Libro.fm is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with when it comes to digital audioboooks. The company is srtongly benefiting from customers fleeing from the Kindle and Audible ecosystems. The company experienced a 275% increase in new monthly member sign-ups compared to the same month last year.
Libro.fm appeals directly with consumers, since they basically have the same bestsellers from major publishers, but the credits never expire and most of their audiobooks you buy, do not have digital rights management. The company said “A DRM-free model fits our independent nature and it means you can listen to the audiobook anytime, anywhere, on any device. We don’t think it’s right to insist our customers use our products unnecessarily. Nor, for that matter, do we think we should ever be able to take your audiobook away from you, or change it—another aspect of DRM that feels, well, a bit cagey.”
Here is how it works, you can pay a low monthly fee for one audiobook credit and 30% off individual audiobook purchases, or buy and listen to audiobooks on your own schedule with no strings attached. They have an audiobook app for iOS and Android.
Libro.fm also appeals to publishers who have an affiliate account with them, or independent bookstores who want to post a curated list of titles. Whenever a membership is sold or someone buys an audiobook, they get a kickback. Good e-Reader has also partnered with them, so you can click here to support both of us.
Due to the successful growth of Libro.fm and them marketing their vast catalog in most major countries, they plan on releasing a web player. The player will sync with their apps, so all of the listening progress will be preserved. Audiobooks can be played in any major internet browser. The system is under development and be released on April 26th, 2025, coinciding with World Book Day
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.