Someone asked me about audiobook options recently. I have been a paid subscriber to Audible in the past, both before and after its acquisition by Amazon, and I have also listened to audiobooks on Spotify and via Libby. (And there have been more than a few podcasts that ended up being audiobooks via long-form audio theater — is that how to describe what used to be radio theater?)
Doing a bit of spelunking on the web, and polling a few people, I came up with the following:
Free Options
Your local public library remains the best way to listen to audiobooks at little to no cost. I am listing Libby here, but there is also CloudLibrary. I have used Libby and really liked it. I have used CloudLibrary and really not liked it: the app seems to need to refresh itself every time you open it and the selection available, at least through my public library in the south, is very limited. There is also LibriVox / Project Gutenberg which offer free audio recordings of public-domain classics (like Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes), but I have not checked them for production quality.
Low-Cost Subscription & Rental Models
If your library doesn’t have what you want, the lower-cost paid routes include Audible Plus, Spotify Premium, and Everand. As I noted at the top of these listings, I have been an Audible subscriber and I developed a fairly good catalog during that time. I no longer am a premium subscriber, but I keep my eyes open for intermittent sales, where I often pick up a book or two for $5-$8 each. I have had Spotify Premium, and its audiobook listening model is fundamentally broken: it only allows the account owner access to audiobooks and it has a randomly chosen cut-off point of 15 hours. (It was 10 when I degraded my subscription to remove the “free” audiobook option.) A sensible unit would be one book. Maybe that book is 8 hours; maybe it’s 16 hours. I’m pretty sure it would average out. Either way, you would not find yourself in the middle of a long-drive and the novel you started coming to a sudden stop.
Low-Cost Purchases
If you prefer to keep your audiobooks forever but don’t want to pay retail prices:
- Chirp: This site specializes in massive “flash sales” on audiobooks (often $1.99–$4.99) with no monthly subscription required.
- Audible Credits: If you sign up for the annual plan (12 or 24 credits at once), the cost per book drops to roughly $9.50–$11.00, which is far cheaper than the $30–$40 retail price.
- Libro.fm: Matches Audible’s pricing ($14.99/mo for one credit) but gives the profits to an independent bookstore of your choice.
And I don’t think this note would be complete if I didn’t mention that if you are shopping on the 800-pound gorilla’s website and you see a book you want, check if the Kindle version is cheap or on sale. Often, buying the Kindle book for $0.99 or $1.99 allows you to “Add Narration” (Whispersync) for a discounted price, which is frequently cheaper than an Audible credit.