The pick
The best cheap e-reader for most people
A cheap e-reader is easy to find and easy to regret. The bargain bin is full of old models, unknown brands and readers that cost little because the store behind them is thin. The question is not only what is cheapest but what you will still be happy reading on in two years.
For most people that is the new 6-inch Kindle. Amazon’s announcement calls it the most pocket-sized Kindle it has made, with 16 GB of storage, up to six weeks of battery, a flush-front display and faster book opening than the model before, starting at $149.99. It reads everything in the Kindle store, which is still the largest library most people will ever use. Our guide to the new Kindle covers what changed.
Two things it does not promise. Amazon calls the Paperwhite waterproof and does not say the same of the base Kindle, and it says nothing of a warm light on this model. If you read in the bath, see our waterproof e-reader guide; the cheapest rated one is $10 over this list.
Side by side
Every cheap e-reader worth buying, side by side
| Price | Screen | Front light | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xteink X3 | $69 | 3.7″ | No |
| Xteink X4 Classic | $79 | 4.3″ | No |
| Xteink X4 Pro | $99 | 4.3″ | Yes |
| Boox Picco | $109.99 (pre-order) | Playing-card size | Yes |
| Kindle (2026) | $149.99 | 6″ | Yes |
Prices are each maker’s own US store price on the day we checked. The Picco’s US listing was a pre-order shipping around November, not in stock.
Under $100
The cheapest e-readers: Xteink’s pocket readers
Xteink makes the cheapest e-readers you can buy from a maker’s own store. The X4 Classic has a 4.3-inch screen, page buttons, 16 GB expandable to 256 GB and weighs about 68 g, for $79. The X4 Pro adds an adjustable front light for $99, and the X3 is the smallest and lightest at 3.7 inches and about 58 g, for $69. Only the X4 Pro has a light, so the other two are daytime readers.
They suit people who load their own EPUB files, such as public-domain classics. At this size you see a few paragraphs at a time, which is fine on a train and tiring for a long novel. Our Boox Picco versus Xteink X4 comparison goes into the detail.
The question is not only what is cheapest but what you will still be happy reading on in two years.Cheap e-readers
Boox
Boox Picco: a pocket reader with a light
The Boox Picco is $109.99 in the US, listed as shipping around November when we checked. Boox describes it as about the size of a playing card, with a dual-tone front light whose brightness and colour temperature you can set, page buttons and a microSD slot. It is the pocket reader to pick if you want to read at night, and our Boox Picco guide covers it in full. Wait for it to ship before you count on it.
Just over
Worth $10 more: the Kobo Clara BW
The Kobo Clara BW is $159.99, just over a $150 budget, and it is the only reader near this price whose maker rates it for water: IPX8, up to 60 minutes in 2 metres of fresh water. It has a 6-inch screen and 16 GB, and Kobo’s store lets you borrow e-books from your local library. If you read in the bath or borrow more books than you buy, it is worth the extra $10. Our Kindle versus Kobo comparison covers the store question in depth.
How to choose
How to choose a cheap e-reader
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i.
Where your books will come from
Weigh firstKindle store: the Kindle. Library borrowing: the Kobo. Your own EPUB files: Xteink or the Picco.
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ii.
A light, or daytime only
The X3 and X4 Classic have no front light. If you read in bed, the cheapest models with one are the $99 X4 Pro and the $109.99 Picco.
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iii.
Pocket or page
Under five inches is a pocket reader for short bursts. Six inches is a real book page, and starts at $149.99.
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iv.
Buy current, not clearance
A cheaper old model from a third-party seller can save money, but buy a model its maker still sells on its own store, so support and accessories are still there.
A cheap reader that comes with you everywhere tends to mean more books finished. If you want to keep a record of them, our Reading Tracker logs each book, rating and month in one place, and our guide to keeping a reading journal covers the free routes first. For the whole market at every price, see our best e-reader of 2026 and best small e-reader guides, or the Kindle Scribe hub for everything we publish on Amazon’s readers.
FAQ
Common questions, answered briefly
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Found a cheap e-reader we missed, or bought one of these on a budget? Tell us in the comments what you paid and how it reads, and we will fold what owners report into this page.
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