The Best Subscription Audiobook Services for 2025

Digital audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of publishing, and last year, audiobooks generated more revenue for the top publishers than e-books did. There are plenty of places to buy audiobooks, whether you want to buy them individually, subscribe to an unlimited service, or borrow them from the public library. There are more choices than ever before.

Three types of audiobook platforms offer unique experiences: Unlimited audiobooks, subscription-based audiobooks, and standalone service.

Subscription audiobook services are a dying breed. This is because many publishers do not see actual value in it and do not commit all of their bestselling audiobooks by authors you know and love. If you have ever subscribed to Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus, you will know a few big-time books there, but you can discover new authors. This is why both these companies offer a self-published platform, where authors are encouraged to produce their content.

A subscription is a fee to get access to an audiobook catalog, and it’s usually credit based. You pay a monthly subscription to get a credit, which can be redeemed for any new (front-list) or old (back-list) audiobook on their platform. Audible and Everand are good examples of this. Publishers love this model and fully commit their entire catalog to this, since a credit is worth the full price of the audiobook, which the publishers get paid for.

A standalone service is what the vast majority of audiobook sites use to sell audiobooks individually. Since, by far, this is the most lucrative, this is the best business model to make money, and publishers fully support it. On the downside, there are too many worldwide and finding the best one for your needs can be daunting.

Subscription Audiobook Services

Audible

Audible is an audiobook service from Amazon that offers the world’s largest selection of titles, from much-loved classics to new releases and original podcasts. With a membership, listeners can download or stream their chosen titles. Books may be read aloud by a narrator, the authors, well-known stars, or even an audio cast. Audible creates cutting-edge experiences for its listeners, such as spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, and it helps drive equitable access, such as integrating Alexa voice controls into the Audible app.

Audible Plus is the cheapest plan for Amazon, starting $7.95/$7.95/month. Meanwhile, Premium Plus is another plan for Amazon’s Audible, starting at $14.95/month (and $22.95/month for two credits). Although the price is double that of Audible Plus, you will have access to double the content and audiobooks. The catalog includes discounted rates for the remaining 450,000 audiobooks.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Unlimited is a monthly subscription that gives members access to more than 4 million digital books and thousands of audiobooks, comics, and magazines. Once you activate your subscription, you can download titles from the Kindle Unlimited catalog immediately. Kindle Unlimited works with all Kindle devices, as well as on your phone, computer, or tablet through the free Kindle app. Audio narration is available for thousands of Kindle Unlimited titles. Look for the headphones icon next to the Kindle Unlimited logo on each book. Browse Kindle Unlimited audiobooks.

There are currently 5,000 audiobooks on Kindle Unlimited.

Libro.fm

With an expansive library of more than 400,000 audiobooks, Libro.fm offers classics, new releases, and everything. A monthly subscription gets you one audiobook credit every month and a 30 percent discount on everything in the store, and you keep any purchases even after your subscription ends. There are two reasons to opt for Libro.fm as your audiobook service; firstly, the service supports local booksellers (you can pick a store) and splits the profit from your purchases. The second enticement is the expert curation from booksellers, so you get tailored recommendations just like you would in-store. There are Android and iPhone apps, and the audiobooks you buy are DRM-free, which means you can listen to them on any device and don’t have to use the Libro.fm app.

Kobo Plus

With Kobo Plus, you can read and listen to as many eBooks and audiobooks as you want each month for a fixed price. You can read Kobo Plus eBooks on Kobo eReaders and the Kobo Books app. Listen to audiobooks using select Kobo eReaders and the Kobo Books app. The app and service are not available everywhere, and only in a limited number of countries. There is no limit on how many audiobooks you can listen to at any given time, as long as you subscribe.

