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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Kobo Books & Audiobooks

65
Value score / 100 Worth paying? Depends It depends

Kobo Books & Audiobooks offers a good reading experience with a vast selection, but its value is hampered by numerous bugs, syncing issues, and a confusing payment system.

Free + in-app purchases seen up to $68 4.5★ lifetime (26,877) since 2009

Kobo Books & Audiobooks provides a large library and a generally good reading interface, often compared favorably to competitors like Kindle. However, users frequently report significant bugs, syncing problems across devices, and frustration with its payment and content access model, making its paid offerings a mixed bag.

Free vs paid

The app is free to download and use for reading books, including those sideloaded R30. You can also access books from your library's Overdrive for free R49. For paid content, Kobo offers a subscription model for audiobooks, which some users find to be good value for unlimited listening, though the selection can be limited R4. For ebooks and some audiobooks, you typically purchase them individually, and a subscription may not cover all content R3. Some users report issues with credits losing value R104.

Value complaints

  • The payment system is confusing, with subscriptions only covering some books, and others requiring individual purchase.R3
  • You cannot buy books directly within the app; it redirects you online, requiring frequent sign-ins.R15R307
  • Some users feel that credits have lost their value compared to when they first joined.R104
  • The app is perceived as expensive, and Kobo points accumulate slowly, making them less valuable.R97
  • There are complaints about being charged for services after free trials and difficulty canceling accounts.R312R274

Where it delivers

  • The app offers a vast selection of books and audiobooks.R9R23R352
  • The monthly audiobook subscription is considered good value by some, especially compared to competitors.R4
  • It provides a good reading experience with features like dark mode, a nice UI, and a dictionary option.R3R51R52
  • The app allows sideloading of books and interfaces well with Kobo e-readers, with good synchronization.R30R13R41
  • Many users find the app easy and convenient to use for reading.R6R24R36
  • It is seen as a favorable alternative to Kindle, offering a way to avoid being locked into the Amazon ecosystem.R2R46
Worth paying if

It's worth paying for if you appreciate a wide selection of books and audiobooks, find the monthly audiobook subscription offers good value for the types of books you enjoy, and are willing to tolerate occasional app glitches and a less-than-seamless purchasing process R9R4R3. If you are deeply invested in the Kobo ecosystem with a Kobo e-reader, the app can be a useful companion for syncing and reading on other devices R13R41.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip paying if you prioritize a completely bug-free and smooth user experience, as many users report issues with books not opening, syncing problems, and general app instability R5R59R244R273. If you rely heavily on accessibility features like screen readers, the app may not be suitable . Those who prefer a simple, integrated purchasing experience directly within the app will find Kobo frustrating R15R307.

Evidence note: The reviews show a strong dichotomy between positive feedback on content and reading experience, and negative feedback on technical issues and monetization. Recent reviews skew more negative regarding bugs and syncing. The pricing points provided ($1, $5, $10, $15, $68) are general in-app purchase options and not explicitly tied to specific subscription tiers or book prices in the reviews, beyond the mention of a 'flat monthly fee' for audiobooks R4 and individual book purchases R3.

