10 Cheaper Alternatives To Audible Every Audio Book Listener Should Know About

It's no wonder Audible is one of the most popular options when it comes to listening to audiobooks. It maintains a massive library of books and podcasts for subscribers to enjoy, and frequently refreshes with the newest releases. Plus, it works on numerous types of devices, so whether you deal with iOS or Android, Audible remains a viable option. Audible is also one of the best audiobook apps compatible with Apple CarPlay in case you're the type of person who tries to get through the latest novel on long drives. 

However, it's understandable if people want to find cheaper alternatives to Audible. The app frequently runs deals, such as paying $0.99 per month for the first three months. After that, you'll pay $14.95 per month as of this writing. With Audible, you receive a credit each month. You can then exchange this credit for any book within Audible's library, and that's yours to keep. With a subscription, you can also listen to a selection of free audiobooks, or you can spend additional money to buy extra books if you want to listen to more than one per month. Books downloaded via Audible tend to be a bit more affordable compared to purchasing physical copies. 

It's not a bad deal, but roughly $15 per month adds up over time. There are numerous other audiobook-listening apps, some of which cost substantially less than Audible if they aren't free outright. 

Nothing beats free, and Hoopla is one of the best free audiobook streaming apps around. It's compatible with numerous library systems across the United States and Canada, and if your local library works for it, you just need to register using your library card number, email address, and password. Once you have an account, you basically have a public library at your fingertips where you can check out an array of books, movies, and albums. And like Audible, there are plenty of audiobooks to choose from that you can listen to for free. 

Hoopla syncs across all of your digital devices, so you can have access to the same titles whether you have your smartphone or tablet handy. Most libraries allow you to check out either eight or 10 titles per month (exact numbers vary depending on your specific branch). For audiobooks, you can typically keep them for up to 21 days, but if you haven't finished it yet, you can naturally check it out again. 

Hoopla's selection changes every week, so there are always new goodies to explore, including recent releases. Hoopla doesn't have everything, and if there's something you want the service to stock, you can submit a request through the app. This may be good if there's a book that came out within the last few months you don't see on the platform yet. 

A library card can genuinely become your Kindle's best friend with apps like Libby and Hoopla. Libby works very similarly to Hoopla in that you get started by telling it what your local library is. You sign in by giving it your library card number, and from there, you can select from an array of available titles you can read or listen to entirely for free. Plus, it's simple to learn how to download Libby books onto your Kindle to enjoy them even when you're not connected to the internet. 

There are likely thousands of audiobooks available through your local library, but Libby may not have everything. It's also possible the audiobook is available, but other people have it checked it for the moment. Fortunately, Libby has a feature where you can place a hold for an audiobook you want but isn't available yet. With that, you'll receive an estimated time for when you can expect the book to be available once more. 

The great part about having multiple audiobook apps compatible with local libraries is that they make for a good excuse to get a library card in the first place. This gives you a good excuse to visit your local library in person and see what physical books, DVDs, and CDs you can check out.

This is the final free alternative to Audible on this list, but in the pursuit of finding the books you want without spending any money, you can never have too many free apps. Once again, you just need to input your library card number to get an account for cloudLibrary, and you get a ton of titles available to you from your mobile devices. 

You can effortlessly search for titles or browse by genre if you'd prefer to explore for a new book. You can tell if a given title is available as an audiobook, as it'll have a symbol of headphones in a corner. You can check out whatever book you want (or place a hold if it's not available), and you'll have it for 21 days. You may be able to renew immediately, but if other people have put a hold on it, you may have to wait once more to finish it. Consider that an incentive to finish the book promptly. The cloudLibrary app contains various sections for you to find books you've already checked out or have placed holds on to see what's available.

While there naturally tends to be some overlap between Hoopla, Libby, and cloudLibrary, they don't always have the same exact titles. One audiobook may be available on one app over another, so it never hurts to download them all to check them out. They're all free, so it doesn't hurt in any way. 

Spotify Premium is a great resource, and there's a solid chance you already have a subscription to listen to the latest hit songs. Your Premium account, which costs $11.99 per month, also allows you to listen to 15 hours of audiobooks every month, and it's simple to figure out how to download and listen to audiobooks on Spotify right there in the app. You can search for authors and titles, and if it's part of the Premium plan, you can start listening right then and there. 

In the event you use up your 15 hours in a given month, you'll have to wait until the first of the following month for those 15 hours to reset. But if you just can't wait to hear how a gripping novel ends, you can purchase an additional 10-hour top-up. For $12.99, you receive an extra 10 hours to listen to whatever audiobooks you want. Those 10 hours also roll over to the next month (up to a year from purchasing them), so you don't need to worry about using them all immediately.

Many audiobooks are available to listen to for free as part of your basic account. However, many books, particularly those that have just come out, may require you to purchase them separately. Purchased audiobooks count independently from the 15-hour allotment, so you can listen to your heart's content without worrying about running out of time.

Many audiobook listening services require subscriptions where you pay a certain amount every month regardless of how many books you actually listen to. That means if you have a particularly busy month where you just don't have the time to hear new books, you still have to pay. Chirp Books does away with the subscriptions, so you only need to pay for the books you download. 

