If you’ve been reading books from Amazon, you’ve probably heard of the Kindle Unlimited and Prime reading programs.
Both programs boast of offering “unlimited reading” of a wide variety of popular books and magazines to their members, at a surprisingly low monthly rate.
You are reading: How much do kindle books cost
but how are the two programs different?
And which would benefit you more, kindle unlimited or prime reading? Or would you be better off without any?
let’s answer the questions one by one.
what is kindle unlimited?
kindle unlimited is a subscription service offered by amazon and has been available since july 2014. simply put, the service is like spotify for music or netflix for movies.
kindle unlimited allows unlimited access, at the time of this writing, to more than 1.5 million titles, including hundreds of thousands of titles in various foreign languages.
which includes not just books, but comics, audiobooks, and popular magazines (think outdoor living, parents, and popular science!)
- comics
- audiobooks
- popular magazines
- and…of course…regular books
Books available are in various genres, from romance to finance to science.
thousands of them also come with an audible narrated audiobook. this means you can use whisper sync so that the voice continues reading a book directly on the page you were listening to, and vice versa.
With a more oriented focus on independent authors and some specific books and genres, you’ll be able to explore writing styles, genres and authors you might not otherwise have known about.
kindle unlimited offers the perfect way to reach beyond the typical genres and authors you’re most used to reading, allowing you to get out of your reading comfort zone while enjoying fun and popular classics.
read more: what is kindle unlimited and how does it work?
what is the main reading?
Core Reading is a benefit available as a free trial or to paid members of Amazon Prime, including those who join the Prime Student Program.
allows amazon prime members to browse and read over a thousand e-books, magazines, comics and more.
Like Kindle Unlimited, Prime Reading includes free books to borrow with audible narration.
Thanks to that, you can enjoy switching between listening to an audiobook and reading it on your device seamlessly.
Basically, it’s “kindle limited”. offers a reduced catalog of unlimited program content.
what book selections does each offer?
both prime reading and kindle unlimited have a wide variety of books on different topics for you to discover.
however, there are differences in the size and quality of the content offered with each program.
#1. turn on unlimited books
with kindle unlimited, you can discover more than 1 million titles of books, magazines, comics, audiobooks and more.
However, most titles are self-published by new writers and authors.
kindle’s unlimited library includes the occasional new release and some massive bestsellers like:
- harry potter series
- animal farm
- hunger games series
- lord of the rings
- series skip langdon
- the handmaid’s tale
- the complete novels of jane austen
- mary poppins series
however, titles from the big five publishers are often missing, including penguin random house and macmillan.
While you may find several classics and bestsellers, most of the finds will be smaller titles.
This means you may have a hard time searching for some books by your favorite authors.
however, kindle unlimited gives you access to hidden gems that may not have caused much of a stir.
So, it’s a great program for avid readers who are always looking for the next great novel or author.
#2. amazon prime books
Meanwhile, Core Reading is more like a subset of the Kindle Unlimited selection. however, it is known for the quality of the books that are available.
all titles available to core readers are selected by the editors.
include best-sellers and popular books from trusted publishers.
The number of books you can keep at one time is the same for both programs: ten.
on which devices?
Both the Kindle Unlimited Program and the Prime Reading Program allow you to read on the Amazon Kindle app from any mobile device.
You can download the app for free from your app store or play store and start using it right away.
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then you don’t even need a kindle e-reader for any of these programs.
what are the costs of each program?
#1. unlimited kindle prices
the unlimited kindle e-book subscription is $9.99 per month. With this membership, you can read any book you want to make available, but you can only keep a maximum of 10 books in your account at a time.
Of course, you can always come back and read other books at any time and at no extra cost!
With your Kindle Unlimited Monthly Subscription, you’ll still be able to use your regular Amazon Subscription any way you want, including buying other books and products on the Marketplace.
If you’re not ready to commit to the paid subscription, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to see if the program is right for you.
#2. amazon prime reading prices
Amazon Prime Reading, on the other hand, is free, if you’re already an Amazon Prime member.
the amazon prime program costs $12.99 per month. if you choose an annual plan, the price is $119 per year.
With prime reading, you can also sign up for a free 30-day trial.
the verdict: which program is better?
