Does The Kindle App Sync Reading Progress Better Than Apple Books?

Kindle's ecosystem lock-in is a real consideration, though. You can't easily read your Kindle books elsewhere, while with Apple Books you're at least within the broader Apple universe. It feels less like being chained to a single retailer's app, even if it's still a walled garden. Something about that bugs me long-term.

LOL, all this talk and I'm just over here using the library's Libby app and reading everything for free. Y'all are spending too much money. Just get a library card.

Wow, this question pops up a lot at book clubs and on forums — and I love that you asked it. Short version: Kobo and Kindle are two different ecosystems, so books bought on one normally won't have their reading progress magically show up in the other. Amazon uses its own cloud and 'Whispersync' to keep your spot across Kindle apps and devices, while Kobo syncs progress through your Kobo account and Kobo apps/devices. They both do syncing nicely within their own worlds, but they don't talk to each other. If you bought a book on Kindle (Amazon), it will sync across Kindle apps and devices as long as 'Whispersync' is enabled and you're logged into the same Amazon account. Likewise, Kobo purchases and downloaded ePubs will sync between Kobo e-readers and the Kobo app. The real hurdle is DRM: most vendor-bought ebooks are protected, which prevents copying them between ecosystems. If you have a DRM-free file (like an ePub you legally own), you can open it in multiple readers — but each app usually stores its own reading position, so cross-app syncing still might not happen unless the reader supports cloud-synced personal files. For practical tricks, I sometimes use Google Play Books for personal files: upload an ePub/PDF to Google Play Books, and it will sync progress across devices that use Google Play Books. For Kindle, you can email personal documents to your Send-to-Kindle address and (if Amazon processes it) it can be stored and synced. Avoid talking about DRM removal — it's legally risky and often violates terms of service. If you want a seamless experience, pick one ecosystem and stick to it, or use a cloud-enabled reader that accepts your personal uploads. Personally, I keep most purchases on one platform and use the other's app only for odd freebies — less hassle and fewer 'where did I leave off?' moments.

I rely heavily on Kindle's sync feature to keep my reading progress seamless. Whether I'm switching from my phone to my tablet or my actual Kindle e-reader, the sync works like magic. It remembers the exact page I left off, even if I read a few pages offline. The only hiccup I’ve noticed is if the book isn’t officially from Amazon or lacks Whispersync support—some sideloaded books might not update properly. But for most purchases, it’s flawless. I love how it even syncs highlights and notes across devices, making it super convenient for deep readers like me who love to annotate.

If you read a book on a device that's completely offline for days, then reconnect, it will sync that progress up to the cloud when it gets a connection. But it might cause a conflict if you also read on another online device in the meantime. The 'last write wins' rule applies.