Typically, one audiobook could sometimes cost as much as a single month's subscription, but Chirp Books has a vast selection of titles that cost under $5. You can browse the site to see what's available, including specific authors and genres to let the platform know where your interests lay. Chirp Books will then email you special limited deals on books that fit your niche. Such great deals won't be available for everything, but you'll also find audiobooks at standard price you can, of course, purchase if you want. 

Chirp Books is a great model if you don't mind going off the beaten path for your next listen. Seeing a classic novel available for only a few books is a great way to expand your horizons without breaking the bank. 

NetGalley is a bit niche, but if you have an open mind and like talking about the book you just read, it may become your next favorite thing. Basically, NetGalley works directly with authors and publishers to secure digital copies of their soon-to-be-released works. Those books then go up on the platform for anyone who's a member to read, and it's completely free to sign up. 

After reading, the expectation is naturally to write a review to help build buzz. And if you provide enough high-quality reviews, it's possible to reach out to authors and publishers to request certain books you might have your eye on. The more reviews you write, the more your reputation will grow and publishers will want to work with you. Anyone can sign up, but it's especially useful to journalists who may want to get a jumpstart on reviewing something for a separate site. Of course, you don't have to write reviews if you just want to read what's available, but it's a nice option to have. 

NetGalley largely has e-books available, but there are plenty of audiobooks, too. If nothing else, it's a great way to see what books are coming out soon, so you can get ahead of all your friends.

While Audiobooks.com isn't necessarily more affordable than Audible month-to-month, there are still ample ways to save. A subscription to the site costs $14.95 per month, making it the same cost as Audible. However, before you even pay a cent, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, giving you access to one free book. Audiobooks.com also frequently hosts deals for new members, such as receiving two additional books as part of your free trial.

Every month, you receive a credit you can exchange for any book of your choosing. It's very similar to Audible, but perhaps preferable to people who don't necessarily want to give all of their money to Amazon. Even after spending your credit, you can still purchase heavily-discounted books, some of which normally cost over $20, but you can get for just $6.99.

Audiobooks.com hosts all kinds of special events and offers, like 2-for-1 deals where your monthly credit gets you two books for the month. These deals change frequently, so it's good to keep an eye on what's available. The monthly fee may not be less than Audible, but with so many deals, you can still save in the long run. 

People who used to be subscribed to Scribd already probably know all about Everand — it's the name the company's e-book and audiobook subscription service rebranded to in 2023. For everyone else, it's something of a new kid on the block. Regardless, it's worth looking into. After a 30-day free trial, the basic plan gets subscribers one book a month for $11.99 per month. There's also a premium plan that costs $16.99 per month where you get access to three books in case you're a particularly avid reader.

One of the more enticing perks of having an Everand subscription is gaining access to a massive library of titles. The site boasts over 1.5 million e-books and audiobooks available, and that includes plenty of new releases. And Everand can become your one-stop-shop for all your listening needs, as it also maintains a catalog of podcasts, magazines, and even sheet music. You don't need to spend any unlocks acquiring these, so you have plenty to listen to even if you don't want to spend any additional funds on books for the month. 

On top of all this, an Everand subscription also gives you access to Scribd, which is now largely a digital resource for academic and legal papers, and SlideShare. This makes Everand an appealing prospect to students who may also benefit from gaining access to numerous papers to help them with their studies, in addition to wanting cheap books to listen to. 

Kobo's line of e-readers can cost over $200, but you don't need to buy one to take advantage of the subscription service. The free Kobo app is available on other devices, and it's one of the cheaper audiobook subscriptions around. You can sign up for either Kobo Plus Listen (giving you access to audiobooks) or Kobo Plus Read (giving you access to e-books) for $7.99 per month each. However, the best bang for your buck may be the Kobo Plus Read & Listen plan, which goes for $9.99 per month and allows you to access both audiobooks and e-books.

While Kobo is great for readers, it's also worth looking into for authors. Kobo comes with a simple self-publishing feature where you make an account and after following a few simple steps, you can self-publish your own work. Kobo offers features that allow you to track your sales around the world, and you can set up whatever promotions you want. Hopefully, you'll even wind up with a percentage of the royalties from books sold. 

As has been the case with many of these Audible alternatives, you receive one credit per month with any of the subscription plans to exchange for a book. Anything outside of that you'll need to pay for the piece a la carte. 

Libro.fm is another cheat on this list. The monthly subscription plan is on par with Audible at $14.99 per month, but there are still ways to save and feel good about your purchases. One fantastic aspect of Libro.fm is that when you sign up for a membership, you can select any locally-owned bookstore to support. For every purchase you make on the platform, a percentage of the sales goes directly to that bookstore, so you can help your community rather than continuing to stuff Amazon's pockets.

Another way Libro.fm differentiates from the competition is that you technically don't need a subscription to enjoy its massive catalog. You can sign up for a free account and simply purchase whatever audiobooks you want. The main thing to consider is that you'll likely pay full price for them. However, if there are any books you want to buy outside of your monthly free subscription credit, you enjoy substantial discounts through a paid plan. 

Hopefully, these Audible alternatives convince you to see what all is out there and potentially find your next favorite book. There are actually numerous ways to broaden your perspective through literature, and also plenty of legit alternatives to Amazon for buying physical books, too.