The Best Ereaders for 2025

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Ereaders are ideal for bibliophiles who prefer a print-like reading experience but want the option to take their entire library with them wherever they go. The number of device makers and reading platforms in this space means there's lots to consider, so figuring out which one is right for you can be daunting. PCMag has been reviewing ereaders for nearly two decades since the very first , so you can trust that our top picks are based on sound analysis. The Editors' Choice-winning Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and the nearly identical Paperwhite Kids currently top our list since they provide access to a vast digital library, work reliably, and are waterproof. Of course, one of the other models might suit your needs better, so it's worth clicking through all our reviews. Below our list, we also provide some buying advice to help you during your search.

What's the Best Ereader Screen Type and Size?

Basic ebook readers use monochrome E Ink screens to display text. E Ink, or digital ink (often manufactured by the E Ink company), looks a lot like paper, but it's easier on your eyes to read over long periods than text on a traditional LCD screen. Most now include adjustable edge lighting. On the lowest settings, you can read in the dark while your partner sleeps undisturbed next to you.

In all cases, E Ink is much easier to read in bright sunlight—glossy color touch screens on traditional tablets tend to wash out and show distracting reflections.

Many E Ink readers of the past were limited to 6-inch screens, but panel sizes are slowly growing. We've found that one-handed reading on devices with screens larger than 7 inches may cause balance issues.

Screen resolutions and quality also vary. Some older Kindles use 167ppi displays that look rough and jaggy compared with the 300ppi displays on modern models. Amazon and Kobo's latest readers go one step further with Carta 1200 technology, which enables faster page turns and even better contrast.

If you haven't updated your ebook reader in several years, the responsiveness of the latest E Ink readers might surprise you.

The Best Color Ereaders

If you need to read more than books, tablets with color screens offer many other benefits. Magazines and comic books look great on larger tablets. Even lower-cost tablets let you browse the web, stream video from Hulu, Netflix, and others, play music, and run apps. Because of its high-quality screen and general power, we recommend the base-model iPad for most people trying to read rich, full-page color content.

We've recently seen a breakthrough in color E Ink displays, with several readers implementing the E Ink Kaleido or E Ink Kaleido Plus technologies. We've tested a few, and while they aren't perfect, they show some of the exciting possibilities of color E Ink.

The Best Ereaders for the Beach

If you like reading in the bath, by the pool, or on the beach, consider a waterproof ebook reader. Amazon and Kobo both make models that can withstand some amount of submersion in water, and we note those ratings in each of our reviews. Not all ereaders are as resilient.

The Best Ereaders for Taking Notes

All ebook readers let you highlight or tag particular phrases for later reference. Some include digital pens that let you take notes directly on the screen. In general, they let you annotate PDFs and other kinds of documents, as well as take freehand notes on a blank page. We detail which file formats each model supports in our reviews. A larger screen usually works best for annotating documents.

The Best Ereaders for Audiobooks

Sometimes, you'd rather listen than read. Sometimes, you'd like to read and listen at the same time. Kindles can now connect to Bluetooth headphones to play Audible audiobooks, and many Amazon books can synchronize with Audible audiobooks on Kindle ebook readers. Kobo uses a proprietary audiobook format for comparison.

Where Can You Get Ebooks?

The ebook reader you choose determines which ecosystem you can use.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo all use copy protection on most of their books, which prevents you from reading titles on other brands' ebook readers. Removing the copy protection is possible, but you might also remove features such as formatting and character summaries in the process. It's also become much harder to strip the protection from Amazon books, specifically in recent years. Ereaders with access to the Google Play Store are convenient because they let you download and use whatever reading apps you prefer on a single device.

Amazon's Kindle Unlimited offers more than three million ebooks for $9.99 per month. Amazon Prime subscribers can access a smaller library as part of Prime Reading without paying extra. For kids, the Amazon Kids+ subscription service unlocks a lot of children's books and starts at $7.99 per month. You get a free year of it when you buy the Kindle Kids Edition.

For public library lending, Libby has mostly replaced Overdrive. If you have a Kobo device with built-in Overdrive support, however, you can continue to borrow and read books as normal. Libby just lets you send books to Kindles and others that support Adobe Digital Editions.

Book selection, size, and pricing vary from store to store. Books by big publishers generally appear in the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo stores. But Amazon also has exclusive authors and imprints. Many of them are self-published and not very good, but Amazon definitely has the advantage in quantity.

For more, see our article on how to put free ebooks on your Amazon Kindle. For an in-depth comparison of supported formats across various ebook readers, check out Wikipedia's article comparing ebook formats.

How Much Should You Spend on an Ereader?

If you're reading mainstream fiction or nonfiction books, the sweet spot right now is $100 to $150 for a good 6- or 7-inch Amazon or Kobo device. You can get a low-end model that costs less or a larger model that costs more, but ebook readers at this price point tend to strike the best balance between screen quality and size.

Onyx's tablet-sized readers cost considerably more than other ebook readers. But they're also much more powerful and let you run multiple reading apps, annotate PDFs, and read large-format documents on big screens. We see these primarily for academics, lawyers, and doctors.

If you're getting a Kindle, check out our Amazon Kindle tips every reader needs to know. And if you prefer a device that can also handle your entertainment needs, head over to our top tablet picks.