I still see Kobo recommended these days, so an upgrade might be a good option for you. I use a Kindle, but that obviously locks you in with Amazon. I wish I’d have gotten a Kobo myself.

If you want to break free of an ecosystem / format you can go to a brand like Boox or Pocketbook. I have a pocketbook and like it, but some people think they are klunky/laggy (I wanted a smaller, water resistant reader).

I moved away from Amazon because I didn’t like the idea that they could delete or change a book I had paid for and I hated the ads for books/store on my e-reader.

If you go this route you will likely need to get Calibre free software to load books on your reader, so it does depend on how technical you are prepared to be. Not a steep learning curve but there are some recommended plugins, especially if you want to move books that you have bought on the Kindle Ecosystem. You can also go deeper and do things like have the software auto-estimate page # and reading difficulty, as well as implement tagging/organization systems, change/optimize covers, etc.

Another option would be to jailbreak an old device and install koreader. It works on all kinds of old hardware.

Background: I have been using nooks since they debuted, but my most recent E reader purchase was a switch to kobo (Libra 2). I also have a prior gen Paperwhite from Amazon that I got to make it easier to remove the DRM from Amazon exclusives.

I would say your best bet is still a Kobo. I have 1500 side loaded books from ones I purchased or otherwise acquired prior. With native Libby and Pocket integration it’s almost perfect for wanting to be able to function standalone. And the DRM is easy to remove to future-proof your collection using calibre and noDRM.

An eReader that doesn’t lock you into a format doesn’t mean much when ebooks from Google, Kobo and Amazon locks you into their DRM.

But let’s say you happen to strip the drm find a DRM free source of ebooks like on Humble Bundle and want an eReader and are looking for options.

From looking into myself you have a few options depending on the screen.

eInk:

• Kobo (Clara 2e/HD)

• Android eInk tablet (Onyx Boox/Boyue)

LCD:

• Android Tablet (with KO Reader)

• iPad (mini)

• spyware fire tablet

For ease of use the Kobo is probably the best if you are just looking for something the integrates well with everything. But you will need Calibre on a host PC to store and manage your library since Kobo doesn’t do that for you.

iPad would be my second choice mainly because of the native apps for each drm. If you dont want to use the native apps, tutorials are limited but the Book app can read any ePub well, and you can sync books with iCloud. That said if you don’t want iCloud its a pain in the but todisabled, but iTunes can be used to manually add books to the Book app (or adobe digital editions)

Android is the most flexible but takes more work. A Samsung tablet will be the easiest to buy and run. And each eBook store does have a native app. That said DRM free is where Android shines, KOReader is a fabulous eReader app that supports so much that even the eInk android devices use it. The GUI isn’t the best but its functionality is the best.

This also applies to android eink as well. However do not expect software support more than what’s already installed. For a phone/tablet this would be a killer (have a likebook stuck on Android 4 with a dead play store) however since ebooks are offline the devices are still usable. If you want anything official… Good luck.

Amazon

While you will see a general consensus that Fire Tablets and Kindles should be avoided I have looked into them and this is my two cents on them.

Kindle - are surprising more usable then a Kobo without an account, but the majority of its features are locked out if you don’t have an account. With Calibre you can convert ePubs to Amazon’s format since they are rebadged ePubs and the Kindle will read it even if you are not signed in. However I personally don’t like the amount of work is needed to use it beyond what Amazon wants you to use it for. And especially out side of the USA the lack of Audio book functionality is irritating.

Fire Tablet - is the most useful of the Amazon devices. It can be used without an account with a lot of work and diligence during the checkout. Since its an Android Tablet you can install all but Googles DRM and even then Adobe Digital editions works on it. SD card storage upgrades are a nice bonus too for comics lovers or audiobooks fans. But you will be missing features until you sign in.

And here’s the thing, you may want an Amazon device, logged in since you will have a Serial Number which maybe used to “improve” the usability of your Amazon ebooks on non Amazon devices. Especially when the old gen of tablets go on sale. 😉

I’ve actually been looking into this myself, and Kobo seems like the most ‘open’ option. The Libra 2 in particular fit my requirements for size and features. It supports quite a few ebook formats but I think it’s limited to Kobo’s own audiobooks only.

If anyone has one I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Not sure if this fits what you’re looking for, but FBReader (Android | Apple) on a mobile device is what I use. It can sync your personal books along with reading position and bookmarks using Google Drive and can access any OPDS catalog. It also supports most (DRM-free/unDRMed) formats

I use a Pocketbook 2 for the same reasons. PB3 doesn’t have a sd-slot anymore, it’s kinda waterproof though. I don’t have much comparison (owned a old Nook before) but i’m content with it. So far i had no problems connecting it to Debian, Windows 10 and 11, using calibre.