Key takeaways
- Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+ (some outlets write Kindle Plus), and it's a rebrand rather than a new subscription.
- The borrowing limit stays at 20 titles at a time, and Amazon says reading history, bookmarks, notes and saved titles carry over.
- The main addition is a bigger audiobook catalog in the US, which Amazon says comes at no extra cost.
- Some of the new audiobooks use AI narration, but outlets disagree on whether that's fully live or still being tested.
Amazon has renamed Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+, and for most subscribers the change is mostly a new label. The price and the 20-title borrowing limit stay, and the main addition is a bigger audiobook selection. Amazon announced it in an email to subscribers, according to Engadget, which says the service is live now.
Do I need to do anything as a current subscriber?
Apparently not. ZDNet and Engadget both describe Kindle+ as a rebrand, not a new subscription, and no outlet has reported a step you have to take. Amazon says your reading history, bookmarks, notes and saved titles carry over, per Engadget.
Kindle+ works in the Kindle app and on Amazon’s redesigned Kindle hardware lineup, Engadget reports. So whatever you read on today, you’d read on tomorrow. The exact rollout date hasn’t been reported.
What stays the same
Most of the service is untouched.
- Price: about $12 a month. The Verge puts it at $11.99, while ZDNet and Engadget round to $12. ZDNet also reports that Amazon says it won’t raise the price.
- Borrowing limit: 20 titles at a time. The Verge adds that there are no return dates.
- The library: ebooks, comics and magazines to borrow, which Amazon’s own statement puts at millions of titles.
- Prime: still separate. The Verge says Kindle+ remains a standalone subscription, not part of Amazon Prime.
- Your data: history, bookmarks, notes and saved titles, per Amazon via Engadget.
The limit and price are the two things most people check first, and both are unchanged.
What’s new: more audiobooks
The headline addition is audio. Josh Pflug, speaking for Amazon, said in a statement to The Verge that Kindle+ arrives:
“now with the addition of thousands of audiobooks in the U.S. catalog at no extra cost”
That’s from The Verge. Thousands is Amazon’s own figure, and no one has put an exact count on it.
Audio wasn’t entirely absent before. Some Kindle Unlimited ebooks already came with a companion audiobook, so you could switch between reading and listening, though not every title had one. And having a Kindle read text aloud isn’t new either: ZDNet points to Assistive Reader and VoiceView, which already do that.
The new part is the scale, and where the audiobooks come from. Authors who self-publish through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) can add their audiobooks to Kindle+. They can also upload traditionally produced ones, per Engadget. The Verge adds that human-narrated audiobooks made through Audible’s ACX marketplace will be available too, starting with US subscribers, with other markets planned over time and no dates given.
Will my audiobooks be read by AI?
Some of them, yes. The Verge, ZDNet and Engadget all say Kindle+ audiobooks include virtual-voice titles read by AI narrators alongside traditionally narrated ones. You won’t be limited to AI, but you’ll likely run into it.
How it works for authors depends on which outlet you read. According to The Verge, Virtual Voice audiobooks become available automatically when new titles are enrolled in KDP Select, and authors can opt in for titles they published earlier. The Verge attributes the AI narrator detail to ZDNet rather than confirming it independently. ZDNet says Amazon offers Virtual Voice free to authors in the KDP program.
Engadget frames it differently, describing the virtual-voice service as something Amazon is still testing. So whether this is a finished feature or a pilot is unsettled. ZDNet’s writer also argues AI narration could take work from professional narrators. That’s the writer’s opinion, not reported fact, but it’s a fair question to keep in mind.
Where the reports don’t match
Three details differ across coverage. The price is $11.99 in The Verge and $12 elsewhere, and the $12 is probably rounding. The name is written Kindle Plus by The Verge and Kindle+ by ZDNet and Engadget. And the AI narration is described as live by some and in testing by another.
None of these changes what you’d do today. Check the price on your own Amazon account page when your next bill comes around.
Why this matters if you read or plan to buy a Kindle
If you already subscribe, you keep your library, your limit and your price, and you get more to listen to. If you liked the companion audiobooks on some titles, there should now be more of them, though how many is unclear.
If you’re thinking about a Kindle e-reader mainly for audiobooks, I’d hold off. Kindle+ works in the Kindle app, so you can try the audio side without buying anything. A Kindle only makes sense if you want the reading experience on dedicated hardware.
If you care about human narration, ZDNet suggests Audible and Libby for human-narrated and dramatized audiobooks. Kindle+ includes human-narrated ACX titles, but AI-read ones are mixed in too, and nobody has said whether they’ll be labeled.
Authors in Kindle+ are paid for pages read, not per download, per ZDNet. That’s why you’ll see KDP writers weighing in on this one.
What we don’t know yet
Amazon hasn’t given a precise rollout date, and the email to subscribers is the only timing clue. A few other gaps matter more to readers:
- Whether AI-narrated titles will be labeled so you can tell them from human-narrated ones.
- Whether AI narration is fully live or still a test.
- How authors will be paid when someone listens to an audiobook, rather than reading pages.
- When, or whether, audiobooks reach markets outside the US.
- Why Amazon picked this moment to rename the service.
The price question is smaller but unresolved too: $11.99 or a rounded $12.
Tools & products mentioned
- Kindle on Amazon — Check current price
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Frequently asked questions
Is Kindle Unlimited now called Kindle+?
Yes. Amazon renamed Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+, which The Verge writes as Kindle Plus. ZDNet and Engadget describe it as a rebrand of the existing subscription, not a new one.
How much does Kindle+ cost per month?
About $12. The Verge reports $11.99, while ZDNet and Engadget say $12. ZDNet reports that Amazon says it won't raise the price.
Does Kindle+ include audiobooks?
Yes. Amazon says thousands of audiobooks are being added to the US catalog at no extra cost. Both human-narrated and AI-narrated titles are included, per The Verge, ZDNet and Engadget.
Is Kindle+ included with Amazon Prime?
No. The Verge reports that Kindle+ remains a standalone subscription, separate from Amazon Prime.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- The Verge: Amazon renames Kindle Unlimited to Kindle Plus and expands access to audiobooks
- ZDNet: Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+, and the 2 big changes include AI audiobooks
- Engadget: Amazon rebrands Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+
- Android Authority: Kindle Unlimited is dropping the Unlimited to go Plus
