When it comes to movies and music, today's streaming generation The End of Ownership:Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming Generation The End of Ownership:Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming Generation Streaming media is convenient, but you're giving up important thing:ownership of digital media. Read More But e-books still can't claim to be replaced by libraries.
There used to be four major players in eBook subscription The 6 Best Ebook Subscription Services for Unlimited Reading The 6 Best Ebook Subscription Services for Unlimited Reading Ebook subscription sites allow unlimited reading for one Fixed monthly rate, similar to Netflix and Spotify. Do you have to subscribe? Which site is the best? Read More game:Oyster, Entitle, Kindle Unlimited and Scribd. Outside of those, Oyster and Entitle have closed. That leaves just Scribd and Kindle Unlimited. So being here in 2016, it's the best ebook subscription service you can buy.?
Before we get into the details of their catalogs and limitations, let's understand what both services have to offer.
Kindle Unlimited (KU) costs $9.99 per month, offering unlimited ebooks and unlimited audiobooks. It's not available worldwide, so your country may not support Kindle Unlimited, and even if it does, the book catalog changes by country.
Scribd Unlimited costs $8.99 per month, offering three items per month from its library of eBooks, comics, and documents, one audiobook, and unlimited access to "Scribd Selects," a curated collection of 150,000 books curated by a team of editors, whose titles They rotate every month or so. While Scribd is available worldwide, not all titles are available in all countries.
In terms of price, I'd say this is a draw. That dollar is not a big difference. Scribd may limit your monthly amount, but it offers more variety. It seems that the Kindle has no restrictions, but that unlimited offer is only as good as the quality of the e-books.
The big question everyone has about these service issues is probably finding the kind of books you want to read. So let's go through both catalogs to see what we find.
Scribd has an advantage here, having been linked with big-name publishers, including HarperCollins and Simon &Schuster, great publishers of large collections. They both have their complete collections up to 2012 or 2013 in the Scribd catalog. Penguin Random House, one of the other major publishers, is also testing audiobooks on Scribd right now.
None of the big publishers have partnered with Kindle to put all their books on KU, but the catalog actually has more titles than you might expect.
For example, let's look up Stephen King, the renowned writer of horror fiction 10 Free Ebooks Guaranteed To Scare You, Witty 10 Free Ebooks Guaranteed To Scare You, Witty Stephen King is the ultimate nightmare maker, but he's not alone. Not on Halloween. And his visitors are eager to scare King, and you, with his chilling horror stories. Read more . King is one of Simon &Schuster's award-winning novelists, so you'd expect a good King collection on Scribd Unlimited. But there are only six titles in English, and none of the megahits you'd expect, like Misery , The dark tower series, The support , That , etc.
Things are even worse at KU, where all you get is his gun essay. The problem is compounded by the fact that there is another freelance author named Stephen King, whose books are being rented by people who mistake him for the famous novelist.
On the other hand, KU has The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins trilogy, while Scribd only offers an audiobook version of that series.
That said, you're more likely to find famous classics on Scribd than on Kindle. For example, you will get Gone with the Wind or The Great Gatsby on Scribd Unlimited, but not on KU.
I searched various catalogs for classic and post-2010 bestsellers. My conclusion was that Scribd has a better collection of books that readers are likely to want. But it's not as big of a difference as some people make it out to be, and it's definitely not as simple as saying, "Scribd has the major publishers, Kindle doesn't, so Scribd is better."
Books are about taste, and both stores cater to different types of readers. Scribd is great for someone who hasn't explored the world of books much, while Kindle Unlimited is better for those who prefer to discover hidden gems or read biographies and autobiographies.
I would recommend that you look at the Scribd and Kindle stores to check what they offer in their unlimited schemes. Make a list of the five books you want to read and five of your favorite authors, and search for both. See which service is best for your personal tastes.
Scribd's best feature is revealed when you look beyond eBooks alone. It has a vast collection of comics as well as several audiobooks that you will love. It's a diverse library of books that you can listen to, and many of these are audiobooks narrated by the author, which is the best way to listen to them.
Scribd also has several niche publications, such as its association with the Lonely Planet. It's a great collection of travel books at your fingertips, especially useful when deciding on a travel destination.
The comic reader, in my opinion, is not as simple as ComiXology Unlimited or Marvel Unlimited ComiXology Unlimited:Is Netflix worth it for digital comics? ComiXology Unlimited:Is Netflix worth it for digital comics? Is it worth paying for ComiXology Unlimited, the new Netflix for digital comics? We take a look at what you get for your money to help you decide. Read More On a tablet, it's much better. But the problem is that the comics barely make it into the Scribd Selects offerings, which means every read counts toward your three-per-month quota.
So, for example, let's say you want to read the entire New Morrison series by Grant Morrison. This has seven volumes collected in paperback. He'll read the first three this month and then wait until his quota renews next month for the next three, and then wait again until he reads the last volume. While you can watch TV movies of all seasons on Netflix, you can't here due to Scribd's limitations.
But my biggest problem with Scribd was that it doesn't work with any of the best eBook readers. You can only use the Scribd app on a tablet, smartphone, or web browser.
We already know that the Kindle e-reader can make you read more books How to Use Your Kindle to Read More Books How to Use Your Kindle to Read More Books Many of us have a desire to read more books, but it's hard to find the time and inclination to do so. . Your Kindle can help you achieve this goal. Here's how... Read More So the fact that Kindle Unlimited works on it and Scribd isn't a big plus for the Kindle. E-readers are easier to use and great for a relaxing vacation, so if you're into e-readers or own a Kindle, you'll make up your mind.
Another attractive aspect of the Kindle is its community highlights. When other readers mark some sentences as important or add notes, you will be able to see them as you read. Sometimes it serves as a suggestion for something you should seek more information about.
While Kindle Unlimited also has audiobooks, it can't compare to the collection offered by Scribd. It's the same with comics and manga. There is a section for these on KU, but it's pretty much useless since you don't have a major publisher like DC Comics, Marvel, Image, or anyone else. In fact, Harry thinks Kindle Unlimited isn't worth his money at all. 5 Reasons Kindle Unlimited Isn't Worth Your Money 5 Reasons Kindle Unlimited Isn't Worth Your Money A subscription service for Kindle e-books? Sounds great! But Amazon's promise of over a million e-books for just $9.99/month is too good to be true. This is why. Read more.
In the end, deciding between the two services comes down to a few factors. Let me try and simplify it for you:
Pro Tip: I love my Kindle e-reader, so Kindle Unlimited makes more sense to me, but I also like reading comics on a tablet. If that sounds like that to you, the Marvel Unlimited subscription is better than Scribd for price and catalog, though you'll miss out on other publishers on offer.
So, with all this information at hand, which of the two unlimited eBook services will you subscribe to? Are there any other similar services that you have tried and liked, such as OverDrive? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