Frequently asked

Is the Kobo app free to use?
Yes, the Kobo app is free to download and allows you to read books, including those you've sideloaded or accessed through library services like Overdrive R30R49.
Can I buy books directly in the Kobo app?
No, you generally cannot buy books directly within the Kobo app; it redirects you to their website, which some users find inconvenient and requires frequent sign-ins R15R307.
Does Kobo offer a subscription for audiobooks?
Yes, Kobo offers a monthly subscription for audiobooks, which some users find to be good value for unlimited listening, though the selection for specific genres can be limited R4.
Are there common technical issues with the Kobo app?
Yes, common technical issues include books failing to open or download, frequent syncing problems between devices, general app bugginess, and slow performance R5R59R244R273.
How does Kobo compare to Kindle?
Kobo is often compared favorably to Kindle for its reading experience and as an alternative to Amazon's ecosystem, but it is frequently noted as being behind Kindle in reliability and stability due to numerous bugs R2R46R18R42.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] 4/5 · US Great app but confusing payment system: The app is great! Runs nicely, dark mode, nice UI, and also has a dictionary option to look up unknown words! The only thing is the payment system. From what I can tell, a subscription only covers some books, and not all in its collection. Some ebooks and audiobooks you just have to purchase.
  2. [R15] 3/5 · US Eh: I like the app but don’t like that when I want to get a book you can’t buy it in the app it takes you online and you have to sign in every single time
  3. [R307] 2/5 · GB Not Great: The app itself is great for reading books. I think it is poor that you cannot see the prices of books in the store, purchase books from the store or write reviews on books you have read. Logging into the web site seems to be the only way of doing this.
  4. [R104] 2/5 · US Credits lost value: Doesn’t have the value it did when I joined when one credit would get you the book you wanted
  5. [R97] 3/5 · US Needs work: The books are easy to download, and suggestions are pretty good, but everything is very expensive. I like the option of being able to use a kobo pen, but I never do. Kobo points take forever to accumulate in order to be worth anything. Recently, the color reader has been finicky. There are no perks that I can find, and no communication from Rabuten, or whoever runs the company. If I
  6. [R312] 1/5 · GB Makes it very hard to cancel your account: Don’t bother with a free trial - you will be charged
  7. [R274] 1/5 · GB Abysmal!: If you value time and money, do not use this app. The company charge you for nothing and then when you complain about it, they just waste your time doing nothing. I’ve been trying to get my money back for weeks and they have only given me the run around. They cannot be trusted! If it were possible for me to give them 0 stars, I would happily and that’s about the only positive thing I can
  8. [R9] 5/5 · US Love this: I have the Kobo reader but I also so the app which I use more than the reader. The selection of books and audiobooks are vast and I love the many options I have.
  9. [R23] 5/5 · US Highly Recommend!: Throughly enjoy Kobo. Has everything I want in a read app and many good selections.
  10. [R352] 3/5 · GB Not the best app. Working fine but not much more: There is a large choice of title and books to read. That’s a great point. Also price is really good especially with a Kobo membership. Now the app in itself is about okay. There is problem of synchronisation between my IPad and IPhone. Then it is really difficult to highlight a part of text, the pages are turning too easily. The other thing really
  11. [R4] 4/5 · US Kobo audiobooks: I like just paying a flat monthly fee and listen to as much as I’d like. The type of books I like are limited but still worth price compared to others. Wouldn’t pay more than current fee but I will continue to use for now.
  12. [R51] 5/5 · US Great app for reading!: I love reading from my IPad Mini with the Kobo app the most. It has wonderful features that makes reading a joy.
  13. [R52] 5/5 · US love the customization: this app is way better than the kindle mobile app imo
  14. [R30] 4/5 · US Good for reading, but: The reading experience with this app is good. You can sideload books as well as read books from Kobo. You can read with offline. The dictionary works well. I like that you can look up a word in the dictionary and also Wikipedia and Google if you are online. The Library management could use some work. You cannot sort you books by author, title or category. Kobo seems t
  15. [R13] 4/5 · US Useful app: Interfaces well with the Kobo readers.
  16. [R41] 5/5 · US Valuable app: Use the iPhone version as a backup to the eReader. Books synch is very good & the app has all the functionality of the eReader.
  17. [R6] 5/5 · US Love it: I really enjoy using the Kobo app. It’s really easy and convenient to use.
  18. [R24] 5/5 · US Easy reading: Out of 5 book apps I have tried my Kobo ebook library is the easiest to use. I Love to read and Kobo ebooks make it very simple for this Senior to navigate.
  19. [R36] 5/5 · US Great app!: No issues. Easy to browse and read.
  20. [R2] 2/5 · US Compares favorably with Kindle: This is another ereader, and I think it is great.
  21. [R46] 5/5 · US Better than Kindle in most ways: It’s nice not being locked in the Amazon ecosystem.
  22. [R49] 5/5 · US Free: The books might look like the y need money but you can just use you library’s overdrive to use the books you want for free
  23. [R5] 1/5 · US Book Doesn’t Open: Your ebook app fails to open books that have been purchased, and downloaded. I cannot justify to myself the use of something whose purported utility is gravely wanting.
  24. [R59] 1/5 · US My books won’t open: Starting 2-3 days ago, the app won’t show whatever book I’ve chosen, let alone open it so I can read it. Very frustrating.
  25. [R244] 1/5 · US Horrible: Nothing better than buying a book and not being able to read it because it won’t load (waited ~30 minutes both on WiFi and on cellular connection). Other books also constantly lost their spot and I’d have to flip through chapters to find my place again.
  26. [R273] 2/5 · GB It was perfect…: Lately it keeps asking if I want to be taken on the last page read ( on other devices). Unfortunately it doesn’t do it well anymore. It takes me somewhere I don’t recognise. So I have to keep hit NO, instead so at least I can continue reading. Waiting my Canadian friends to fix this
  27. [R18] 2/5 · US Buggy and unpleasant to use: I really want to like this app. I strongly support kobo’s storefront model as opposed to their… competitor. I have a Kobo Libra that I use about half the time. However, this app is a very notable step behind its main competitor from a reliability and stability standpoint. The main issues are: highlights flash on and off and disappear entirely; search works *maybe* half
  28. [R42] 2/5 · US Very buggy: If they want to compete with Kindle, they’ve got a long way to go. So many bugs…where to even start? Slow, stuttering render when opening a book. Sometimes randomly deciding to ask if I want to sync to the latest page every time I turn a page…even when I’m at the latest page. Trying to tap a link (like a footnote) near the edge or bottom of a page is an exercise in frustration, it

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store