Is Audible Worth It?

Audible is an online service providing consumers with audiobooks and podcasts they can download and stream through various devices. Audible first began as a mobile media player for audiobooks back in 1997 and has gone through several iterations over the years. In 2008, Amazon (the largest bookseller in the world) purchased the company and it now has over 27 million users.

Under the ownership of an industry giant like Amazon and with membership numbers in the millions, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Audible before – but is it all it’s cracked up to be? Read on to learn about the perks and downsides of Audible so you can decide whether a membership is worth it for you.

Audible: Overview

Audible is widely considered to be one of the largest audiobook services in the world, offering its members thousands of titles they can easily access by using the Audible app or directly through their Amazon account. Users can either sign up for a monthly subscription or purchase titles directly from Audible without a membership.

Pros

• Extensive library of audiobooks
• Affordable pricing
• Unlimited streaming with Plus subscription
• Ability to return audiobooks you don’t like
• First book is free
• User-friendly app
• Whispersync for voice feature
• Family library sharing
• Rollover credits

Cons

• No free account tier
• You don’t own the audiobooks
• Not included with Amazon Prime subscription

Nowadays, there’s no shortage of media subscription services, and whether you’re looking for music, news, books, or podcasts, you have at least half a dozen options to choose from. Audible isn’t the only audiobook service on the market, and its competitors like Libby, Spotify, and Hoopla offer solid alternatives for consumers.

How Does Audible Work?

Getting started with Audible is fairly straightforward. You can sign up and access your account from nearly any device. Many people prefer to access the service by using the Audible app which is available through both the App Store and Google Play.

You can also sign up for an account or purchase audiobooks directly from Audible by using your existing Amazon account. Once you’re set up, your audiobooks and podcasts can be played on almost any device including tablets, laptops, desktop computers, Fire TV or Tablets, Bluetooth speakers, your car stereo, Alexa, Echo, Google Home, Apple Watch, or Wear OS.

If you’re an Audible member, you can purchase audiobooks by using credits that you receive each month or with cash. Either way, once you’ve purchased and added a title to your library, it’s yours to keep and you can listen to it through the device of your choice anytime you like.

Audible also boasts an Audible Plus Catalog, which is a collection of around 11,000 titles that Audible members can access for free. This is a rotating selection of some of the most popular audiobooks with new titles being added regularly. When browsing titles, look for the “included” button for audiobooks that are part of the free Plus library; titles that have the “1 Credit” label must be purchased.

Members can either stream these directly from their device or download them to their library to listen to offline. However, once your membership has ended, you do not get to keep any of these downloads, whereas any purchased titles will remain accessible even after the membership has been canceled.

How Much Does Audible Cost?

The cost of Audible depends on your membership level, and there are two basic options.

Audible Plus

With an Audible Plus account, you’ll pay $7.95 a month which gives you unlimited access to the entire Audible Plus Catalog, a rotating list with a mix of audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals.

Audible Premium Plus

With an Audible Premium Plus membership, you’ll pay $14.95 a month which gives you the same benefits of the Audible Plus plan and also awards you one credit a month. These credits can be used to purchase audiobooks (one credit = one audiobook) from the much larger collection which has hundreds of thousands of titles. Premium Plus members can more or less count on getting any title they want because if an audiobook exists that you’re interested in, Audible has it.

With either membership plan, you are eligible for a 30-day free trial to see if you like the service. And, when you start your free trial for the Premium Plus plan, you also get a free credit for one free audiobook.

You can also purchase audiobooks and podcasts directly from Audible without a membership – you’ll be charged the list price of the book. For most titles, this comes out to an average of $15-$40, though you can find deals for audiobooks that are less expensive.

Is Audible Worth It?

Without a doubt, Audible is one of the most affordable ways to download and listen to audiobooks. If you know you’ll use the service regularly, it’s definitely worth it to become a member.

If you buy and listen to at least one new audiobook a month, an Audible membership will save you money. Even at the Premium Plus membership level, this comes to $14.95 per audiobook plus you get unlimited access to all the titles in the Audible Plus library.

