Difference Between Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited

If you love reading books from Amazon, then you have more than likely heard about the multi-benefit subscription services of Amazon. Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited are the two popular subscription-based services available on Amazon for the avid readers. Both services offer unlimited access to thousands of Kindle books, magazines, and comic books. With the proliferation of Internet, people are now more driven towards digital reading, turning into digital readers. These services have made it possible for those who love books and don’t want to carry the paperbacks all the time. Kindle Unlimited, as the name suggests, is a Kindle reading product, whereas Prime Reading is just a part of Amazon Prime’s multi-benefit services. While they serve almost the same purpose, there are some slight differences between the two based on services, devices, and pricing model.

What is Prime Reading?

Prime Reading is a subscription-based reading service from Amazon that provides access to over thousands of digital books through the Amazon Prime subscription. It is a digital library of more than 1,000 titles including books, comics and magazines, available on a paid subscription basis to the Prime members. Prime Reading comes pre- included with the Amazon Prime subscription (ONLY in USA so FAR), which means everyone with a Prime membership ($99 per year) has unlimited access to a wide selection of Kindle ebooks, comic books, magazines, etc. It’s a new addition to Amazon Prime with no extra cost on top of other benefits including unlimited video streaming, free music, fast and free shipping, and more. Prime members can easily download their favorite books in the digital formal absolutely free and start reading within minutes.

What is Kindle Unlimited?

Unlike Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited is a standalone paid-subscription service offered by Amazon, which provides access to over a million of titles, including hundreds of thousands of foreign language titles. The Kindle Unlimited service offers the largest selection of ebooks, which also includes comics and magazines covering a variety of genre. It also allows access to hundreds of thousands of audiobooks that are on the service. It allows readers to read as many books as they want and keep them as long as they want on any device for a small subscription fee of $9.99 a month. Amazon Prime members can also subscribe to the Kindle Unlimited service.

Difference between Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited

Basics of Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited

– While both Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited are pretty much the same on what purpose they serve and how you use their services, there are some fundamental differences between the two which set them apart. The main difference is that Prime Reading is one of the many benefits of Amazon Prime among others, which comes pre-included with the Prime membership. On the contrary, Kindle Unlimited is a standalone digital reading subscription service offered by Amazon that allows readers access to its extensive library of millions of books for a nominal monthly subscription fee.

Titles included in Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited

– Both the services offer unlimited access to their library of ebooks, including magazines, comics, and children’s books from any Amazon device or Kindle app. However, Prime Reading offers a few thousands of titles including audiobooks, compared to Kindle Unlimited which offers more than a million titles including Kindle books, comics, and magazines, among others. Prime Reading, though, offers a curated selection of titles, especially editor favorites, best-sellers, and popular titles from reputed publishing houses. Kindle Unlimited, on the other hand, has many self-published titles from new authors and writers, plus it lacks titles that are best-sellers or from popular publishing houses.

Cost

– While Prime Reading comes as part of the Amazon Prime subscription, among other benefits, the Prime subscription alone costs $119 a year or users can opt for a monthly subscription program for $12.99 per month. Kindle Unlimited, on the other hand, allows readers to read as many books as they want and keep them as long as they want on any device for a small subscription fee of $9.99 a month. Although, Prime Reading subscription costs a little higher, it’s just one of many benefits that comes with the Amazon Prime subscription, including unlimited music and video streaming, free shipping among others.

Services

– With Prime Reading, readers can have access to more than a thousand titles that include popular books and magazines. You can download up to 10 titles at a time to your Kindle, which also includes Amazon First Reads, which gives members early access to one Kindle book each month, chosen from their collection of editors’ picks, and that too, before it’s being officially published. Even if you’re not a Prime member, you can download the book for $1.99. Kindle Unlimited, on the other hand, is a separate subscription service and can be purchased whether you’re a Prime member or not.

Prime Reading vs. Kindle Unlimited: Comparison Chart

Summary of Prime Reading vs. Kindle Unlimited

In a nutshell, Kindle unlimited offers a huge selection of titles including books, magazines, comic books, and audiobooks, among others, compared to a few thousands titles of Prime Reading. Kindle Unlimited is a good alternative to purchasing books from the Kindle Store, whereas Prime Reading seems to be a subset of Kindle Unlimited with relatively less number of titles. However, Prime Reading offers a great selection of books, including best-sellers and editors’ picks. Plus, it comes as an added benefit to the Amazon Prime subscription program, among others. That being said, Prime Reading is for those avid readers who want a more mainstream experience. Well, they both offer a trial period which allows you to choose between the two.

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