Overall, the Kindle Unlimited program is ideal for voracious readers who want to explore new authors and experience the latest literary trends.
If you read five or more new books a month, the price is worth it. especially if you prefer to read the most expensive books or audiobooks that are available.
However, if you’re a very casual reader, Kindle Unlimited may not be your best option.
Please note that several of the e-books available are affordable on their own (between $0.99 and $4.99). so if the books you read are in the lower price range, you’ll need to read five to nine books per month for the subscription to make financial sense.
however, more avid readers will be able to quickly offset the cost of the subscription after reading a few books during the month.
Meanwhile, Core Reading is best for readers who want a more “conventional” reading experience with more well-known books and authors.
As part of Amazon Prime, the subscription also includes Prime Video (free instant access to streaming video), Prime Music, unlimited photo storage, and free 2-hour, 1-day, and 2-day delivery. you can even save on netflix and spotify!
So if you shop frequently on amazon and also want access to amazon’s music and movie libraries, the main program is a better deal.
Since both programs offer a 3-day free trial, you can sign up for either or both for a month and see which one is best suited for your needs.
Another option is to turn membership on and off based on your needs. If you’re on vacation, for example, it’s a good time to try Kindle Unlimited.
don’t worry about the risks, because it’s free to cancel at any time.
frequently asked questions section
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about these subscription programs and a summary of other pertinent information.
q1. how does kindle unlimited work and what are the limits of kindle unlimited?
When you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you get access to over a million Kindle titles, including e-books, audiobooks, and magazines.
Then you can read these titles on any Amazon device or in the Kindle app and borrow the titles as often as you like with no expiration dates. ten titles can be saved at a time.
Kindle Unlimited is separate from Amazon Prime and Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Instead, it’s a service that stands out and comes with a monthly fee of $9.99 with no limit on the number of books you read in a month. the only limitation is to have ten titles at a time.
q2. what are the best kindle unlimited books 2022?
The best Kindle Unlimited books of 2022 come from various genres, so there are plenty to choose from.
The following are just a few of the best titles taken from genres such as Biographies & Memoirs, Business & Money, Graphic Novels, Romance, Mystery, Suspense & Suspense, Literary Fiction, and Young Adults.
- Hanging Like a Seahorse: A Real-Life Transgender Adventure of Tragedy, Comedy, and Recovery by Quinn Alexander Fontaine
- The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the azores by diana marcum
- the size of everything: memoir of erin cole
- the 7 habits of highly effective people: powerful lessons in personal change by stephen r. covey
- major debt crises by ray dalio
- adulthood is a myth: a collection of sarah doodles by sarah andersen
- how to be a super kid : Six Firsts To Earning Your Super Kid Status By Abigail E. perez
- nelson beats the odds written by ronnie sidney ii, illustrated by traci wagoner and kurt keller
- the bridge by jill cox
- the kiss thief by lj shen
- say you’re sorry by melinda leigh
- true places: a novel by sonja yoerg
- i’m looking at you by teresa driscoll
- olivia hawker’s ragged edge of the night
- ayse kulin’s love in exile
- my hands went red by lisa mckay
- the waiting room: a novel by laura markovitch
q3. how does kindle unlimited work in the app?
When you download Kindle Unlimited for your mobile device (iPhone or Android), it’s almost the same as holding a real Kindle in your hands.
you can read the books you buy on amazon, have access to over a thousand titles that are included with prime.
and you can read and listen to titles with audible narration. it’s a way to take all your kindle ebooks with you wherever you go.
all titles you buy on amazon will automatically appear in the app. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited or Prime member, you can also select and download eBooks directly from the app.
You also get the benefit of trying any e-book for free, discovering what other readers are interested in through the news feed, and having a much more customizable reading experience right from your mobile device.
q4. what does kindle unlimited include?
With a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, you’ll have access to over a million titles in the Kindle Store.
Among these titles, you’ll find books, audiobooks, and magazines.
You can keep up to ten titles at a time, but you have unlimited access with your subscription to any other titles you want throughout the year.
q5. what is the difference between kindle unlimited and amazon prime?
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kindle unlimited and amazon prime are amazon programs.
When you look at what these two programs do and how to use them, you’ll find that they are very similar.
You can access a variety of titles and get them on an Amazon device or through the Kindle app.
