The ultimate guide to Kobo audiobooks & reviews

Rakuten Kobo is a Canadian corporation that sells tablet computers, e-readers, audiobooks, and e-books.

Users can access over 6 million audiobooks and e-books using the Rakuten Kobo app or Kobo e-reader. Rakuten strives to capture and transfer the bookshop experience into the digital world.

Let’s discuss what Kobo products bring to the table and why they’ve attracted countless users.

What is Kobo?

Kobo has developed a line of e-readers that cater to the modern book fan. The products are waterproof and feature an e-ink display, allowing users to read outdoors without difficulty. However, some users prefer listening to engaging titles using the Kobo audiobook subscription service. 

You can listen to audiobooks after downloading the Kobo Books app on your Android or iOS device.

If you want to access Kobo audiobooks on your e-reader, you’ll need a product that allows audiobook playback via inbuilt Bluetooth support. These e-readers include:

• Kobo Clara 2E
• Kobo Libra 2
• Kobo Sage
• Kobo Elipsa

Currently, you can’t stream audiobooks on the Kobo Desktop app.

The service has a solid collection of audio titles, and you’ll find bestsellers and trending works from famous and up-and-coming authors. 

Best of all, should you cancel your subscription, you still keep your library. 

Everything you need to know about Kobo

If you’re on the fence about Kobo products, a review of its most significant features may help you make the final decision.

The Kobo App

The Kobo Reading app is compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices. While you can use the desktop version on your computer, it won’t work as an audiobook app. 

Users appreciate that the platform:

• Provides personalized recommendations
• Has an inbuilt dictionary
• Has highlighting and note-taking tools
• Is highly customizable
• Shows book reviews and previews
• Syncs bookmarks

Although the software has many perks and helps Kobo keep up with retailers like Barnes & Noble, not all users get a seamless experience. 

While Android users can expand their library through in-app purchases, the purchase feature is unavailable on iPhones and iPads. Consequently, iOS users must buy books online and sync the titles to their Apple devices. 

Kobo’s e-Readers

Kobo’s e-readers are an excellent alternative to Amazon Kindle. While Amazon provides a top-notch user experience, Kobo products are integrated with the Kobo Book Store. The integration lets readers shop around and simplifies adding new books to your collection.

The Kobo Libra 2 e-reader is one of the company’s most successful products, combining the features of Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis. It features Bluetooth, physical controls, a seven-inch screen, and is waterproof. It’s also great for late-night reading because it uses color-temperature adjustment technology. 

The Kobo library

Kobo organizes its growing selection of books into several categories. Some of the most popular include:

• Romance
• Nonfiction
• Health & wellbeing
• Business & finance
• Science fiction & fantasy 

But buying books isn’t the only way you can read on your Kobo e-reader. The service lets users borrow e-books from their library’s web page and add them to their e-readers. The process is relatively straightforward. All you need to do is use the inbuilt OverDrive feature.

To successfully borrow library books with your e-reader, make sure you have the following:

• Wi-Fi access
• A library card

The subscription service constantly implements new tools and features to outperform its competitors. Soon after Amazon introduced the Kindle Unlimited plan, Kobo launched its own unlimited service. Users can access all titles from the Kobo Plus catalog with an active subscription. 

Customization tools

The Kobo e-reader app has a wide range of customization tools you can use to personalize your reading experience. You may enjoy the following:

• The “Reading Life” feature: discuss books with other users, share quotes and make notes
• Accessing books offline
• The easy-to-navigate audio player
• The adjustable text size and style
• Night mode

Platform availability

Android users can download the Kobo app from the Google Play Store, while iOS users will find it in the Apple App Store. 

The desktop app is compatible with computers running on Windows Vista or newer and MacBooks.

If you want a one-stop shop for reading and book shopping, you should consider investing in a Kobo e-book reader. The app and e-book readers support all major file formats, including EPUB, PDF, and FlePub.

Because the app is available across all major platforms, Kobo successfully rivals similar services like Scribd and Audible.

Publishing via Kobo

Kobo lets aspiring authors create a Writing Life account through which they can upload their work and control its price. The platform generates in-depth sales analytics and transfers the earnings to the author’s bank account.

Using Kobo – A quick review

Kobo’s e-readers and reading app have quickly amassed a large user base thanks to the products’ countless user-friendly features. 

 Let’s look at some of their most notable benefits:

• Layout settings and font choices
• Inbuilt OverDrive support
• Numerous customizing options for organizing content 
• E-readers are available in different sizes
• Kobo Sage and Kobo Elipsa have a stylus for writing 

But we’ll also look back at some of Kobo’s drawbacks, including:

• Some library books are unavailable on OverDrive.
• You can’t borrow books using the Kobo App. 
• If a library book is unavailable in Kobo, you’ll need Adobe Digital Editions to add to your e-reader. 

FAQ

Can you listen to audiobooks on a Kobo e-reader?

You can listen to audiobooks on Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Clara 2E, Kobo Elipsa, and Kobo Sage. Note that the e-readers only support Bluetooth speakers and headphones. 

Do Kobo audiobooks expire?

Audiobooks don’t expire, but Kobo audiobook credits expire after six months. 

What is the cost of Kobo audiobooks?

Audiobook prices vary because the publishers set them. 

What are the alternatives to Kobo?

The most well-known alternative to Kobo is Amazon Kindle.