If you’re an avid reader with an Amazon Prime membership, you might be looking at your benefits and wondering about all those ebooks. It’s a common question that pops up: since Prime includes Prime Video and Prime Music, does it also include a massive library of books to read? The relationship between these two popular services can be a little confusing at first glance.
Kindle Unlimited and Prime Are Separate Services
Let’s clear this up right away: Kindle Unlimited is not included with your Amazon Prime subscription. They are two distinct programs with their own costs and benefits. Think of them as siblings rather than a package deal. Your Prime membership gets you free, fast shipping and access to movies and TV shows, while Kindle Unlimited is a dedicated service focused solely on reading.
What Your Prime Membership Actually Offers for Reading
This doesn’t mean Prime members are left with nothing to read. Your subscription does include a nice reading perk called Prime Reading. This gives you access to a rotating selection of thousands of books, magazines, comics, and audiobooks. You can borrow titles without any due dates, though there is a limit to how many you can have out at one time. It’s a fantastic benefit for casual readers.
How Kindle Unlimited Expands Your Library
So, what are you paying for with Kindle Unlimited? It’s a much larger and more comprehensive library. While Prime Reading offers a curated collection, Kindle Unlimited provides over a million titles. This includes many popular series, audiobooks, and magazines. If you read several books a month, especially from genres like romance, mystery, or sci-fi, the flat monthly fee can offer incredible value.
Choosing the Right Reading Plan for You
Deciding which service is right for you depends on your reading habits. If you’re a light reader who already enjoys Prime’s other benefits, Prime Reading is a perfect, no-added-cost bonus. However, if you find yourself constantly running out of things to read and want a vast, all-you-can-read buffet of books, then Kindle Unlimited is likely worth the investment. The good news is you can always try Kindle Unlimited with a free trial to see if its massive catalog is the right fit for your bookshelf.
In short, while they don’t come together, both Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited offer great ways to enjoy your next great read. It just depends on how many pages you want to turn each month.
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