The best audiobook services can provide you with hours of entertainment, allowing you to download and listen to the latest literary works from your favorite authors. Whether you’re planning a road trip or need something to get to work, subscribing to one of these audiobook platforms can help fill those hours when you need something to pass the time.
We’ve tested all of the best audiobook services currently available and our ranking is below. Overall, we think most people will prefer the content and titles they find on Audible (opens in a new tab). Although the platform only offers you one free download per month (you’ll have to pay more), we found that the highest concentration of popular new releases is available through this company. It also has great podcasts for you to enjoy, and while you can find them elsewhere, it’s convenient to have all your audio entertainment in one place.
You are reading: Best way to listen to books
what about free audiobook downloads? well, they generally don’t exist, unless the book is now in the public domain. As such, there are some services that provide vintage book recording (like Little Women, for example). we have mentioned some of these services below. There are also platforms below that allow you to download unique audiobooks. these are ideal for anyone who only rarely listens to literature.
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1. audible: best overall audiobook service
Yes, this is the most expensive service, but it’s unparalleled when it comes to choice of titles. when we were testing the platform, we found that almost all of the most requested new launch titles were available on this website (95%), so you’re getting the top rated stuff here. It also has an easy to use app, which works on Android and iOS. add the fact that you can get a wide variety of podcasts through this website and it clearly comes out as a winner.
It’s not cheap, it’s $14.95 a month, but for that price you get a free download every 30 days. There is also usually a free trial period available, for the first month or so, and regular sales for members as well. you can sometimes pick up classic titles for a couple of bucks, and audible exclusives are regularly announced on the platform.
Unlike other audiobook services, audible lets you keep your downloads forever, even if you cancel your subscription. as such, you can quickly build up a nice library of recordings to return to. the company also has a fairly generous return policy, allowing you to change your choice of audiobook, if you start listening to it and decide you don’t like it.
- read our audible review (opens in a new tab)
2. audiobooks.com – an excellent app and a wide variety
audiobooks.com has a very similar offering to audible and will satisfy most users in exactly the same way. there are over 150,000 books on this service, and you get three free books for signing up. There is a bit of a caveat to this offer though, as you only get one free book from the premium section, where all the great new releases are, and two free books from the VIP section, where most of the rest of the modern books are. .
Just like Audible, once you’ve purchased and downloaded books, you can keep them even if you decide to stop subscribing. There are also over 8,000 free books (many of which are small niche), for when you want to try something new at no cost, and there are also a host of podcasts – the current count is over 700,000. it’s the app and the extra features that make audiobooks.com stand out: you’ll get reminders for new episodes of your favorite podcasts, recommendations, and there’s even a sleep timer for audiobooks, which means they’ll automatically cut off at a specified time. useful if you fall asleep listening to books, as many people do.
Overall, it’s a great deal. If you haven’t bought Amazon, which owns Audible, then this is a great alternative. Sure, the selection isn’t that big, but there are so many podcasts here, for free, that you’re getting good value anyway.
- read our audiobooks.com review (opens in a new tab)
3. scribd: best unlimited service
scribd is a great all-round subscription service that truly offers unlimited reading across a variety of books, audiobooks, magazines, and articles. for a monthly fee of $8.99, you get access to a good but not market-leading number of audiobooks, and you can consume as many as you like, at your own pace. The downside, however, is that you can’t keep them after your scribd subscription expires, so you’re really just renting all the content on the site.
The app is also easy to use and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, so it should cover all the smartphones and tablets in your home. there’s a 30-day trial, which gives you access to everything in the library, and you’ll receive a warning email the first time you’re charged the monthly fee. what’s more, you can even buy gift cards for scribd, so you can give someone the reading for a special occasion, which is a nice touch.
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The only real downside is the fact that you can’t save books after you finish subscribing to scribd, and while there’s plenty to read and listen to here, sometimes you’re missing extras like good literary podcasts. overall though, this is a lot like netflix for books, so if you like the sound of that, and want to save a little money, this is a good option to sign up for.
