Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+. What actually changed?

What is Kindle+?

Kindle+ is the new name for Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's monthly borrowing subscription for ebooks, audiobooks, comics, manga and magazines. Amazon's own explainer, updated on 22 October 2026, describes it as access to millions of ebooks plus thousands of audiobooks, comics and magazines for $11.99 a month in the US, readable on any Kindle device or in the free Kindle app on phones, tablets, computers and the web.

The sign-up page now says it plainly: "Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+". The program itself is the one our Kindle Unlimited review scored. The URL on this site stays the same so existing links keep working.

Did the price or the borrowing limit change?

No. The US price is still $11.99 a month plus tax, and you can still hold up to 20 titles at once and return them whenever you like. There are no due dates while your subscription is active.

One rule changed earlier in the year and catches people out: since 22 April 2026, each magazine issue you borrow counts toward the same 20-title limit, and new issues no longer arrive automatically. Amazon says that by 30 July 2026 it returned any borrowed titles above 20. If you used to keep a stack of magazines next to your novels, your 20 slots now fill faster.

What is new with audiobooks?

Amazon says thousands of Kindle+ ebooks come with a companion audiobook, so you can switch between reading and listening to the same title at no extra cost. You find them by the headphone icon next to the Kindle+ badge on the book page.

The less advertised part: Thurrott, citing ZDNet, reports that the catalog now includes AI-narrated audiobooks created through Virtual Voice, a free tool in Kindle Direct Publishing that self-published authors can use instead of hiring a narrator. Whether a given title uses a human or a synthetic voice is the author's choice. If narration quality matters to you, play the sample before you settle into a 12-hour listen.

Is Kindle+ included with Prime?

No. Amazon is explicit that Kindle+ is a separate subscription. Prime members get a free book a month through Amazon First Reads and can read from a curated selection of the Kindle+ catalog, which is not the same as the full program.

What happens when you cancel?

Your access runs to the next billing date and then every Kindle+ title leaves your library. Amazon does not refund fees already paid. Notes and highlights stay in your Amazon account, but the books do not. That is the same ownership picture our lock-in table printed for Kindle Unlimited: you are renting a shelf, and the shelf empties when you stop paying.

If you want books that survive cancellation, our what-you-keep table compares every subscription we score on exactly that question.

Does the rename change our verdict?

Not today. A new name and more audiobook titles do not move any of the eight rubric scores on their own. The catalog's shape (deep in genre series, thin on new bestsellers) and the ownership terms are what drive the score, and neither changed on 22 October. We will re-check the audiobook catalog depth on the next scoring pass and date any change in the review's changelog.

The practical test is the same as before: list the next ten books you actually want, search for the Kindle+ badge on each, and count. Seven or more and a month of Kindle+ probably pays for itself. Three or fewer and your library card wins.