How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Audible leads for catalog size, exclusives, and credit ownership.
- Libby is the best free option with a public library card.
- Libro.fm matches Audible pricing and supports independent bookstores.
- Everand suits heavy listeners with broad catalog access.
- Chirp suits selective listeners with no subscription at all.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Audible | Largest catalog | From $7.95 per month | Free trial |
 Libby | Free library borrowing | Free | Yes |
 Libro.fm | Indie bookstore support | From $14.99 per month | See website |
 Everand | Heavy listening | From $11.99 per month | Free trial |
 Spotify | Existing Premium users | From $12.99 per month | See website |
 Chirp | Deal hunting | Pay per book | Yes |
 Apple Books | iPhone and iPad users | Pay per book | See website |
 Kobo | Lower credit price | From $9.99 per month | Free trial |
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The best audiobook apps
Starting priceFrom $7.95 per month
Free planFree trial
Audible is the benchmark every audiobook service is measured against, with a catalog of more than 1 million titles, top narrators, and exclusive Originals. Audible Plus at $7.95 a month offers unlimited listening to a select catalog without credits, while Premium Plus at $14.95 a month adds one credit for almost any audiobook, with two credits at $22.95. Titles bought with a credit are yours to keep.
Plus Catalog titles are not yours once you cancel, and DRM limits playback to Audible-compatible apps and devices. For a listener who wants the widest choice and reliable ownership of credit purchases, Audible remains the top pick.
What we like- Largest catalog with exclusives and Originals
- Credit books are yours to keep
- Polished apps and smart speaker support
- 30-day trial
Watch out for- Premium Plus at $14.95 a month for one credit
- Plus Catalog titles are not yours after canceling
- DRM limits playback to Audible apps
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Libby is the best free audiobook app. By using a library card, you borrow audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines from your local library collection for free, with a typical loan period of about 21 days. The app is well designed, with offline downloads and cross-device sync, and no subscription, billing, or commitment.
Wait times for popular titles can be long, and availability depends entirely on your library digital holdings. For a patient listener who wants free listening, Libby is unbeatable, and pairing it with a paid service covers gaps.
What we like- Completely free with any public library card
- New releases included
- Offline downloads and cross-device sync
- No subscription or billing
Watch out for- Wait times for popular titles can be long
- Availability depends on your library holdings
- No permanent ownership, titles auto-return
Starting priceFrom $14.99 per month
Free planSee website
Libro.fm matches Audible pricing at $14.99 a month for one credit, but files are DRM-free, so you truly own what you buy and can play it anywhere. Purchases support an independent bookstore of your choice, which appeals to readers who shop local. The catalog covers 750,000+ titles.
There is no free trial listed, and smart speaker support is missing. For a listener who wants ownership without DRM and a local bookstore benefit, Libro.fm is the best Audible alternative.
What we like- Same pricing as Audible with DRM-free files you truly own
- Purchases support an independent bookstore of your choice
- 750,000+ titles
Watch out for- $14.99 a month for one credit
- No free trial listed
- Smaller catalog than Audible
- No smart speaker support
Starting priceFrom $11.99 per month
Free planFree trial
Everand, formerly Scribd, offers broad access during an active subscription, with plans from $11.99 to $28.99 a month and 1 to 5 premium titles, plus a select catalog of over 20,000 titles. Audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines in one subscription suit readers who consume across formats, and a 30-day trial lets you test it.
Access ends when you cancel, and soft caps may limit popular titles after heavy use. For a heavy listener who values breadth over ownership, Everand delivers strong value.
What we like- Broad access to audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines
- 30-day trial
- Plans from $11.99 to $28.99 with 1 to 5 premium titles
- Good for 2 to 3 books a month
Watch out for- No permanent ownership, access ends on canceling
- Soft caps may limit popular titles after heavy use
- Catalog smaller than Audible
Starting priceFrom $12.99 per month
Free planSee website
Spotify Premium at $12.99 a month includes 15 hours of audiobook listening per month from a catalog of 700,000+ titles, alongside music and podcasts. For existing Premium subscribers, audiobooks cost nothing extra, and bestsellers are well covered.
Fifteen hours covers roughly one long book a month, which is insufficient for heavy listeners, and there is no ownership. For a music subscriber who listens to one book a month, Spotify is the convenient choice.
What we like- 15 hours of audiobook listening included with Premium
- Music integration
- Strong bestsellers
- Smart speaker support
Watch out for- 15 hours a month is insufficient for heavy listeners
- No ownership
- Audiobook catalog smaller than Audible
Starting pricePay per book
Free planYes
Chirp suits selective listeners with no subscription. Deals often run $1 to $6 per owned audiobook, and books you buy are yours to keep, with a free account and offline listening. Deal hunting replaces a monthly fee, which suits light listeners who buy a few books a year.
Costs add up for high volume, and deal rotation means waiting for a specific title. For a budget listener who buys selectively, Chirp is the cheapest ownership path.