- read our scribd review (opens in a new tab)
4. kobo audiobooks: subscription at the best price
Of all the audiobook services in 2021, kobo has one of the cheapest subscriptions. For a monthly subscription of $12.99, readers can redeem a credit for any book in the store regardless of the listed price. there are over 100,000 audiobooks here and six million ebooks. has one of the most complete offers, with podcasts, magazines and newspapers too.
It’s clear that the app, which is only available on apple or android, has been designed with enthusiastic readers in mind. Its extensive features are designed to provide the best listening experience, with handy sleep timers, personal reading statistics, and highlighting tools. You can read offline from anywhere in the world, and like Audible, once you’ve brought and downloaded books, they’re yours for life.
with such a great offer at one of the most affordable prices, its only drawback is that you can’t listen from your desktop or laptop and interestingly, audiobooks have to be purchased on the web before you can access them on the internet. Overall, Kobo offers all the joys of walking into a city’s largest bookstore, but online and at a relatively affordable price.
- read our kobo audiobook review (opens in a new tab)
5. google play books: good for android users
google play books is essentially the bookstore for android users. It’s a regular online store, so there’s no subscription or membership required: just tap on it from a cell phone or tablet, find the audiobook you want, and buy it. simple.
It’s actually a good value compared to other audiobook retailers like apple books, and not only will you find decent discounts on new and popular titles, but you’ll also find extremely low prices on old and classic books. As with phones and tablets themselves, Android users pay less for their audiobooks. The selection is also excellent, equal to Apple Books, but more limited than what specialists like Audible offer. That said, you’ll likely find what you’re looking for here.
Downloaded audiobooks can be played on multiple devices and there’s a family library option for many books, which means others can listen to them with a single purchase, as long as they’ve been added to your google play family. It’s worth noting that you can also download google play on apple products, and we recommend it, as many audiobooks are cheaper here than apple books.
6. apple books: good for iphone users
apple books is not a subscription service and works more like a traditional online store. however, that comes with advantages and disadvantages. There’s no monthly fee to begin with, so you’re not forced to download a new book every month to justify the cost, you just pay as you go. Apple Books is also great for audiobooks, as you can download the app on your Apple Watch and listen to books while working out or on your commute, without any hassle. If you’re locked into Apple’s tech ecosystem, it’s a great option, especially since iCloud allows you to share purchased items across all your devices. if not, things become a little less attractive.
audiobooks on apple books can be quite expensive and you don’t get a free download every month. if you buy multiple audiobooks per month, you’ll actually pay more to buy them individually, so the freedom to listen at your own pace comes at a cost to regular users.
the selection of apple books is wide, which is good, and you can also read free previews of books if you’re not sure if they are for you. Obviously, there aren’t as many audiobooks out there as regular books, so the selection is more limited than at specialty providers like Audible and Audiobooks.com. there are also some freebies, and the podcasts require a separate app from the app store. a good option for apple users, but not as attractive as others.
7. downpour: best for casual readers/listeners
If you don’t think you’re going to listen to more than one audiobook a month, downpour is a good option. For your monthly fee of $12.99, you will be given a credit each month, which can be used to purchase any audiobook from Downpour’s store. credits don’t expire for 12 months, and they just add up, so if you don’t read/listen regularly, you can save credits for when you’re likely to read more (vacation, long trips, holidays, etc.).
Plus, you can rent downpour books without buying them, so you can pay less for a book you intend to read once, but not keep forever. practical. this exists outside of the monthly credit system, so you are not required to use your precious credits on rentals.
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The downsides of downpour are that the selection isn’t as wide as audible and audiobooks.com, and you don’t get many extras. There is no free trial here, though you are allotted a free book when you first sign up. the books on the site can be purchased for money, on a pay-as-you-go basis, but they are quite expensive. Overall, it’s a decent service, but it probably won’t satisfy anyone who reads audiobooks more often.
