Best Audiobook Services 2024, Free and Paid

Choosing the best audiobook service comes down to more than just the size of the library; it’s about finding the right fit for your listening habits and budget. Audible might be the first name that comes to mind with its vast selection, but there are plenty of other contenders offering unique advantages.

In this guide, we’ll compare Audible alongside other leading audiobook platforms, highlighting the key features, costs, and pros and cons to help you make an informed choice.

Audible – An unmatched selection

Audible is an audiobook service owned by Amazon that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content.

While audiobooks can be purchased individually, most Audible users have a membership, for which there are two main types:

1. Audible Plus: includes access to unlimited streaming and listening from the Audible Plus Catalog.
2. Audible Premium Plus: includes everything in Audible Plus, with 1 or 2 credits per month for any title in the Premium selections catalog.

Audible pros:

• Largest audiobook library with 600,000+ titles.
• Unlimited listening with the Audible Plus catalog.
• Audible Originals and Exclusives (e.g. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah).
• Flexible pricing with various plans.
• Member-only discounts and sales.
• Easy returns.
• Alexa and Kindle integration.
• International sites (e.g. Australia, Canada, and the UK).
• 30-day Audible free trial.

Audible cons:

• Credits expire.
• Amazon business practices have been criticized.
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) may be restrictive.

Audible cost:

Membership plans include:

• Audible Plus: $7.95 a month
• Audible Premium Plus – 1 Credit: $14.95 a month
• Audible Premium Plus – 2 Credits: $22.95 a month
• Audible Premium Plus Annual – 12 Credits: $149.50
• Audible Premium Plus Annual – 24 Credits: $229.50

Note: all costs in this guide are in US dollars unless stated otherwise.

Get started with Audible:

• Visit Audible.com and sign up for a 30-day free trial.
• If you enjoy your Audible trial, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue. Audible will send you an email reminder before your trial ends, that way you won’t have any unexpected charges.
• You can cancel Audible online anytime before your trial ends and you won’t be charged.

Read our Audible review for an in-depth dive into the service.

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Audiobooks.com – Curated booklists

Audiobooks.com is an audiobook service similar to Audible where audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content can be purchased individually, or under a subscription model where you receive credits with an Audiobooks.com membership.

Audiobooks.com pros:

• Catalog 450,000+ titles.
• Member-only discounts and sales.
• An excellent, highly-rated app.
• Access to audio news, audio magazines, and sleep & meditation audio content.
• Curated book lists make it easy to find a great listen.
• Unlimited listening with Audiobook Clubs.
• Membership includes 1 VIP title each month.
• 30-day Audiobooks.com free trial includes 3 audiobooks.

Audiobooks.com cons:

• VIP selection may not always have anything of interest to you.
• There are cheaper options.

Audiobooks.com cost:

• Membership is $14.95 a month for 1 credit.
• Additional credits can be purchased as needed.

Get started with Audiobooks.com:

• Visit Audiobooks.com and sign up for a 30-day free trial.
• You will get your first 3 audiobooks free with 1 book from the entire catalog of 450,000+ premium titles plus 2 audiobooks from the VIP selection.
• You can cancel anytime during those 30 days. Once your free trial has expired, your monthly subscription fee will be automatically charged to the billing information on your account, and you can continue to enjoy great audiobooks.

Read our Audiobooks.com review to learn more about the service.

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Blinkist – Professional book summaries

Blinkist is a professional book summary service that condenses the key ideas of popular nonfiction books and podcasts into short 15-minute explainers (“blinks”) to read or listen to.

Blinkist pros:

• 7-day free trial and 20% discount on your first year.
• Catalog 5,000+ titles.
• Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in less time.
• Daily Pick is available for free.
• Kindle integration.

Blinkist cons:

• Blinks are written in-house and don’t contain actual content from any books besides the occasional pull quote.
• Blinks are limited by their format. In their FAQ, Blinkist writes, “Think of them as a robust movie trailer for books. Full-length books offer more in-depth discussion, rich examples, references, and explanations that Blinks can’t fit.”

Blinkist cost:

• Membership $15.99 per month or $99.99 annual subscription (US customers).
• Other pricing for customers in Germany, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Get started with Blinkist:

• Visit Blinkist.com and sign up for a free account.
• Enjoy unlimited access for 7 days. Blinkist will send you a reminder email on day 5 that your trial is ending.
• You can cancel your Blinkist membership at any time.

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Chirp Books – Discounted audiobooks

Chirp is an audiobook service that offers limited-time deals on popular audiobooks and no requirement to have a monthly subscription.

Chirp pros:

• Cheap audiobooks with savings of up to 95% off the regular price.
• Personalized daily emails will draw your attention to titles and deals you wouldn’t otherwise know about.
• No monthly subscription fees.

Chirp cons:

• Limited pricing options – if there is a specific title you want that is not on sale, the cost is likely cheaper on another service.
• Currently available in the United States and Canada only.

Chirp cost:

• No monthly fee.
• Cost for an individual audiobook varies depending on the title and whether or not it’s on sale.

Get started with Chirp:

• Visit Chirp Books and create a free account.
• Pick what types of audiobooks you enjoy and Chirp will start sending you a daily email with audiobook deals.
• Get 30% off your first Chirp purchase with our discount code: CHIRPAA30

Read our Chirp audiobooks review to learn more about the service.

