Audiobooks are a great way to bring words to life on a page and fit reading into your schedule throughout the day when you’re doing things like exercising, cooking, driving, and relaxing. Amazon-owned Audible is arguably the most popular audiobook app out there, but there are plenty of other lesser-known options that offer a great listening experience if you’re looking to try out a new app or are just starting to get into the world of audiobooks.
We’ve put together a list of six audiobook apps we think are worth checking out. The right app for you will likely depend on your listening preferences and budget, so the list includes a variety of apps that follow different models.
Audiobooks.com
Image Credits: Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com gives you access to one audiobook credit and one VIP book credit for $14.95 per month. You can use the credits to buy one of the service’s 425,000 audiobooks or join a genre club that gives you unlimited access to titles in that club for a month. For example, you can join the mystery and thriller club and listen to unlimited titles in the club for 30 days.
If you don’t want to commit to the monthly subscription, you can buy individual titles. Audiobooks.com offers a free 30-day trial that comes with three free audiobooks. It’s worth noting that the service also has a collection of 10,000 free audiobooks. The service is a good option if you’re already an audiobook listener and want to try a new option.
Everand/Scribd
Image Credits: Everett
Everett from Scribd is a great option for users who want to read a lot of audiobooks each month and are willing to pay a monthly fee. The app gives users access to audiobooks, e-books and magazines for $11.99 a month. The monthly fee includes access to content from Everand, Scribd and SlideShare. It’s worth noting that when you access a title on the platform, you’re streaming it like you would a movie on Netflix, meaning you don’t actually own the audiobook.
Everand gives you access to a limited number of titles per month, depending on where you live. The platform allows you to download titles for offline reading and listening and allows you to access titles on four devices. The service offers a 30-day free trial if you’re not ready to commit but want to try it out.
Libby
Image Credits: Libby
Libby it’s a great option if you’re on a budget and don’t want to spend money on audiobooks every month. The app lets you enjoy thousands of free audiobooks, e-books and magazines from your local library. Libby also lets you add more than one library card to the app, which opens up access to even more titles.
The downside is that if you want to listen to a popular audiobook, you may have to wait a while before it’s available to borrow. You have up to three weeks with the audiobook before you have to return it, but the app remembers where you left off so you can always borrow it again in the future. There’s also a limit to how many audiobooks you can borrow at a time, which isn’t really a problem when you’re accessing titles for free.
Hoopla
Image Credits: Hoopla
Like Libby, Hoopla gives you access to free audiobooks, e-books, and magazines as long as your library is a Hoopla affiliate. Apart from reading material, the app also offers TV shows and movies. Hoopla includes your standard audiobook controls, such as a sleep timer, bookmark, and the option to adjust the audio speed. As with any regular library, there is a limit to the number of titles you can borrow.
It’s worth noting that the audiobook selection will likely include fewer audiobooks than a paid subscription offering like Audible or Scribd. However, the app is a great option if your library partners with Hoopla and you don’t have the budget for a monthly subscription.
Spotify
Image Credits: Spotify
You might be surprised to find Spotify on this list, but hear me out. Spotify has started offering Premium members 15 hours of free audiobook listening every month. Many best sellers come in under 15 hours, meaning you can enjoy a free audiobook every month. It’s worth noting that Spotify also lets you buy audiobooks individually.
If you’re someone who pays for Spotify Premium and doesn’t plan on listening to a lot of audiobooks, or you’re just getting started with audiobooks, it might be a good idea to take advantage of the streaming service’s new offering before you try a dedicated audiobook service. However, if you only plan on listening to one audiobook a month, you may not even need another service.
Libro.fm
Image Credits: Libro.fm
Libro.fm is an interesting audiobook app because it allows you to buy audiobooks while supporting your local bookstores. The service allows you to select a local bookstore to support your purchases. Libro.fm gives you one audiobook credit for $14.99 per month, but you can also buy audiobooks à la carte. Every time you get an audiobook through Libro.fm, the service shares the profits with your chosen local bookstore. Libro.fm currently has partnerships with more than 2,500 bookstores.
What makes Libro.fm unique is the fact that audiobooks purchased through Libro.fm are DRM-free, meaning you’re not forced to use the service’s app to listen to audiobooks. You have the option to download MP3 files and listen to the audiobooks on any app or device and you can keep them forever.
