A plain-English guide to the best e-readers you can buy in Australia, from a budget Kindle at 158 dollars to the write-on Kindle Scribe. The big choice is Kindle versus Kobo, because only one of them lets you borrow free library books.
The best gadget a book lover can own
A dedicated e-reader is one of the best gadgets a reader can own. You get weeks of battery, no glare in the sun, no notifications buzzing at you, and a screen that is genuinely easy on the eyes. The biggest decision when you buy one is not really about the screen at all. It is Kindle versus Kobo, because that single choice decides whether you can borrow free library books. Our six picks span from 158 dollars to 679 dollars, and there is a right one for almost every kind of reader.
Below we explain the library question in plain English, why e-ink beats your phone, the handful of features that actually matter, whether colour is worth it, and which model suits note-takers. Every price was checked against live Australian listings on the day of writing.
Short answer: the Kindle Paperwhite at about $238 is the best e-reader for most Australians, and the Kobo Clara BW at about $244 is the one to buy if you borrow free ebooks from an Australian public library through Libby. The entry-level Kindle at about $158 is the cheapest way in, and it is the only pick here without warm light.
Our ereader picks compared
| Model | Best for | Key spec | Borrows library ebooks via Libby | Price, about |
|---|
| Amazon Kindle (11th Gen) 16GB | Cheapest way in | Compact screen, no warm light | No, Amazon store only | $158 |
| Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) 16GB | Best for most readers | 7 inch, waterproof, warm light | No, Amazon store only | $238 |
| Kobo Clara BW | Best for library books | Warm light, opens EPUB files | Yes, Libby and OverDrive | $244 |
| Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB | Best premium Kindle | 32GB, auto light, wireless charging | No, Amazon store only | $268 |
| Kobo Clara Colour | Comics, manga and illustrated books | Colour e-ink, opens EPUB files | Yes, Libby and OverDrive | $269 |
| Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) 32GB | Note-taking | 10 inch screen you can write on | No, Amazon store only | $679 |
Kindle vs Kobo - the library question that decides everything
This is the one decision that matters most, so let us be honest about it. A Kindle is the smoothest reading experience you can buy, but only if you buy your books from Amazon. The Amazon store is enormous, the syncing just works, and the hardware is excellent. The catch is that a Kindle is locked to the Amazon store. It does not easily borrow free ebooks from your local library, and it will not open the standard EPUB files that the rest of the book world uses.
A Kobo is the honest alternative. It natively supports Libby and OverDrive, which means you can borrow free ebooks from your Australian public library straight on the device, and it reads open EPUB files, so you are not tied to a single shop. Most Australian public libraries lend ebooks for free through Libby, so for a regular borrower a Kobo can quietly save you hundreds of dollars a year.
So the rule of thumb is simple. If you buy most of your books, a Kindle is great and the Paperwhite is the one to get. If you borrow from the library, a Kobo will save you a fortune. We have included both, starting with the Kindle most people should buy.
And here is the library-borrowing pick to weigh against it. The Kobo Clara BW does everything the Paperwhite does for comfort and waterproofing, but adds free library borrowing and open EPUB support.
Why an e-reader beats reading on your phone or tablet
People often ask why they should buy an e-reader when they already own a phone or an iPad. The answer is the screen technology. E-ink is not a screen that glows at you. It looks like printed paper, so there is no glare, no blue-light eye strain late at night, and it stays perfectly readable in bright sunlight at the beach or by the pool.
Then there is battery and focus. An e-reader lasts weeks on a charge, not hours, so you are not hunting for a cable on holiday. And crucially there are no notifications, no emails and no apps to pull you away. There is just the book. That combination is why a dedicated e-reader still beats a phone or tablet for actually reading, even though it does far less. The cheapest way to try one is the entry-level Kindle below.
The features that actually matter
Once you have picked your side in the Kindle versus Kobo question, only a few features really change your day-to-day reading.
- Warm light. This is an amber night-light that warms the screen as the evening goes on. It is easier on the eyes before bed and well worth having. The budget Kindle is the only pick here that lacks it.
- Waterproofing. An IPX8 rating means you can read in the bath, by the pool or at the beach without worrying about a splash. Once you have had it, it is hard to give up.
- Screen size. A 6 inch screen is compact and pocketable. A 7 inch screen, like the Paperwhite, is more comfortable for most people and shows more words per page.
- Storage. 16GB already holds thousands of books. The jump to 32GB mainly matters if you load lots of audiobooks or colour comics.
- Page-turn buttons. Most models are touch-only. If you like physical buttons, the Scribe and the Kobo Libra range add them.
A basic model without warm light or waterproofing is the main thing you trade away to save money. If you want both without overspending, the premium Paperwhite below adds an auto-adjusting light, wireless charging and double the storage for only a little more.
Warm light is also the feature that quietly replaces a lamp. A front-lit screen means you can read in a dark room without a reading light clipped to the headboard, which is half the reason people switch. If you still read paper as well, a bedside lamp is the other half of the problem.
Are colour e-readers worth it?
