5 Best E-Readers (2023): Kindle, Nook, Kobo

Amazon's Kindles are the best e-readers around. It's dead simple to get new ebooks from Amazon directly, and the Overdrive integration makes it easy to check out books from a local library instantly. E Ink screens in most ebook readers are a little slow when you interact with them, but Kindles are some of the most responsive devices on the market. It's worth noting that Kindles almost always see steep discounts a few times a year, particularly on Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, so try to wait for a sale. 

Any of the models in Amazon's current lineup is better than the competition, but the latest Kindle Paperwhite is my favorite. I reviewed the Signature Edition (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but the standard $140 model is quite capable too. I recommend paying a little extra for no ads. Both are waterproof, so you can read in the pool or tub without worry, and the 6.8-inch screens also have adjustable warm lighting so you can read in bed. The Signature supports wireless charging, has a front light that can adjust automatically,  and has more storage at 32 gigabytes. But the 8 GB on the standard Paperwhite is plenty—it can hold thousands of books. There's a Paperwhite Kids Edition too, which we recommend below.

Check out our Best Kindles guide for more advice and recommendations.

Don't want to give your hard-earned money to Amazon? A Kobo is your next-best option. The company (owned by Japanese retailer Rakuten) currently has six e-readers for you to choose from, all of which sit somewhere between $110 and $400.

Most people should go for the Kobo Libra 2. It's waterproof, has physical page-turn buttons (a feature I really like), and there's Bluetooth support so you can connect headphones and listen to audiobooks. Kobo slates have Overdrive integration, which makes reading library books simple, like on the Kindle. You get 32 gigabytes of storage and a speedy 7-inch E Ink screen, which has an adjustable front light and even a dark mode that offers up white text on a black background to make reading in the dark easier on the eyes. If you prefer, you can even read it in landscape mode. WIRED editor Adrienne So says the Kobo is still slower than the Kindle's screen—it took her quite some time to type up her account credentials and log in.

Barnes and Noble put its Nook e-readers on the back burner for a while, but two releases in 2022 prove it's giving it the old college try again. The Glowlight 4e is a pleasure to read on, and I love the physical page-turn buttons. The bookstore also offers a bunch of cheap ebooks—after binging the True Blood TV series, I found the books that inspired it for just $3. 

However, the process of trying to get a book from the library on a Nook is so frustrating that I had to put it down and come back at a later time with a cooler head. I recommend reading the full description in the booklet that comes in the box, but basically, you'll need to install Adobe Digital Editions on your computer and make sure you're signed in to your Adobe ID on your Nook before connecting it physically and transferring files. It feels very old school. 

You don't necessarily need a kid-specific e-reader, so you should go with whichever one you can afford. However, if you're like us and prefer Kindle's interface and ease of use, the brand has two specific models for tots. Both come with a free cover, a year of Amazon Kids+, and a two-year worry-free warranty—if your kids are particularly accident-prone, you may appreciate this. A parent dashboard lets you adjust age filters and monitor reading progress too. Both come with their internet browsers restricted by default, and you can disable it if you’d like.

The Paperwhite Kids ($160) is waterproof and has the same adjustable warm light that the standard Paperwhite has—it also gets bright, with 17 LEDs. However, this price is only for 8 GB of storage. The newest base Kindle Kids ($120) has double the storage for $40 less, but it isn't waterproof and doesn't have adjustable warm light.