How Does Audible Compare?

If you don’t think you’ll listen to at least one new audio book each month, an Audible membership may not be right for you. If you’re on the fence, the 30-day trial is risk-free and can give you a good idea to see if this subscription fits with your lifestyle.

Advantages of Audible

Audible has several benefits for its members and only a few real drawbacks. That said, you should always consider the pros and cons of any subscription service before making any decision.

📚 Extensive Library

Audible has one of the largest collections of audiobooks ever, and there’s almost no title you can’t find here. Your membership also grants access to Audible Originals, which range from audiobooks to podcasts to live performances that aren’t available anywhere else and are made exclusively for Audible.

Even for those with just the basic membership, you’ll have access to over 11,000 popular titles and since this list is constantly being added to and refreshed, you may find everything you need for only $7.95 a month.

💸 Affordable

While you can find some audiobooks on sale for under $15, most sell for $20, $30, or even $40 per book. With a Premium Plus membership, you’re essentially getting a consistent price of $14.95 for any audiobook you want. You can also upgrade your account and pay $22.95 to receive two credits a month, bringing your price per book to only $11.47.

These titles are yours to keep and listen to forever, even if you end up canceling your Audible account. For casual audiobook listeners, the Plus membership is by far the best deal at only $7.95 and unlimited access to the Audible Plus library.

🚀 Unlimited Streaming with Plus

In addition to racking up tons of audiobooks at affordable prices, you’ll be able to download or stream as many titles as you want from the Premium Plus Catalog at no additional cost. This is a constantly rotating selection of podcasts and audiobooks that you can listen to as many times as you want.

When you find a title you're interested in, you can either click on the “play now” button to instantly start streaming, or you can download it to your library to listen to at another time or offline. Note that if you end up canceling your membership, you will lose any of these Plus titles you’ve downloaded.

🔄 Ability to Return Audiobooks You Don’t Like

Audible has a generous return policy for Premium Plus members who aren’t satisfied with their purchase or who may have bought a title in error. The only requirements are that you’ve purchased the audiobook with a credit, that your membership is in good standing, and that the title was bought within the last 365 days.

Technically, you could listen to an entire audiobook and return it if you aren't happy with the purchase. However, Audible does include a clause saying they can limit your returns or revoke a member’s privilege to return titles if they find you’re trying to take advantage of the system. All returns must be made through Audible’s website and cannot be done through the mobile app. Once your return has been accepted, you’ll get a credit on your account that you can then use to purchase another title.

🆓 First Book is Free

When you sign up for Audible, you’ll get your first month’s membership for free and this includes one free credit that you can use to purchase an audiobook of your choice. Also, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you’ll get an additional credit during this free trial period, giving you two free audiobooks before you even pay a dime.

🧑 User-Friendly App

The Audible app gets an average rating of 4.6 stars from Google Play and 4.9 stars from the App Store based on millions of user reviews. The app features a user-friendly interface that lets you easily download and organize your titles and play them through different devices. The app also has a built-in driving mode that will let you play your audiobooks in your car and includes a “button free” mode, making it easier to safely navigate through your collection while driving.

💬 Whispersync For Voice Feature

Whispersync was introduced in 2023 and links your audiobooks to your Kindle. This feature lets you switch between listening to your audiobook on your device to reading it on your Kindle, and it keeps your place every time. Whispersync also lets you listen to the narration while you read along. This feature is only available for the Kindle and can’t be used with other e-readers.

👪 Family Library Sharing

There’s no official option for a family plan through Audible, but you can share any titles that you’ve already purchased by using Amazon Household. The Amazon Household feature allows two members of a household to share media like audiobooks and music, but you cannot share credits or titles you’ve downloaded from the Plus catalog. Household members can be roommates, partners, or even a parent and child.