- read our downpour review (opens in a new tab)
8. librivox: totally free, but limited to the classics
While not a traditional audiobook service, librivox is worth a look. Essentially, it’s a public domain audiobook repository, which means everything on the site is completely free. here you will find a large number of classic and older books that are available to download and listen to for zero dollars, and without ads or any other type of monetization. you don’t even need a membership or subscription.
There are plenty of classic books there (we find novels from the likes of jules verne, lewis carroll and rudyard kipling) and lots of lesser known history books and biographical stories. the site doesn’t make it easy to navigate, so either have a clear idea of what you want or be prepared to do some research.
Most are available as mp3 files and take about 250mb of space, so you can fit a lot on your phone or tablet. once you’ve downloaded the book, it’s yours and you should be able to play it in any app you use to play music. if you’re looking to listen to a classic, we recommend checking out librevox first before downloading elsewhere, as you won’t pay anything and can get a very good read from it.
9. flashing: ideal for busy students
blinkist is a non-traditional audiobook service, but a good one nonetheless. this is about learning, and doing it as quickly and efficiently as possible. all the categories here are about self-development and learning, career and success, parenting, economics, etc., and there’s a fantastic range of audiobooks from leading authors in each of the fields.
what makes blinkist different is that the books are condensed to give you the gist and big ideas contained in each one. therefore, most work around 20 minutes long, with the key information cleverly packed into each download. You are also given unlimited reading, and Blinkist can be listened to offline, whether you are traveling or flying. is highly designed for professionals looking to expand their knowledge during their limited free time.
You can upgrade to the full book if you find a topic particularly interesting and want to know more, and there are also additional commentaries and podcasts included with your subscription. is a good set of content, if you’re looking for self-improvement.
- read our blinkist review (opens in a new tab)
audiobook subscriptions vs. one-time purchases
Most audiobook services are subscription based, which means you pay a monthly fee and then you can access the platform’s library. Some audiobook websites, like Audible, give you access to one free book per month and you have to pay for any additional recordings you want to listen to. subscribing to sribd will give you unlimited access to their library, but you can’t download any content and have a much smaller offer. Finally, you also get services like Google Audiobooks, which allow you to make a one-time purchase without subscribing to anything. this last type means that you can essentially treat it as if it were your own. The downside of subscription services is that sites often just rent the product to you, rather than letting you download and maintain it (although this is not the case with Audible).
best audiobook services: where to find free audiobooks
new releases won’t be on any free platforms, but you can listen to classic books like little women and moby dick through sites like the gutenberg project. this website collects and digitizes classic texts that are no longer subject to certain copyright restrictions and are therefore in the public domain. As for the audiobooks, some of them have been recorded by kind and patient people, while others on the site have been generated through computers. The recording quality may not be as high as what you find on paid platforms, but they are usually quite clear and can be downloaded as m4b or mp3 files. as described above, librivox is another service that works in a similar way.
best audiobook services: apps for popular services
You will spend most of your time listening to audiobooks through an app, downloaded to your smartphone or tablet. Consider this when looking at various services: do they have an app, is it available for the devices you want to listen on, and does it work as it should? You don’t want these books to be a chore to listen to, so the easier you can make it, the better.
all major sites have dedicated apps. For those who don’t, you can probably play audiobooks as mp3/4 files, through whatever media player your phone uses. this requires a little more work and technical knowledge on your part, but it’s not too difficult. If a site doesn’t have its own app, it probably has clear instructions on how to listen to the books it offers.
The apps also offer features that let you mark your progress on audiobooks, listen at different speeds, and set sleep timers so you can drift off to sleep while listening to your latest story. Wearing a pair of the best noise-blocking headphones (opens in new tab) while falling asleep with an audiobook can help those who struggle to sleep through the night.
See Also: The Best Books for Great Listening on Audible | Audible.com.au