Colour e-ink, found in the Kobo Clara Colour and the Kindle Colorsoft, is genuinely new and clever. But be realistic before you pay the premium. Colour e-ink is dimmer and lower-resolution than a black-and-white e-ink screen, and it costs more. For plain novels you will barely notice the colour, and many people actually prefer the crisper black-and-white screen for text.
Colour is worth it only if you read comics, manga, magazines, or illustrated and heavily highlighted books. If that sounds like you, the Kobo below gives you colour and free library borrowing in one device.
What about lockscreen ads?
This used to be a real annoyance. Older Kindles were sold a little cheaper with Special Offers, which meant adverts on the lockscreen. The good news is that current Australian Kindle models are sold ad-free, and Kobo has never shown ads at all. So this is far less of an issue than it once was. It is still worth a quick glance at the listing before you buy, just to confirm the model you are looking at is ad-free.
Note-taking e-readers - a different category
If you want to do more than read, there is a separate class of device. A large write-on e-reader like the Kindle Scribe pairs a 10 inch screen with a pen, so you can mark up PDFs, journal, sketch out ideas and take handwritten notes as well as read. It is a wonderful tool for students, professionals and anyone who lives in documents.
Keep the trade-off in mind, though. It is a much bigger spend, it is not waterproof, and it is genuine overkill if you only ever read novels. Buy it for the writing, not just the reading. And if it is only the writing you want, a paper notebook still beats it on price and battery life, and we compare Spirax, Moleskine and Rhodia on paper weight, size and binding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kindle or Kobo - which is better in Australia?
It depends on how you get your books. If you buy most of your books, a Kindle is the smoother choice because the Amazon store is huge and everything just works. If you borrow free ebooks from your local library or want to read open EPUB files, a Kobo is better because it supports Libby and OverDrive and is not locked to a single shop.
Can I borrow free library books on an e-reader?
Yes, on a Kobo. Kobo devices natively support Libby and OverDrive, so you can borrow free ebooks from most Australian public libraries straight on the device. Kindles do not make this easy, as they are locked to the Amazon store, so if library borrowing matters to you, choose a Kobo.
Is an e-reader better than reading on a phone or iPad?
For reading, yes. An e-reader uses an e-ink screen that looks like paper, so there is no glare, no blue-light strain and it stays readable in bright sunlight. The battery lasts weeks rather than hours, and there are no notifications or apps to distract you. A phone or tablet does far more, but a dedicated e-reader is simply nicer for reading.
Do I need a waterproof e-reader?
You do not strictly need one, but it is well worth having if you read in the bath, by the pool or at the beach. Look for an IPX8 rating, which means the device can survive being submerged. Most of our picks are IPX8 waterproof. The two exceptions are the budget Kindle and the Kindle Scribe.
Are colour e-readers worth it?
Only for the right reader. Colour e-ink is great for comics, manga, magazines and illustrated or highlighted books. For plain novels it is not worth it, because colour e-ink is dimmer and lower-resolution than black-and-white e-ink, and it costs more. If you mostly read text, the crisper black-and-white screens are the better buy.
What is the difference between the Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite?
The Paperwhite is the step up. The entry-level Kindle has a 6 inch screen, no warm light and no waterproofing. The Paperwhite adds a larger 7 inch screen, a warm amber night light and IPX8 waterproofing, plus faster page turns. For most readers the Paperwhite is worth the extra outlay.
Do Kindles still show ads on the lockscreen?
Not the current Australian models. Today Kindles in Australia are sold ad-free, and Kobo has never shown lockscreen ads. Older models used to be sold cheaper with Special Offers, which placed adverts on the lockscreen, so it is still worth checking the listing before you buy to confirm the model is ad-free.
What is the best budget ereader in Australia?
The entry-level Amazon Kindle at about $158 is the cheapest sensible way into e-ink in Australia, and it is the pick if you mostly buy books from Amazon. The compromise is warm light: it is the only model in this guide without one, so late-night reading is a cooler, whiter screen. If you borrow from a library rather than buy, skip it and start at the Kobo Clara BW instead, because no Kindle at any price borrows through Libby.
What are the main ereader brands?
Four names cover most of the market. Amazon makes the Kindle range, which is the biggest seller in Australia and locked to the Amazon store. Kobo, owned by Rakuten, is the open alternative that reads EPUB and borrows through Libby. Onyx Boox builds Android-based e-ink tablets for people who want apps and PDFs. PocketBook is the European option with wide format support. reMarkable sits outside the category as a writing tablet rather than a reader.
What is a good Kindle alternative in Australia?
A Kobo. The Clara BW is the direct alternative to a Kindle Paperwhite at a similar price, and the difference that matters is not the screen but the shop: a Kobo reads open EPUB files and borrows free ebooks from most Australian public libraries through Libby and OverDrive, while a Kindle is tied to the Amazon store. If you want colour as well, the Kobo Clara Colour does both. Onyx Boox and PocketBook are the other alternatives, and both are harder to buy locally.
Where can you buy an ereader in Australia?
Kindles are sold through Amazon Australia and through JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Big W, which is useful if you want to see the screen before you buy. Kobo sells direct through its own Australian store and through several of the same retailers. Prices move between them, especially around sale events, so check the same model in two places. Buying locally also means an Australian warranty and a returns counter you can walk into.