💳 Rollover Credits

You don’t have to use your monthly credit right away, and can instead roll them over and use them anytime within the next 12 months. There’s no limit to the amount of credits you can hold in your account, but do note that credits will expire after a year. Also, if you cancel your account and have credits that haven’t been redeemed for an audiobook, you will lose these too.

Disadvantages of Audible

👎 No Free Account Tier

Aside from the initial free trial you get when you start your membership, there’s no free account option. Unless you’re willing to pay a monthly fee, you can’t get the great Audible deals. There are a handful of other audiobook streaming services out there that are free like Libby or Borrowbox that you can access through your local library.

There’s also a free service called Librivox that focuses mainly on titles that are now in the public domain, meaning they were written more than 95 years ago and copyright protection has expired.

😞 You Don’t Own the Audiobooks

Even though the audiobooks you purchase and download to your library are yours forever, you technically only own the license to the book, not the book itself. So, while you can still listen to them anytime you like, they can only be saved in your Audible library.

If the book is deleted from Audible, it will also be deleted from your library. It also means you don’t have the same freedom to lend the audiobook to others (as you would with a physical book you’ve purchased) unless you do so through Amazon Household. This can be frustrating for consumers who don’t feel they have full ownership of the products they buy.

🚫 Not Included with Amazon Prime Subscription

Amazon Prime comes with a host of benefits in addition to free and expedited shipping. Members can enjoy perks like free shipping on grocery orders over $35, $0 delivery fees from GrubHub, Prime Video, and ad-free listening to Amazon Music – however, a free Audible membership is not one of them. Aside from the initial perk of receiving two credits during your free trial, having a Prime membership won’t get you any extra advantages from Audible.

You’ll Love Audible If…

You love listening to audiobooks and podcasts and you like having a wide selection of titles to choose from right at your fingertips. Audiobooks are great for people who are on the go commuting between work or other life tasks, or those who like a little bit of distraction when working out or getting their chores done.

Listening to audiobooks on Audible is also ideal for someone who may have a hard time concentrating on written text, but is still an avid reader who wants to indulge in a good book.

Audible May Not Be For You If…

If you prefer reading physical books over audiobooks, or if you already use another audiobook service that you prefer. Audible is one of the best services out there, but that still doesn’t mean everyone will find the same benefits in it. This is especially true if you know you won’t listen to at least one new audiobook a month, because that’s where the real value lies.

You may not like Audible simply because you’d rather spend your money elsewhere, or if you’re trying to take control of your personal finances and cut back on subscription services.

How To Cancel Your Audible Subscription

Canceling your subscription is easy and can be done by logging into your account. This can be done either on your desktop or through the app, though the steps will be a little different. Keep in mind that by canceling, you will lose access to all titles in the Audible Plus library that you’ve downloaded, and you will no longer have access to exclusive member benefits like discounts on new titles.

To cancel on your desktop, click on your username then choose “Account details.” From here, you’ll choose the “Cancel membership” link and then have to confirm once more. You can also do this from your Amazon account. Click on your Audible subscription to manage it. Under “Settings” choose “Cancel membership” and confirm your choice.

For cancellations within the app, you’ll open the App Store and select your name, then choose “Subscriptions” and select “Audible.” You will then be able to click “Cancel subscription” and then confirm your choice. Through Google Play, you’ll select “Payments and subscriptions” under your profile icon then choose “Audible.” From here, select “Manage” then “Cancel subscription,” where you’ll be asked to provide a reason for the cancellation and then confirm your choice.

Audible: A Sound Investment or Just Noise?

Audible is without a doubt a popular and affordable option for those who regularly listen to audiobooks. With its vast selection and affordable prices, you’ll be sure to save money on your audiobooks while also gaining access to Audible’s easy-to-use interface that lets you organize all your titles and listen to them on almost any device.

The only real reason an Audible account wouldn’t be worth it is if you know you won’t purchase at least one book a month, or if you can’t fit another subscription service into your budget. In that case, there are some free options you can look into like Libby or Librivox. These options won’t provide as wide a selection as Audible does, but they do offer a great alternative for those who want to try out audiobooks for free.