Apple Books vs Kindle: which ebook app is better?

It follows you everywhere. Amazon says the Kindle app runs on iOS, Android, Mac, PC and the web, and it syncs your place, bookmarks, highlights and notes. In a household with an Android phone and an iPad, that matters more than any single feature.

It helps you keep track of the story. X-Ray looks up characters and places, and in the US Story So Far gives a spoiler-free recap up to where you stopped on thousands of popular fiction titles. Ask this Book answers questions about the story so far in the Kindle iOS app.

It gives you a borrowing option. Kindle+ (the new name for Kindle Unlimited) costs $11.99 a month plus tax in the US and lets you borrow up to 20 titles at a time. See Everand vs Kindle+ if you are weighing a reading subscription.

• Your whole family is on Apple devices. Family Sharing covers up to five family members, so one purchase can be read by the household.
• You never want a subscription prompt. Apple Books sells books and audiobooks one at a time and says no subscription is needed.
• You like gentle goals. Reading Goals sets a daily target, tracks streaks and counts books read this year, with reminders.
• You listen in the car. The Audiobooks app works in CarPlay.

Not easily. Books bought in each store are tied to that store's app. That is the real decision: wherever you buy your first fifty books is where your library will live. If you want to keep options open, borrow from Libby, which works alongside either app and can send ebooks to a Kindle for US libraries.

If you own a Kobo eReader, the Kobo app is the natural third choice: it syncs notes and highlights with the e-reader and the Kobo Web Reader, reads in 13 languages, and works with Kobo Plus. See what Kobo Plus is and our best ebook reading app picks.