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Everand – Endless listening with a flat monthly fee

Everand is a subscription service that provides members access to millions of audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, comics, and sheet music selections. Basically, Everand is for books what Netflix is for movies.

Everand pros:

• Catalog 300,000+ audiobooks.
• Broad range of content includes ebooks, magazines, comics, and sheet music.
• Cost-effective and simple pricing.
• Highly rated app.
• Personalized recommendations.
• Some exclusive content (e.g. Finn by Stephen King).
• Worldwide access (Scribd has over one million monthly subscribers in over 100 countries).

Everand cons:

• Less audiobooks than Audible.
• Content restrictions depending on your usage (“throttling”).
• You don’t own any content you consume.

Everand cost:

• Membership $11.99 USD per month.

Get started with Everand:

• Visit Everand and create a basic, free account.
• You can then activate a free trial of the premium membership for 30 days to get access to Everand’s library of content.
• Cancel anytime

Read our Everand review to learn more about the service.

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Kobo – a cheap monthly subscription

Kobo (an anagram of “book”) is a company that sells audiobooks, ebooks, readers, and tablet computers. Kobo offers two distinct audiobook plans: a monthly subscription service based on a credit system or the Kobo Plus subscription providing unlimited access to over 150,000 audiobooks and 1.5 million eBooks with plans tailored for audiobooks, eBooks, or both.

Kobo’s integration with its e-readers allows users to easily switch between reading and listening, offering a seamless experience.

Kobo benefits:

• Low monthly subscription price.
• Integration with Kobo Readers (see devices that support audiobooks).
• Members earn Kobo Super Points.
• 30-day free trial.

Kobo cons:

• Other services have larger catalogs.
• Audiobooks are available only for customers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Kobo cost:

• Membership $9.99 per month for the Kobo credit plan or the Kobo Plus reading & listening plan.

Get started with Kobo:

• Visit Kobo and sign up for a 30-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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Libby – Free audiobooks from the library

Libby lets you borrow audiobooks with a library card making it a great way to listen to audiobooks for free. Availability of certain titles will depend on factors including the size of your library, how popular a title is, and how many audiobooks are stocked. Read our Libby review to learn more about the service.

Libby pros:

• Free audiobooks!

Libby cons:

• Audiobook titles may not be available or have a waiting period until they are (particularly if the title is a new release or a recent bestseller).
• Borrowed books have a loan period (e.g. 21 days) after which they are returned.

Get started with Libby:

• Libby is available for Android, iOS, Windows 10, some Chromebooks, and in your browser at libbyapp.com.
• Note: Hoopla is another popular option for borrowing audiobooks from the library.
• The following video is a helpful guide to getting started with Libby:

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Libro.fm – Support your local bookstore

Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through your local bookstore. As part of the sign-up process, you’ll choose the independent bookstore you want to support with future purchases and Libro.fm will split profits with this bookstore.

Libro.fm pros:

• Free account and bonus audiobook on sign up for Libro.fm membership.
• Catalog 400,000+ titles.
• Support your local bookstore as Libro.fm splits its profits with an independent bookstore of your choice.
• Playlists curated by booksellers, the Libro.fm team, influencers, and others.
• DRM-free audiobooks give you the freedom to listen to your audiobook on any device.

Libro.fm cons:

• Smaller catalog than Audible.
• No free trial.
• No customer reviews.

Libro.fm cost:

• Membership $14.99 per month. 

Getting started: 

• Visit Libro.fm and create a free account.
• If you are an avid audiobook listener, you can sign up for a monthly subscription with the code CHOOSEINDIE and Libro.fm will give you a bonus audiobook. That means you’ll have 2 audiobook credits to redeem from the start.
• Libro.fm also offers à la carte purchases for occasional or international listeners.
• Watch the following video to learn more about the audiobook service:

Read our Libro.fm review to learn more about the service.

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Summary – The best audiobook service?

What is the best audiobook service? As we’ve covered in this guide, the top audiobook platforms each offer unique advantages. The best audiobook service for you will depend on your listening habits and budget.

Here are our top 3 picks from the services we’ve covered:

Audible is our pick for the overall best audiobook service for having the largest audiobook and spoken-word catalog, easy return policy, and Audible Plus selection.

Everand is our pick for the best value audiobook platform for the massive digital media library (including ebooks, magazines, comics, and sheet music selections) and low monthly fee.

Libby is our pick for the best free audiobook service for making it easy to borrow audiobooks from the library.

Other notable audiobook services worth your time are:

Audiobooks.com has an easy-to-use app that includes helpful curated book lists and various audio content (podcasts, audio news & magazines, and sleep & meditation audio).

Blinkist has professional book summaries making it a great option for non-fiction lovers.

Chirp for its limited-time deals with big savings. Note: you can save even more with our discount code: CHIRPAA30

Kobo is ideal for those who value the flexibility of moving between formats and own a Kobo e-reader.

Libro.fm has helpful bookseller recommendations, DRM-free audiobooks, and supports independent bookstores.

What’s your pick for the best audiobook service? Let me know in the comments section below.