What we like- No subscription at all
- Deals often $1 to $6 per owned audiobook
- Books are yours to keep
- Free account
Watch out for- Costs add up for high volume
- Deal rotation means waiting for specific titles
- Smaller catalog than Audible
Starting pricePay per book
Free planSee website
Apple Books suits iPhone and iPad users who want native integration and no subscription. Pay per title, typically $15 to $25 per book, with sync across Apple devices and strong bestseller coverage. There is no monthly fee, so occasional listeners pay only for what they buy.
Per-book costs exceed credit plans for frequent listeners, and Android users are excluded. For an Apple user who listens occasionally, Apple Books is the simplest pay-as-you-go option.
What we like- Native iOS integration
- Pay per title with no subscription
- Strong bestseller catalog
- Syncs across Apple devices
Watch out for- Pay-per-title costs $15 to $25 per book on average
- No subscription option
- Android users excluded
Starting priceFrom $9.99 per month
Free planFree trial
Kobo offers the lowest monthly credit price among subscription services at $9.99 a month for one credit, with credit books yours to keep. The catalog covers 150,000+ audiobooks, plus ebooks in the same ecosystem, and a 30-day trial lets you test it.
The audiobook catalog is smaller than Audible, and exclusives are fewer. For a listener who wants credit ownership at the lowest monthly price, Kobo is the budget credit pick.
What we like- Lowest monthly credit price at $9.99
- Credit books are yours to keep
- 150,000+ audiobooks
- 30-day trial
- Ebook integration
Watch out for- Smaller audiobook catalog than Audible
- No smart speaker support
- Fewer exclusives
How we chose
We compared apps on catalog size, ownership terms, pricing, and device support, using vendor pages and published comparisons from 2026. We favored apps US listeners can use today with a distinct strength. We did not claim hands-on testing, and prices vary by country, so confirm on each service site before subscribing. The core trade-off is ownership versus cost: credit systems give permanent ownership at a predictable monthly cost, while subscription catalogs give breadth without retention.
How to pick the right audiobook app
Start with how much you listen. One book a month suits Audible Premium Plus, Libro.fm, or Kobo credits, while heavy listeners suit Everand breadth or Libby borrowing. Existing Spotify Premium users should use included hours before adding another subscription, and selective buyers should use Chirp deals. Free listeners should start with Libby, since a library card costs nothing.
Then check ownership. Credit purchases on Audible, Libro.fm, and Kobo stay yours after canceling, while Plus Catalog, Everand, and Spotify access ends on canceling. If you build a library you revisit, ownership matters. If you listen once and move on, breadth matters more. Also check device support: Audible and Spotify support smart speakers, while Libro.fm and Kobo do not, which matters for kitchen and car listening.
Common mistakes waste audiobook budgets. Listeners pay for a subscription they barely use, or buy per-title books when a credit plan would cost less. Track your books per month for two months before committing, rotate free trials strategically across services, and pair Libby with one paid service rather than stacking two subscriptions.
Listening speed and sleep timers shape daily habits more than catalog size. Most apps here offer speed control from 0.75x to 2x and a sleep timer, so commuters can speed through familiar material and bedtime listeners can fall asleep without losing their place. Bookmarking and chapter navigation matter for long nonfiction, where finding a key passage again saves real time.
Narration quality varies even within one service, so sample before committing to a long book. Most apps offer a free sample of each title, and narrator style matters as much as story for a 15-hour listen. A narrator you enjoy turns a dense book into a pleasure, while a mismatched voice makes the same book hard to finish, so test samples for every long purchase.
Car listening deserves a setup check before a long drive. Download books over Wi-Fi before leaving, test Bluetooth or CarPlay and Android Auto connections, and set the sleep timer off for driving, since a timer ending mid-drive forces a distracting phone interaction. Offline downloads also cover dead zones on rural routes where streaming fails.
Kids audiobooks work well on several services here, and Libby plus Audible offer strong children catalogs. A separate kids profile keeps recommendations age-appropriate, and car listening turns family trips into story time without screens. Check content ratings before handing a device to a child, since adult titles sit beside kids titles in shared libraries.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best audiobook app overall?
Audible for catalog and ownership, Libby for free listening, and Libro.fm for DRM-free ownership with indie bookstore support. The best app depends on your listening volume.
Is Libby really free?
Yes, with a public library card. You borrow audiobooks for about 21 days, with wait times for popular titles and no permanent ownership.
Do I keep Audible books if I cancel?
Credit purchases stay yours after canceling. Plus Catalog titles do not, since they are subscription access, not purchases.
How many hours of audiobooks does Spotify include?
Spotify Premium includes 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, which covers roughly one long book. Heavy listeners need a dedicated service.
Is Libro.fm better than Audible?
Libro.fm matches Audible pricing with DRM-free files and indie bookstore support, but Audible has a larger catalog and smart speaker support. Ownership fans prefer Libro.fm.
What is the cheapest way to listen to audiobooks?
Libby is free with a library card. For ownership, Chirp deals at $1 to $6 per book and Kobo credits at $9.99 a month are the cheapest paid paths.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.audible.com
- https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby
- https://libro.fm
- https://www.everand.com
- https://www.spotify.com
- https://www.chirpbooks.com
- https://www.apple.com/apple-books/
- https://www.kobo.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.