, Kobo Writing Life is the separate self-publishing platform for authors; this entry is the consumer reading app, store and hardware.

Kindle Direct Publishing: What is the current 70% royalty price band?

As of July 2026, $2.99 to $12.99, expanded from the previous $2.99 to $9.99 ceiling that had been unchanged since 2007.

Kobo: Can I borrow library books on a Kobo device?

Yes, many Kobo devices have built-in OverDrive/Libby integration for direct library borrowing.

Kindle Direct Publishing: What is the delivery fee?

Roughly $0.15 per megabyte of file size, deducted per sale only on the 70% royalty tier, calculated from the delivered file size.

Kobo: Do I need a subscription to use Kobo?

No, you can buy ebooks and audiobooks individually; Kobo Plus is an optional unlimited add-on where available.

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