Kobo Clara
Hacker ApprovedRanked 6 of 29 e-readers by recommenders
Recommended for its readable screen, small size, long battery life, and open software that runs KOReader well. Critics say page turns are slow and it has no page-turn buttons.
Recommended for its readable screen, small size, long battery life, and open software that runs KOReader well. Critics say page turns are slow and it has no page-turn buttons.
47 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 38
- criticize it
- 9
- approval share
- 81%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 8 years
Median of the 4 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 38 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 10 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Open software, feels owned
“when I set mine up in 2022 it kind of just felt like they just weren't as good at fucking me over and subverting my intentions as Amazon”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Quill OS: An open-source OS for Kobo's eReaders” “Kobo is better than the Kindle from an... ethical standpoint, if you have the money for one”
Comment from 8 Dec 2025 in “Let's put Tailscale on a jailbroken Kindle” “They are way more open with the software and I have mine in "sideload" mode”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks” - Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Your ePub Is Fine. Kobo Disagrees. Blame Adobe”
- Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Rakuten Kobo returns to U.S. retail as sales double”
Good screen for reading
“the Clara BW is still my preferred e-reader as I find the larger screen better for longer reading sessions”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader” “And the default rendering engine in kobo’s firmware does actually typeset the text: no ragged edges!”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Your ePub Is Fine. Kobo Disagrees. Blame Adobe” “It's largely the exact device that I want my book reader to be”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Rust (and Slint) on a Jailbroken Kindle” - Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “E Ink Kaleido 4”
- Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader”
Fits in a pocket
“the kobo can fit in my jeans pocket and is about the size of a normal paperback page”
Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader” “having my whole library in a small form factor is really wonderful”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader” “I _much_ prefer the Clara because I can slip it in a pocket”
Comment from 24 May 2026 in “Kindle loyalists scramble as Amazon turns page on old e-readers” Runs KOReader well
“Even my Kobo Clara BW with Koreader, which is still quite portable, has way better UX.”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader” “I've had my Kobo Clara HD for almost 8 years and I still use it daily with KOReader.”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “I turned my Kindle into my own personal newspaper” “KOReader works just as easily, and just as well, on my much newer Kobo Clara BW.”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “I turned my Kindle into my own personal newspaper” - Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow page turns and lag
“it's on the slow side, even just when switching pages on the stock app”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “the experience is bad, as there is a subtantial delay after each keypress and any keys pressed during it are dropped”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “it really struggles with graphic heavy pdfs - slow page changing etc.”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Rakuten Kobo returns to U.S. retail as sales double” Freezes and screen refresh glitches
“I encounter freezes mostly when I enable Bluetooth/wifi”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “it was failing to properly clear and update the screen”
Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “I turned my Kindle into my own personal newspaper” “mine takes a while to connect to wifi too”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” No page-turn buttons
“For whatever reason I find swipe gestures on e-ink annoying. I currently use a Kobo Clara BW and miss dedicated page-turning buttons.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “Open Book Touch: open-source e-reader” “don't like swipe gestures, or any gestures whatsoever”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Open Book Touch: open-source e-reader” Screen too small for some
“two unfortunately sized B&W readers (the tiny 6" Clara and giant 10" Elipsa)”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Kobo can run apps now” “I'd buy a Kobo if they had a 7" screen (Clara) since that's easier to get KOReader on”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Amazon introduces a redesigned Kindle family”
Other e-readers people recommend
The four most recommended other e-readers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Kindle | 222 | 255 | 47% | 12 | 12 yrs37 owners | — |
| Xteink X4 | 178 | 47 | 79% | 10 | 2 mo31 owners | Approved |
| Kobo e-reader | 154 | 53 | 74% | 12 | 7 yrs14 owners | Approved |
| reMarkable 2 | 93 | 45 | 67% | 12 | 5 yrs13 owners | Approved |
| Kobo ClaraThis page | 38 | 9 | 81% | 10 | 8 yrs4 owners | Approved |
What people said
40 of the 56 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I greatly prefer my Kobo Clara BW for general readability.”
“I'd buy a Kobo if they had a 7" screen (Clara) since that's easier to get KOReader on”
“I am very happy with the screen on my current one”
“the kobo can fit in my jeans pocket and is about the size of a normal paperback page”
“Even my Kobo Clara BW with Koreader, which is still quite portable, has way better UX.”
“the Clara BW is still my preferred e-reader as I find the larger screen better for longer reading sessions”
“it's a much better experience for reading imo despite not having buttons”
“it really struggles with graphic heavy pdfs - slow page changing etc.”
“I love that Kobos can still be set up completely offline.”
“The C is sharper but the L looks more like a real book/paper.”
“I'm still using my kobo clara hd that I bought 8 years ago. What a great device.”
“two unfortunately sized B&W readers (the tiny 6" Clara and giant 10" Elipsa)”
“the experience is bad, as there is a subtantial delay after each keypress and any keys pressed during it are dropped”
“it's on the slow side, even just when switching pages on the stock app”
“mine takes a while to connect to wifi too”
“I encounter freezes mostly when I enable Bluetooth/wifi”
“I'm very satisfied with my BW with KOReader, haven't noticed any shortcomings”
“Super affordable (got it on sale too) and "it just works".”
“by far the hardest part was removing the old screen from the glue holding it on to the metal plate”
“I'm using it on a Kobo Clara BW and my battery just lasts and lasts”
“don't like swipe gestures, or any gestures whatsoever”
“kobo supports just a single touch on the right and left edges of the screen for switching pages, and I don't mind that”
“For whatever reason I find swipe gestures on e-ink annoying. I currently use a Kobo Clara BW and miss dedicated page-turning buttons.”
“Personally I use a Clara BW with a folding cover-stand and it's incredibly convenient.”
“having my whole library in a small form factor is really wonderful”
“My current sense is the device feels so much more like it is mine.”
“And the default rendering engine in kobo’s firmware does actually typeset the text: no ragged edges!”
“this motives me to get a second hand Clara HD for less than 100$”
“It's largely the exact device that I want my book reader to be”
“I _much_ prefer the Clara because I can slip it in a pocket”
“If you just want to read books you should probably just get a Kobo.”
“it was also a significantly better device purely on hardware specs”
“I'm 100% on e-readers. Previously Kindle Paperwhite 6th Gen, and since a few weeks, Kobo Clara BW.”
“It seems to turn pages just fine, which is the only place I'm concerned about performance.”
“it was failing to properly clear and update the screen”
“KOReader works just as easily, and just as well, on my much newer Kobo Clara BW.”
“I've had my Kobo Clara HD for almost 8 years and I still use it daily with KOReader.”
“They are way more open with the software and I have mine in "sideload" mode”
“when I set mine up in 2022 it kind of just felt like they just weren't as good at fucking me over and subverting my intentions as Amazon”
“Kobo is better than the Kindle from an... ethical standpoint, if you have the money for one”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.