Kindle vs. iPad – How Do Book Prices Compare?

As an iPad owner, one question I frequently get asked is how book prices compare to those that the Amazon Kindle offers? Until today, I’ve always thought books within the iBooks Library were more expensive than those offered by the Amazon Kindle.

I have an iPad and my wife Amy has a Kindle. Today, I wanted to get a small sample size and compare exact titles in both the Amazon Kindle Store and iBooks Library. Here are the results of 10 books that are new and 10 books that are 6 months or older.

New Books

• Sh*t My Dad Says (May 3, 2010) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• Heroes for My Son (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• Put on Your Crown (May 6, 2010) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• Steinbrenner (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $12.99 | iPad $12.99
• Africa United (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• Darkness Visable (May 4, 2010) – Kindle $8.60 | iPad $9.99
• Fever Dream (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $12.99 | iPad $12.99
• Executive Intent (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $12.99 | iPad $12.99
• Dragon Haven (May 11, 2010) – Kindle $14.99 | iPad $14.99
• Mistress By Mistake (May 01, 2010) – Kindle $ 8.96 | iPad $6.99

Summary: In the 10 books I chose randomly, it’s a wash. Based on this small sample size, I can conclude that new books are pretty much the same price in both stores.

Older Titles

• The Help (Feb 10, 2009) – Kindle $8.99 | iPad $9.99 = $1 savings for Kindle users
• The Dark Tide (Mar 18, 2008) – Kindle $7.99 | $7.99
• Snow Melts in the Spring (Sep 01, 2009) - Kindle $7.19 | iPad $9.99 = $1.80 savings for Kindle users
• Wounded Healer (Aug 1, 2009) – Kindle $8.79 | iPad $9.99 = $1.20 savings for Kindle users
• Scent (Jun 1, 2009) – Kindle $8.79 | iPad $9.99 = $1.20 savings for Kindle users
• Grace Notes (Oct 1, 2009) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• The First Drop of Rain (May 1, 2009) – Kindle $0.00 | iPad $0.00
• Bite Me (Sep 30, 2008) – Kindle $9.99 | iPad $9.99
• Tinkers (Jan 1, 2009) – Kindle $8.22 | iPad $9.99 = $1.77 savings for Kindle users
• The Last Olympian (May 5, 2009) – Kindle $9.49 | iPad $10.99 = $1.50 savings for Kindle users

Summary: Kindle wins when it comes to older titles. Averaged out in the 10 older books, Kindle users would save approximately $0.85 per title. Not counting the books that were the same price, when there was a price difference, Kindle users would get the book $1.41 cheaper.

What are your thoughts on the iBooks Library compared to the Amazon Kindle Store? Are you surprised by these results? Let me know what you think.