# Amazon Kindle vs SABA Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SABA Reader at none against Amazon Kindle's 12. SABA Reader also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Amazon Kindle's advantage is ratings volume (5.8M vs 7.4K) and chart position (#3 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Amazon Kindle sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. SABA Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Amazon Kindle against 4.9 for SABA Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amazon Kindle has 5.8M ratings behind it against 7.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Amazon Kindle's written reviews are positive against 75% of SABA Reader's.

Amazon Kindle ships an update fortnightly, SABA Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Amazon Kindle | SABA Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (5.8M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-kindle-reading-app/id302584613/reviews) | **[4.9 (7.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saba-reader-books-audio/id596814126/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.8M** | 7.4K |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | **74.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 198 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMZN Mobile LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297606954) | [LeavingStone](https://appshunter.io/developer/495553773) |

## What reviewers say

### Amazon Kindle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amazon-kindle-reading-app/id302584613)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast library of eBooks, magazines, and comics on your mobile device. Customize your reading experience with adjustable text, brightness, and page-turning options. Look up words, track progress, and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Read purchased eBooks, Access Kindle Unlimited, Customizable text and display, Built-in dictionary and lookup, Track reading progress, Sync reading across devices, Listen to Audible books

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kindle Unlimited | $13.99 | per month |
| Kindle Unlimited | $13.99 | per month |
| 140 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.39 | one-time |
| 100 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.39 | one-time |
| 140 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $1.99 | one-time |
| 368 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $3.49 | one-time |
| 300 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $3.99 | one-time |
| 368 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $4.99 | one-time |
| 770 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $6.99 | one-time |
| 770 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $9.99 | one-time |
| 900 Tokens - Kindle Vella (US) | $11.49 | one-time |
| 2000 Tokens - Kindle Vella(US) | $23.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Huge library of books
- 📱 Portable and convenient
- 🔍 Useful features like dictionary lookup and highlighting
- 🌙 Adjustable reading settings (font, brightness, etc.)
- 🔁 Seamless syncing across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🛒 Cannot purchase books directly in the app
- 🗂️ Difficulty organizing and managing large book libraries
- 🔍 Inconsistent behavior when highlighting/taking notes
- 🔄 Unreliable syncing between devices
- 🔌 Drains device battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes when switching between apps
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Dictionary lookup feature not working reliably

**Requested features**

- Ability to create and manage collections/folders for books
- Option to easily see which books have been read vs unread
- Improved highlighting and note-taking functionality
- Better syncing between Kindle devices and apps
- Dark mode and other customization options


### SABA Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saba-reader-books-audio/id596814126)

This app offers a new audio book listening experience with simple tools and a dedicated navigation tab. It also provides a customizable reading experience with various page themes, font adjustments, and note-taking capabilities. Explore a vast collection of books across different categories.

**Highlights:** Audiobook listening experience, Downloadable chapters for offline listening, Customizable reading themes and fonts, Add highlights and notes to text, Explore book collections by category, Track reading progress

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Comfortable and useful app
- 🚀 Smooth and functional
- 💰 Affordable and accessible
- 🎧 High-quality audio books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio book chapters missing
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/selecting words or text
- 📱 Small font size on iPad
- 🌐 No option to switch to English

**Reported bugs**

- Previewing audio book excerpts not working after update
- Books disappearing from library after payment method change
- App crashing on launch for some iOS 11 users
- App not displaying any books for some users

**Requested features**

- Add note-taking/bookmarking functionality for audio books
- Implement character/speaker labeling for audio books
- Increase font size options on iPad
- Add support for English language books


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Amazon Kindle free?

Amazon Kindle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SABA Reader free?

SABA Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Amazon Kindle or SABA Reader?

SABA Reader is rated higher. Amazon Kindle averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.8M ratings, while SABA Reader averages 4.9 from 7.4K ratings.

### Do Amazon Kindle or SABA Reader have ads?

Neither Amazon Kindle nor SABA Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Amazon Kindle or SABA Reader?

Amazon Kindle ships an update fortnightly, and SABA Reader weekly. Most recently, Amazon Kindle was updated on September 26, 2026 and SABA Reader on September 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*