Kindle Vella closed. Here’s how Almost Kiss compares

Checked October 2026 · by the Almost Kiss team · Sources

Kindle Vella was Amazon’s serial-fiction platform, where the first three episodes of a story were free and the rest unlocked with tokens. Amazon closed it on 26 February 2025. Almost Kiss is a romance alternative for Vella readers: complete stories rather than open-ended serials, interactive so you are the heroine, with no tokens. Chapter 1 of every story is free.

Almost Kiss vs Kindle Vella at a glance

	Almost Kiss	Kindle Vella
Status	Live, with new stories every week	Closed on 26 February 2025
What it was	Complete interactive romance stories, read a beat at a time; you are the heroine	Serialised episodes of 500–6,000 words
Free to start	Chapter 1 of every story, no sign-up; a free account opens chapters 2–3 of 2 stories a month	First three episodes of every story
How you paid	$2.99 once to keep a story, or $9.99 a month for every story	Tokens, priced by episode length
Do you make choices?	Yes. Choose at key moments, or say it your way in your own words	No
Every story finished?	Yes. Every story is finished before it is published	No, stories were released episode by episode
Where you read	Any web browser, and Android; iPhone app coming soon	Vella apps and the web, US only

When did Kindle Vella shut down?

Amazon announced on 29 October 2024 that it would phase out Kindle Vella, saying it was not as popular as hoped. Readers could no longer buy tokens and authors could no longer publish new episodes after 4 December 2024, and the programme closed on 26 February 2025. Amazon said leftover token value would be credited as an Amazon gift card, and that episodes readers had unlocked stay readable in the Kindle apps.

Where can Kindle Vella readers read serial romance now?

There is no single successor. Amazon pointed Vella authors towards republishing their stories as Kindle eBooks, often in Kindle Unlimited, so many finished Vella stories now live there. Other readers tried apps like Wattpad or Galatea. Radish, another popular home for serial romance, also closed, on 31 December 2025.

Almost Kiss is a different answer to the same craving. Vella readers loved the first-three-free sampling and the episode-sized bites. Almost Kiss keeps both, with Chapter 1 of every story free and stories that arrive a beat at a time, and adds the part Vella never had: you are the heroine, and the story remembers your choices.

How is Almost Kiss different from Kindle Vella?

Almost Kiss differs from Kindle Vella in three ways:

Complete, not open-ended. Every Almost Kiss story is finished before it is published, so you never wait weeks for the next episode or lose a story halfway.
Interactive. You choose what to do or say at key moments, or answer in your own words, and later chapters call back to it.
Simple pricing. No tokens: $2.99 once to keep a story, or $9.99 a month for every story.

I wrote on Kindle Vella. Can my story go on Almost Kiss?

Almost Kiss works with romance authors who want their stories turned into interactive fiction, including serial writers whose Vella stories are now sitting in a folder. See how it works for authors and book a call.

Should you choose Kindle Vella or Almost Kiss?

Choose Kindle Vella if…

you want the Vella stories you already unlocked: they stay readable in the Kindle apps, and many authors have republished as Kindle eBooks.

Choose Almost Kiss if…

you loved serial romance in small bites and want complete stories, no tokens, and a love interest who remembers the choices you make.

Where to start on Almost Kiss if you read Kindle Vella

Marked — a vampire king, seven nights under his roof, and a man who stopped himself once.
Unmated — you reject the mate bond tonight, and your best friend, the new Alpha, refuses.
The Ruin of Miss Everly — a Regency rake, a wager, and a ruin you planned yourself.

Read FREE for 7 days

Chapter 1 needs no sign-up. Then $9.99 a month after your free week. Cancel anytime.

Almost Kiss vs Kindle Vella: questions readers ask

Is Kindle Vella still available?

No. Amazon closed Kindle Vella on 26 February 2025, after stopping token sales and new episodes on 4 December 2024. Episodes readers had already unlocked remain readable in the Kindle apps, and leftover token value was credited as an Amazon gift card.

What is the best Kindle Vella alternative for romance?

For romance in short, sampled-first instalments, Almost Kiss is a strong fit: Chapter 1 of every story is free, every story is complete, and it is interactive, so your choices shape the story. For long non-interactive serials, Wattpad and Galatea are the closest.

Why did Kindle Vella shut down?

Amazon said Kindle Vella was not as popular as it had hoped. It announced the phase-out in October 2024 and closed the programme on 26 February 2025, encouraging authors to republish their stories as Kindle eBooks.

Can Kindle Vella authors publish on Almost Kiss?

Almost Kiss works with romance authors, including former Vella serial writers, to turn their stories into interactive fiction. Authors can book a call on the authors page.

Other comparisons

Sources and how we checked

We make Almost Kiss, so weigh this page with that in mind. Everything said here about Kindle Vella comes from its own store listings and help pages or from reputable reporting, linked below, checked in October 2026. Apps change their prices and rules often, so check the current listing before you spend. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@almostkiss.com and we will fix it.

Kindle Vella is a trademark of Amazon. Almost Kiss is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon.