The Best Amazon Alternatives for Books: Where to Buy Print, eBooks, and Audiobooks

As a Climate Neutral and Certified B Corp organization, Bookshop.org is a great Amazon alternative for those concerned about their impact. The online retailer also directly supports independent bookstores. You can designate a bookstore you want to support, and if you don’t have a store in mind, profits will go to Bookshop.org’s pool to be shared with the shops in its network.

Otherwise, Bookshop.org functions like any other online bookstore; you can browse bestsellers, shop by section, or search for specific titles. Bookshop.org has most major new releases as well as niche titles, coffee table books, and more. Bookshop.org also rolled out a new ebook feature this year. Currently, the ebooks are only available through the browser or the Android and iPhone apps.

Bookshop.org CEO Andy Hunter told us that the company hopes “to support 3rd party e-ink devices like Kobo and Boox, and possibly even launch our own hardware e-reader one day,” though he noted getting Kindle support will likely be an uphill battle.

News around brick and mortar is usually pretty doom and gloom, particularly for large retail chains, but Barnes & Noble has charted an unlikely comeback, with plans to expand its retail footprint. It’s good news for people who like to physically peruse the bookshelves, and Barnes & Noble also has a robust e-commerce presence.

Barnes & Noble also sells ebooks through its Nook platform and e-readers, though, like Kindle, it’s a pretty closed ecosystem. That said, Nook has support for EPUB, CBZ and PDF formatted books for transferring other books to Nook e-readers.

Beyond the latest titles and classics, Barnes & Noble is also great for gifts, and it has an expansive selection of other physical media like vinyl records, Blu-ray, and CDs.

Like Bookshop.org, Libro.fm supports local bookstores, and the online e-commerce platform is a great option for audiobooks. The platform relies on a membership structure, and

you can choose a local bookstore to support with each purchase.

The $14.99 membership gets you one audiobook credit a month and 30% off individual audiobook purchases. You can also choose to buy books a la carte without a membership, and you can cancel or pause your membership without losing your credits or audiobooks.

The Libro.fm app is available on iOS and Android, with support for CarPlay and Android Auto for those who like to listen to books while they drive. Like our other picks, Libro.fm has a great selection of bestsellers, as well as more niche titles, classic books, and more.

Like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million has a large physical retail presence and an online marketplace. The bookstore was founded in 1917 in Alabama and is currently the second largest bookseller in the nation, with over 250 locations. For anyone who likes to buy a lot of books online, the $25 annual membership gets customers discounts and free shipping on every order.

Books-a-Million also has a great gift section, including Funko figurines, toys, and games, as well as manga and a section dedicated to BookTok. In addition to print, BAM has ebooks.

There’s also a large autographed section, including fiction, nonfiction, and signed memoirs from celebrities like Josh Brolin, Connie Chung, and RuPaul.

If you’re looking to buy used books, ThriftBooks is an excellent option. The site doesn’t have the same streamlined look as some of our other picks, but with millions of titles on its digital shelves and the ability to search by title, author, or ISBN, the slightly dated website look is far from a dealbreaker.

Crucially, ThriftBooks is a great way to save on the cost of books, but budget-friendly shoppers aren’t ThriftBooks’ only clientele. The retailer also sells collectible editions, including first editions and signed books. You can also sell your books on ThriftBooks or participate in the buyback program.

Unlike third-party marketplaces, used books sold on the platform are shipped to, verified by, and priced by ThriftBooks. That means you don’t have to worry about questionable third-party sellers. Plus, the retailer has a selection of CDs, vinyl records, and Blu-rays.

If you like the convenience of buying books on Amazon and reading them on your Kindle, but would prefer an alternative, Kobo is a great option. The brand makes some of the best non-Kindle ereaders and also has a large marketplace for buying ebooks, including affordable and free titles.

Kobo’s $9.99/mo Kobo Plus plan is a great way to get ebooks and audiobooks, and Kobo offers a $7.99/mo plan for just ebooks or audiobooks. Plus, Kobo is integrated with platforms like Libby and Overdrive for easy borrowing from your local library.

The catch with Kobo is that its bookstore is not as robust as Amazon, meaning you won’t find certain titles in the store. But for popular titles across a variety of genres, there’s plenty to read on the Kobo store.

eBooks.com has a decidedly web 1.0 look, but having survived the era of the dot-com bubble, it’s earned the right to look a little vintage. The platform does what it says on the tin, offering a wide range of ebooks, including the latest titles.

The website also has a wide range of DRM-free titles for easy reading and sharing. For DRM-protected titles, you can add ebooks to your e-reader using Adobe Digital Editions, which is compatible with e-readers like Kobo and Nook (but not Kindle).

Those who don’t mind reading on a phone or tablet can download the Ebook Reader app for Android and iOS for easy on-the-go reading.