Kobo Stack will sync personal ebooks across devices for a fee

Kobo is introducing Stack, a monthly subscription that uploads users’ ebooks and documents to Kobo’s servers and syncs them across devices and apps. The service also syncs reading progress, highlights, and annotations.

Stack is part of a major 6.0 update to Kobo’s e-reader software, currently available as an optional beta ahead of a wider release. It supports EPUB and PDF files up to 200MB. Subscribers can upload files through Kobo’s website or email them to a custom address. They can access synced files wherever they are logged into their Kobo account, including iOS and Android apps, Kobo’s website, and supported e-readers.

Current e-reader support includes the Clara BW, Clara Colour, Libra Colour, and Elipsa 2E. Kobo says support for older devices made between 2018 and 2024 will arrive soon. Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn said on Threads that the initial rollout covers Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Spain, but not the US. Pricing is $3.99 per month in Canada and £2.99 per month in the UK.

Kobo is offering a 90-day free trial. After cancelling, subscribers have a 60-day grace period to download files and export notes and annotations; afterward, uploaded content will be permanently deleted. The 6.0 update also adds support for multiple library cards through Libby, lower stylus latency on supported devices, larger font options, and support for EPUB files protected by LCP DRM.