Alternatives to Audible: Why is Audible so expensive?

What to do when your audiobook habit is too expensive?  Why IS Audible so expensive? Here are some Audible alternatives.  Some of these are free, some offer unlimited audiobooks and most are cheaper.  Thank goodness.

I love a good audiobook.  I mainly listen to them when I’m in the car, but I must admit the mindless tasks that consume a mom’s day are often more cheery when an audiobook is in the background.

I have looked into Audible subscription plans more times than I can count.  It’s super frustrating though.  I’m almost paying a similar amount to the actual AUDIOBOOKS and it’s a subscription — I feel like I’m getting no savings, and I end up not joining.  Audible is just SO expensive — and WHY IS AN AUDIBLE ACCOUNT SO EXPENSIVE? {me, screaming}

PRO TIP:  Far and away the #1 tip people take from this is to try Scribd vs Audible.  I can get you a 60-day free trial and they have TONS of audiobooks.  I am a HUGE fan and I pay for my own monthly subscription fee!  

 

Why is Audible so Expensive?

Honestly, I have no clue.  It is REALLY Pricey though.  A few tips for Audible listeners who don’t love paying:

• You can switch to the Audible Silver plan by calling Amazon audible support (it’s not available online and apparently, it’s a bit of a secret).  With that, you only get a book every other month, but then you’re also only charged the subscription service price every other month.
• You can also place your Audible membership on hold for 3 months out of every 12 months.  During that time you can still use your Audible credits, and listen to books — but you can’t purchase new Audible audiobooks.

But, frankly — it’s just too expensive.  But, I LOVE audiobooks — which led me to find some Audible Alternatives

Audible Alternatives 2023

Today, I want to share some Audible alternatives and talk about the pros and cons of each option.  I hope we’ll be saving you some good cash — especially with great options like Scribd.

I also really would like to be able to READ some books too for the price of Audible.  So, I’m going to share programs that allow a lot of flexibility if you’re an audiobook fan.

Audible Free

Ok, sure — Audible has a free trial for new members which is a great way to try it out. But after that, the average cost is about $15/month.  For one book. It seems like a lot of money.

There are some free options.

Your Local Library — for us it’s the….

Libby App

And frankly, I love that thing.  If you’re not familiar with Libby it used to be Overdrive and it works great.  I find it’s especially AWESOME for car trips.  You can use it for music, and e-books (often you can read them on your Kindle) and it has GREAT e-book functionality.  BUUUt… the problem is that each library has a limited # of each book and often popular titles have a giant waitlist.  Hence, me longingly looking at Audible — but if time isn’t the issue, your local library is a great option.

I’d 100% recommend checking with them.  Just keep in mind, that if you plan to use it a lot, your library may have a limited selection and definitely limited availability.

I know there are other library apps besides Overdrive — so don’t be hesitant to try those either.

YouTube

There are audiobooks on Youtube.  This is OK for when you’re at HOME, but it would be a pretty big data hog when you’re on the road (and would be super annoying when you’re out of service).  But, you could always check there. Also, with the new YouTube playing time/ads protocols, you are likely going to listen to advertisements throughout an entire book.

Cheaper than an audible subscription

The reality is that the best things in life aren’t free.  I’ve found some pretty great options cheaper than Audible.

My favorite is Scribd.  Mostly because it is SUPER easy to understand (and it’s the one I actually chose).

Cheaper Alternatives to Audible

Scribd

Scribd audiobook service offers unlimited access to audio and e-books through their platform.  They have apps for iOS devices and Google — you can even download it to your Kindle (you have to bypass the Kindle store, but it was easy enough).

I’ve been using it for a while (full disclosure, they emailed me with a free trial, just like yours — get 60 days free here) and I REALLY like it.  It’s just $8.99/month, and I just think of it as the Netflix of reading.

So far I’m finding popular books in all the genres I like — parenting, marketing, self-help, and I often add ones I hear about from friends to my list.

AND they have a lot of magazines you can read as well.  I’m looking forward to downloading a few for my next plane trip (you can download items for reading in the app when you’re off wifi).

I really think of this as an audiobook subscription — since it’s unlimited you’re not limited to one free book a month.  It’s like Netflix for reading!  If you’re an avid reader I think this is a better deal than Audible.

