Audible is the world’s largest retailer of audiobooks and spoken-word content. In this Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus review, I look at the pros and cons of Audible’s two main membership options to you pick the plan that’s right for you. I’ll also let you know how you can try either plan for 30 days with a free trial. Let’s get started!
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus
Quick Summary
With Audible you have a choice of two main types of membership: Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus. The following table provides a summary of the two memberships:
Audible Plus
- Listen all you want to a growing selection of included: Originals, audiobooks, meditation programs, sleep tracks, podcasts
- $7.95 a month after trial
- Cancel anytime
Premium Plus
- Everything with Audible Plus
- Plus, 1 title per month from Audible’s entire catalog — yours to keep.
- $14.95 a month after trial
- Cancel anytime
Even if you think Audible Plus will be a better fit for you, I recommend going with the Audible Premium Plus free trial. You’ll get to pick any premium audiobook from Audible’s entire catalog and you can get a sense of what is in the Plus catalog at the same time. And, of course, you can always change to the Audible Plus subscription (or cancel) at a later time.
How does Audible work?
Audible is an online audiobook service owned by Amazon. Audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content can be purchased individually, or under a subscription model where you receive credits with an Audible membership.
Audible membership grants you access to a number of exclusive benefits that add value to your listening experience (I cover these in detail below). Benefits vary by membership plan.
As an Audible member, you have a choice of two main types of membership: Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus.
How does Audible Plus work?
The Audible Plus membership gives you access to the Audible Plus catalog. For $7.95 per month, you can listen all you want to audiobooks, exclusive podcasts, and Audible Originals. Thousands of titles are included so you should be able to find a great listen whatever your interests are.
Look for the “included” tag and hit “play now” to instantly stream from the app. You can also save these titles to your Library or download to listen offline.
Click here to try Audible Plus for free.
How does Audible Premium Plus work?
The Audible Premium Plus membership (starting at $14.95 per month plus applicable sales tax) will give you your fix of bestsellers and new releases. With a credit, you can pick any title in the premium selection to keep forever.
On top of that, you can listen to all you want to the content included in the Audible Plus Catalog. You can stream or download any of these included titles.
You can also exchange purchased titles if you don’t love them, get access to exclusive deals and discounts, and listen across devices without losing your place.
Click here to try Audible Premium Plus for free.
Are you an Amazon Prime member? If so, you can get 2 titles from the entire premium catalog with the Audible Prime deal for Premium Plus (a standard trial includes 1 title). After the trial, all members receive 1 credit per month.
Click here to try Audible Premium Plus with the Audible Prime deal.
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus Comparison Table
Now that we’ve looked at how both plans work let’s compare what you get with Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus:
| Audible Plus Membership | Audible Premium Plus | Audible Premium Plus 2 credits | |
| Access the Audible Plus Catalog Unlimited listening to the Plus catalog. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Earn Credits Get a credit(s) good for any premium selection title. | No | 1 Credit per month | 2 Credits per month |
| No Wasted Credits Keep your credits for up to a year. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Exclusive Discounts 30% off all additional premium selection titles. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Easy Exchanges Exchange titles if you don’t love them. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | $7.95 per month plus applicable tax | $14.95 per month plus applicable tax | $22.95 per month plus applicable tax |
| Free Trial | Click to access | Click to access | Click to access |
Verdict: Is Audible Plus or Premium Plus Better?
Both Audible Plus and Premium Plus are good options so which one is better will depend on your preferences.
I find the Audible Plus catalog has an interesting selection of older and new content. For example, I enjoy the Words + Music series which blends personal storytelling with never-before-heard performances from popular artists exclusively for Audible listeners (note: many but not all of the titles in this series are included in the Plus Catalog).
When it comes to Audible Plus it does help, though, to have a wide variety of listening interests and not be afraid to try new things. If you’re very particular about what you’ll listen to or do not like to venture outside of your comfort zone, the Plus Catalog will probably not be of much interest to you as it has few mainstream or well-known authors, and almost no notable new releases. Personally, I do like to listen to a lot of current bestsellers, so Premium Plus is a better option for me.
Again, if you are unsure which option is best for you I recommend going with the Audible Premium Plus free trial. You’ll get to pick any premium audiobook from Audible’s entire catalog to keep forever and check out the Plus catalog at the same time. And, of course, you can always change to the Audible Plus subscription (or cancel) at a later time.
FAQ: Audible Plus and Premium Plus
Still not sure which Audible plan is right for you? Here we some answers to frequently asked questions about Audible Plus and Premium Plus:
Have you tried Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