They offer a three-tier subscription plan. Kobo Plus Read: Offering access to over 1.3 million eBooks, readers can use any Kobo eReader or the free Kobo app for just USD 7.99 monthly. Kobo Plus Listen: Offering access to over 100,000 audiobooks, listeners can listen on select Kobo eReaders and the free Kobo app for just USD 7.99 monthly. Kobo Plus Read & Listen: Offering access to 1.3 million eBooks and over 100,00 audiobooks, readers can use any eReader for reading, listen with select eReaders and read or listen on the free Kobo app for just USD 9.99 per month.

Nook Audiobooks

Barnes and Noble launched an audiobook service in 2022. Likely, the most compelling aspect is their new audiobook subscription service. You can pay $14.99 per month and get an audiobook credit. This credit can be redeemed for one of their 300,000 audiobooks from major publishers. The audiobooks can be listened to on the Nook app for Android, iOS, or the web player. They offer a free 30-day trial, which gives you one free audiobook.

I think Barnes and Noble’s serious investment in audiobooks is very positive. There are not very many options for US customers. Amazon Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited, Audible, Scribd, and Kobo have their subscription systems, but most people only know Audible. Barnes and Noble can leverage its website and bookstores to get more customers to subscribe, while its competition is entirely online.

Scribd/Everand

Scribd has announced that it is pivoting away from the unlimited subscription model and moving to a credit-based system for their Everand reading platform in the United States. International expansion is slated for early 2025. This change will provide users with access to bestselling titles found on the New York Times bestseller list, and the Big 5 Publishers will simultaneously release new content on Everand, as they do on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Rakuten Kobo.

There will only be two tiers in the future from Everand: a Standard plan, priced at $11.99 monthly, for one premium title, and a Plus plan, priced at $16.99 monthly, for three titles. Both plans maintain unlimited access to magazines, podcasts, sheet music, and a small catalogue of e-books and audiobooks, including Everand Originals. The bestseller titles from prominent authors will only be able to be read if you subscribe to one of the new plans. Unlocked titles are yours to read or listen to as many times as you’d like for the duration of your subscription.

Standalone Services

Libby

Many public libraries support OverDrive’s Libby app, enabling you to use your library card to check out ebooks or audiobooks. Borrowing is on the rise, thanks to Libby’s vast selection, easy-to-use service, and, of course, the fact that it doesn’t cost a penny. We have a guide on how to get free ebooks with your library card to help you get started. Some libraries also offer magazines and comic books, though the formatting isn’t always great. The Libby app is quite basic, but it has a solid feature set that you can configure to suit your needs.

Unfortunately, the titles you want are not always available. The choice depends on what your library offers and how popular things are with other readers. You also borrow titles for a limited period, just like a regular library book, and other people can request titles, which means you can’t always renew them.

Librovox

If you want access to a library of books without spending a dime or signing up for a subscription service, LibriVox is probably the best audiobook site. Unlike the other audiobook services on this list, LibriVox lets you download and listen to audiobooks for free – no catch. The content is narrated not by professionals but aspiring narrators who want to cut their teeth and get experience. Most of their catalog is exclusively populated by royalty-free, classic titles.

Google Audiobooks

Google Audiobooks may not be as established as Audible, but it’s a worthy competitor. The key difference between Google Audiobooks and Audible is that the former isn’t a subscription service. Instead, Google sells audiobooks individually, so you don’t need to pay a monthly fee to access its affordable prices. You’d expect, you can listen to audiobooks from Google on any Google OS device, such as Android and Chromecast products, but there’s also a Google Audiobook app for Apple products.

Honorable Mentions

The main list comprises the best value from well-known companies. The rest are not household names by any means. However, they do have loyal users who swear by their services.

Audiobooks.com – A vast library and low-cost subscription model, making it a viable alternative to Audible; plus, the new book club gives you unlimited listening to older titles—375,000 audiobooks at competitive prices. The monthly membership costs $14.95, which gets you one credit for a book you own and access to an additional VIP book from a selection they have curated.

Downpour—Downpour is a little cheaper at $12.99 a month and has the cool feature that many audiobooks can be rented instead of purchased. You have 30-60 days to listen (and you can extend for a dollar or two if needed), so it’s perfect for books you want to listen to but don’t need to own.