There are also no expiration dates. Amazon’s Prime Reading program is just one of the many benefits that Amazon Prime offers.
is included in the amazon prime annual membership. Kindle Unlimited, on the other hand, is a separate subscription service that is separate from Amazon Prime.
also, you can buy a kindle unlimited subscription even if you don’t have an amazon prime membership.
The next big difference is what titles are available for each of these programs.
with main reading, you only have access to about 1000 titles, and they rotate in and out.
with kindle unlimited, you have access to more than a million titles.
q6. can i gift kindle unlimited?
yes, you can buy a kindle unlimited as a gift.
Simply go to the amazon kindle unlimited gifts home page, select the length of membership you want: 6, 12 or 24 months.
then you can click the orange button to add this gift to your cart. there is also an area that allows you to personalize a message to accompany the gift. You can also choose which day to deliver the gift if you want to schedule it in advance.
once they receive the gift, they can load the kindle without limit of months they received in the amazon account. Or they can decline Kindle Unlimited Gift and instead get a gift card with the purchase price and add the gift card directly to their amazon account.
You can also give a 3- or 12-month Amazon Prime subscription as a gift for the holidays, a wedding, or just because.
q7. what are the best kindle unlimited books of all time?
several kindle unlimited books have made it to the kindle bestseller lists, and we have some of those titles to share with you today.
When you purchase a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, you’ll want to see how many eligible titles there are worth reading.
all three books in the hunger games trilogy written by suzanne collins are on the list of the fifteen best books on kindle unlimited of all time.
In this list, you can also find a vampire shadow from bella forrest and harry potter and the philosopher’s stone from j.k. rowling in the young adult category.
You’ll also find Oliver Potzsch’s The Executioner’s Daughter and Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale in Literature and Fiction, as well as the Complete User’s Guide to Stephen Windwalker’s Amazing Amazon Kindle in Genre Reference.
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q8. can you keep the kindle unlimited books?
You can keep up to ten Kindle Unlimited titles in your account at any one time. therefore, you cannot plan to create an extensive collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines from them.
q9. Is kindle unlimited free for prime members?
kindle unlimited is not free for amazon prime users and continues to cost the same $9.99 monthly fee as non-amazon prime users.
With this subscription, you can read an unlimited number of books each month, but keep in mind that you can only keep ten titles at a time.
q10. is there a free trial of kindle unlimited?
yes, you can try the service for one month with the free trial version. With your first month free, you can try any aspect of your Kindle Unlimited subscription and read any of the available Kindle books and magazines or listen to any of the available Kindle audiobooks.
The free trial gives you the option to see if you’re going to enjoy the service before you commit to spending $9.99 a month on it.
p11. how do you buy a kindle unlimited subscription?
Amazon members can purchase an unlimited Kindle subscription using their active Amazon account. just search for “kindle unlimited” under the “kindle e-readers and books” tab in the main menu.
First, you can sign up for the free trial, and then you’ll be charged automatically once the trial ends.
If you don’t have an amazon account, you can sign up for the 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited using this link.
once you sign up, you will need to enable 1-click ordering in your amazon account to use the service on your preferred reading device.
To activate 1-click ordering, follow these steps:
- browse to manage addresses and settings with a single click.
- next to your address, click “set as default”.
- change settings .
- log in to the amazon site and go to the kindle store.
- click “your account”.
- select “manage your content and devices”.
- click on your book and then select “return this title”.
- log in to your amazon account and navigate to your settings.
- navigate to turn on the unlimited settings and then “manage your membership”.
- select the option to cancel your membership.
q12. how do i return the books in kindle unlimited?
You will need to familiarize yourself with the book return process on Kindle Unlimited, as you can only have ten books at a time.
While there are no expiration dates, you’ll want to keep returning books so you can try more books, audiobooks, and magazines.
this is the easy process:
q13. how do you cancel your kindle unlimited subscription?
If you’ve decided you don’t want to continue your subscription, either during or long after your free trial, it’s simple to cancel your Kindle Unlimited subscription.
since the subscription is monthly, you are not entering into a binding one-year subscription.
These are the steps to cancel:
Remember to cancel before your next billing cycle to avoid being charged.
however, if you cancel after the start of a new billing period, you will still have access to your subscription until the end of that billing period.