For any fans of the Kobo ereaders out there, this is good news! The Japanese-Canadian company's ebook subscription service is finally making its way out of its native Canada and is slowly being made available in more markets.
It's now available in Australia and New Zealand, costing AU$13.99 / NZ$14.99 a month after a 30-day free trial. It's not yet available in the US, but an FAQ page (without pricing information unfortunately) on Kobo's US website indicates it might just be a matter of time before it makes its way to American users.
There's no indication yet on when Kobo Plus will be available in the UK, although it's been available in the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal since 2020, so again, it might just be a matter of time.
What is Kobo Plus?
Kobo's ebook subscription service is similar to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited. Once subscribed you can add any book from the Kobo Plus catalogue to your digital library, with no restrictions on how many titles you can select in one go. There's no 'due by' date either, so read at your leisure.
It first debuted in Canada to coincide with the launch of the Kobo Nia ereader in 2020. It was also launched at the aforementioned European markets at the same time, giving avid readers access to thousands of ebooks.
According to Kobo, there's currently over 580,000 titles to choose from and you can subscribe either via the company's website or on your Kobo ereader. We've tried it on the newly launched Libra 2 and Sage devices and can attest that it's all working as it should.
In Australia, Kobo Plus is also available via the Booktopia app and website.
How do you subscribe to Kobo Plus?
If you already use a Kobo ereader, then just perform a sync by tapping on the icon with two semicircular arrows on the top right corner of the device and you should have access to the subscription service right on your device. This will also add a 'Browse Kobo Plus books' section on the bottom right corner of the device's homepage. We've tested this on the Kobo Libra H2O and, again, everything is in perfect working order.
If you happen to use a smartphone or tablet to consume ebooks, then you can download the Booktopia app and you'll be able to subscribe from there as well.
As with other services like this, there's a 30-day free trial period, so if you're not happy with Kobo Plus, you can always cancel your account before the trial period is up, or else your credit card will be charged. As mentioned earlier, in Australia that's AU$13.99 p/m, while across the ditch in New Zealand, Kobo Plus will set you back NZ$14.99 p/m.
Kobo notes that there may be some titles not included in the service – only publishers who have listed their ebooks as 'subscription eligible' will be on the Kobo Plus platform. That said, Kobo is quick to add that more and more content will be added each month, so the library will grow.
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