Kindle Unlimited vs Prime Reading – Which is better? | Favbookshelf

Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading are reading subscriptions provided by Amazon. When you see them, you will wonder which is better for you.

So in this article, we are going to discuss basic info and, pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.

I have used both the services: Kindle Unlimited as well as Prime Reading. They both are amazing services but they are both suitable for different types of readers.

Here we have shared honest and detailed experiences we had with both platforms- Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.

To know which is more suitable for you, continue reading.

Kindle Unlimited vs Prime Reading

So let’s get started…


Questions Answered


#1 What is excatly Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading?


Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading are reading subscriptions provided by Amazon Kindle.

In it, you can buy books from its collection of e-books and audiobooks, all available at affordable price plans.

Prime Reading is a part of Amazon Prime Membership. It’s not an individual plan. You get free prime videos and music with it.


#2 What types of books are available?


Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited has a wide variety of books available.

In fiction, mostly fantasy, romance, and mystery books are available. As I’m a huge fantasy and romance reader, I’ve found it quite useful in saving my money.😁 It also has a collection of comics and graphic novels for the readers to choose from.

In non-fiction, it has a good collection of self-help, biographies, and memoirs.

Prime Reading

Prime Reading has a much smaller collection available than that of Kindle Unlimited. But it has much more popular books.

Prime Reading has lots of popular books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Little Women, and other books. It has a very vast collection of romance, mystery, and comic books too.

In non-fiction, there are mostly self-help, finance, and study books available.


#3 Do they provide a free trial?


Kindle Unlimited vs Prime reading questions

Yes, they both provide a 30-day free trial to help you decide whether it is good for you.


#4 Who should buy which subscriptions?


Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited has more than 1 million books available. Mostly, you will find more books that are not that popular and written by less-known authors or are self-published. It also has more books in the fantasy and romance genre than other fiction books. So if you read either of these books, it will surely save a huge chunk of your money. It has saved mine for sure.😉

Prime Reading

Prime Reading has a bit smaller collection than that of Kindle Unlimited. Though, books available on Prime Reading are much more popular. So if you want to read books which are much more popular then, this one is for you.


#5 Is Prime Reading free to Kindle Unlimited readers or vice versa?


NO, Kindle Unlimited is not free to Prime Members nor is Prime Reading is free to Kindle Unlimited members.

Though you will find many of the books available on Prime Reading also included in Kindle Unlimited in the fiction genre. In non-fiction, they have very different collection than each other and won’t find as many common books.


#6 Do you need a Kindle Tablet to subscribe to either of these?

No, a Kindle tablet is not necessary to subscribe to any of these services. You can download the Kindle app on your phone or tablet or laptop, whichever you prefer and read it over there.


#7 How to subscribe to these services?


It is fairly easy to subscribe to either of these services.

Kindle Unlimited

You only have to sign in from your amazon account and click on the three lines on the left top corner. Then go to Kindle E-readers & Books. Here you will see the Kindle Unlimited option

Then select Kindle Unlimited and click on Join Kindle Unlimited. And then from there you just have to choose the plan you want and pay for it.

Kindle Sign-In
Click on join Kindle Unlimited

If you want to know more about Kindle Unlimited, you can check out our article: Is kindle unlimited worth it? (Basic Questions Answered) – Favbookshelf

Prime Reading

It’s fairly the same as Kindle Unlimited.

When you click on Kindle E-Readers and E-books, go to Prime Reading instead of Kindle Unlimited. Then follow the same process.

Sign Up – Prime Reading


#8 Which language books are available on Kindle Unlimited and Prime?


They both have books available in various languages. Both the subscriptions support English as well as regional languages.

There are more English books than any in other languages, but I have seen a good selection in the regional languages. You will have to check it out for yourself if you like to read books in other languages to see how good of a collection they have.



#9 How do you know which books are available on Kindle Unlimited or Prime Reading?


It’s fairly easy to check whether they are available on either subscription plans.

You will either see “kindleunlimited“ written below the title of the book and above its price or the cover of the book. Or you will see it above the book cover. And, that is how you will know whether it is available on Kindle Unlimited or not.

As an example, the image is shown below. As you can see, below the rating and the reviews of the book, you have the “kindleunlimited“ tag there.

Is Kindle Unlimited Worth it?
Kindle Unlimited tag is shown below rating and review of the book.

Prime Reading

It’s the same as Kindle Unlimited. You will find it either above the book or below the rating and name. It will be as “Prime✔” in blue colour.


#10 What plans are available?


Kindle Unlimited

There are multiple plans available along with the free trial. There is a one-month plan which costs $9.99. Then, there is a three-month plan, a six-month plan, and a whole year plan as well. You can choose any one plan that suits you.

There are discounts on them continuously coming and going. So make sure you catch them.

Check out more about the plans here.

Prime Reading

Unlike Kindle Unlimited, Prime Reading is free to Prime members. The Amazon Prime program costs $12.99 a month. If you choose to go on an annual plan, the price is $119 per year.

Check out more plans here.


#11 How many books can you borrow at a time?


You can borrow up to 10 books at once for both programs.

And then if you have to borrow more, you just have to return the previous ones to buy new ones.


#12 How do you return the books?


It is very easy to return books and you can do so by following these steps.

Step 1: Select the book/books you want to return by long pressing on them.

Step 2: Click on the three dots on the rightmost top corner and select Return Book.

Next step: A box will appear asking if you want to return the books for sure or not.

And the last Step 4: If you want to return, click on Return, or if you don’t want to, click on Cancel.

* The process is the same for both programs



Personal Opinion: Kindle Unlimited VS Prime Reading?


If you read more than 5 books a month then only subscribe to either of these services. Otherwise it will be just a waste of your money.


Kindle Unlimited vs Prime reading questions

Kindle Unlimted

If you are more of an exploring reader and want to read less known books or self-published books, Kindle Unlimited is the one you should go for.

There is a huge collection of less known books along with the more popular books like Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, and classics. I have found some of my all time favorites because of this plan.

Also if you’re taking up this subscription, make sure you read more than 7-9 books a month or read more expensive books. If not, it won’t be the best use of your money and you might want to look at other subscriptions.

I will mostly suggest a kindle unlimited subscription to fantasy and romance lovers. If you read either of these genres, you will find some amazing books in there and save some money at the same time.

Subscribe to Kindle Unlimited here.

Prime Reading

Prime Reading offers more books that are written by well-known authors or which are popular.

As part of a Prime subscription, you also get free Prime streaming, music and unlimited photo storage.

But, the collection on Prime Reading is comparatively less than that of kindle unlimited. And you will find many books in common in both subscriptions.

So along with Prime Reading, if you watch Prime videos and listen to its music frequently, this might be the better deal for you.

Subscribe to Prime Reading

Another choice is to go on and off the memberships and alternate between them depending on your needs and time. If you’re on vacation, for example, you can try Prime Reading and then go back to Kindle Unlimited.

And, no worries you can cancel them at any time you wish.


Hope you found this article hopeful. If you have any more questions do ask us in the comments. We will surely answer them.

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Favbookshelf

Hello! We sisters, Manik and Sayee, are the co-blogging team of Favbookshelf. We both love books a lot. Here we talk all about the books we love, bookish articles, and our recommendations. Welcome to our blog!

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  1. I think this is a real great article.Thanks Again. Much obliged.

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