Plus, you also get a free membership to Farfaria – a kid’s e-book site.  Library trips stress me out, so that’s a huge benefit (and I’m a BIG fan of giving your kids a ton of different options to read).

I also have a full Scribd review.

Alternatives to Scribd:

Kindle Unlimited

Now, Audible is owned by Amazon — so I don’t even understand this, but Kindle Unlimited DOES have a number of ebooks. Your Kindle Unlimited Membership plan includes millions of ebooks and thousands of audiobooks.  You can use it on a Kindle, or you can also download apps for other devices.

If you have Amazon Prime you can get one free e-book each month with your Amazon account, and that is the same as the available options in the Kindle Unlimited program (you’re just paying $9.99/month to get ALL of them).

Kobo

Kobo has a different model.  You can get unlimited e-books for a monthly fee of $9.99.

But, Audiobooks are super confusing.  Somehow you get a subscription that gives you credits, and you can buy more credits — and apparently, they have a price guarantee….

But frankly, I don’t get it.  BUT, I think it looks cheaper than Audible.  Plus you have the option of getting e-books.

There are certainly other alternatives out there, but these are the most user-friendly that I found.  I like their user interface and the ease of their apps.  All of that makes reading easy (and having 3 kids makes reading hard enough).

Best Audible Alternative

For me, it’s Scribd.  I love that the price point is less than Amazon, I like the audiobook library selection, and how the app is available on many devices.  I am finding almost every book I want to read on there.  I’m just a BIG fan.  If you get your book recommendations on social media I’ve been able to find most of the books I’ve seen recommended on Scribd.

I actually find that by putting a little “skin in the game” at $8.99 for a monthly plan, I’m reading more.  Which has been a goal of mine.  The best thing is you can cancel at any time — you’re not locked in (which makes it extra great for summer trips, etc).  

Also, the cost of an audiobook is included in your monthly membership, there is no extra cost associated with listening or reading more.  You do not pay more to listen more, you don’t have to worry about different membership plans,  Everything is included in the monthly flat fee.

You can also choose to be billed once a year which brings the cost down even more.

I’d recommend taking their 60-day free trial on a test drive and let me know what you think!

Scribd Vs Audible

Audible is a great service, there’s no discounting that.  Almost every book available is on there.

Here’s audible (in my “book”)

• Tons of books
• You only get to read one book/month for $15
• You get a discount on other books if you want to purchase them.
• Easy to get the app

Here’s Scribd:

• Fewer books — not EVERY book I want to hear is on there, but the vast majority of popular audiobooks are
• You can read as many as you want
• Less than $9 bucks/month
• Easy to get the app, unless you have a Kindle Fire — as a direct competitor to Amazon you have to work a little harder to get the app on there, but it’s possible.

For me — Scribd is the winner!

Audible is Too Expensive FAQ’s

Is Audible free for an Amazon Prime member?

There are a few titles that Prime members CAN listen to for free — but so far, I haven’t used that portion as it’s not what I am looking for.  However, it is a good Prime benefit you can take advantage of.

It looks like there are about 50 books each month that are free for Prime members.

Audible does have a free catalog that includes books and podcasts if you have an Amazon Prime membership.  

It looked to me like a lot of them are either Audible originals or older books that are no longer under copyright.  I don’t know that you’re going to find a current best-selling title on that list.  

The free library also appears to be on a rotation so be aware that what is there today may not be there later and since you haven’t purchased those titles you wouldn’t have access to them for free later.

Is Audible worth the money

I don’t think so – which is why we use Scribd.

Is Audible Unlimited

Well, technically — yes.  You CAN listen to as many books as you want.  You’re just going to have to pay for each one.

For your fee, you usually get 1 book credit.  Which you can use as long as you have an active subscription.

How do I get free audiobooks?

I have found the best way is to use a free trial on Scribd or check to see if my local library has it on their app.

Are audiobooks cheaper?

Most often not, but sometimes they are.

Why are paper books cheaper than audiobooks?

Just easier to produce I’d guess?

How many books can I listen to on Audible?

As many as you’d like.  But, one credit is given for each month of membership. After that, you have to pay for them.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post — we discussed the mythical question (and a false one) — is Audible free with Amazon Prime, the difference between audio books and audible books.  We talked about the question of why is audible a subscription (aka, to get your money), AND we talked about some cheap audiobooks download.

If you’re looking to save some cash, check out my abundance budgeting checklist: