Audible is the biggest audiobook service, but it is not cheap. In the US, the monthly membership with one credit costs $14.95 after a 30-day free trial. A lighter Standard plan costs $8.99 a month, but it only lends you one title a month, and you lose it when you cancel. Heavy listeners run out of credits fast, and extra books cost full price.
That is why people look elsewhere. Some want free audiobooks. Some want a lower monthly bill. Others want to buy one book at a time without a membership, or want books they can keep after they stop paying.
This list covers 8 options. Some are completely free with a library card. Some are cheaper subscriptions. Some let you buy books with no subscription at all. For each one we note the price, the limits, the platforms and whether you keep your books. Every detail comes from the official website, help pages or app store listing. We have not run our own tests.
Last checked: September 26, 2026. Prices are official US prices unless we say otherwise. Prices can differ by country, platform and account.
- Best free option: Libby lets you borrow audiobooks from your public library for free. You need a library card, and popular titles often have a wait list.
- Free with no wait: hoopla Instant titles can be borrowed right away, but your library sets a monthly borrow limit. US and Canada only.
- Free classics: LibriVox has over 20,000 public domain audiobooks. No account, no ads, no cost.
- Already pay for Spotify: Spotify Premium includes 15 hours of audiobook listening a month.
- Cheapest unlimited plan: Kobo Plus Listen is $7.99 a month for unlimited listening from its catalog.
- Buy and keep, no subscription: Chirp sells deal-priced audiobooks from $1, and Google Play Books sells books one at a time.
All 8 Audible alternatives at a glance
Search by app, price or platform.
Tap any name in the table to jump to its full entry below.
| App | Price | Subscription or pay per book | Platforms | Free titles | Keep books after cancelling | Works offline | Account or library card needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audible (for comparison) | $14.95 a month (Standard $8.99) | Subscription with credits | Android, iPhone, web | Not stated | Yes for credit buys, no on Standard | Yes | Amazon account |
| Libby | Free | Free library loans | Android, iPhone, Fire tablets, web | Yes, all loans are free | No, loans expire | Yes | Library card |
| hoopla | Free | Free library loans | Android, iPhone | Yes, all loans are free | No, loans expire | Yes | Library card (US and Canada) |
| LibriVox | Free | Free | Web, MP3 download | Yes, whole catalog | Yes, public domain | Yes, after download | No |
| Spotify Premium | $12.99 a month | Subscription (15 hours a month) | Android, iPhone, desktop, web | 15 hours a month included | No | Yes | Spotify account |
| Kobo Plus Listen | $7.99 a month | Subscription | Android, iPhone, select Kobo eReaders | Unlimited from Kobo Plus catalog | No | Not stated for audiobooks | Kobo account |
| Everand | From $11.99 a month | Subscription with unlocks | Android, iPhone, web | Some titles without an unlock | Back only if you resubscribe | Yes | Everand account |
| Google Play Books | Price per book | Pay per book | Android, iPhone, web | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Google account |
| Chirp | Deals from $1 | Pay per book | Android, iPhone, web | Hundreds of free audiobooks | Yes | Yes | Free Chirp account |
Free audiobooks with a library card
Libby
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
Libby is the free library app from OverDrive. Sign in with your public library card and you can borrow audiobooks and ebooks at no cost. Loans download for offline listening on Wi-Fi, and they return themselves when they expire, so there are no late fees.
The catch is supply. Libraries buy a set number of copies, so new and popular audiobooks often have a hold list. What you can borrow depends on what your library has bought.
What you lose vs Audible: instant access to every title. You borrow, you wait for holds and you give books back.
- Replaces
- Audible for bestsellers and new releases
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, iPad, Fire tablets, web on Windows, Mac and Chromebook
- Licence
- Free with a library card from a participating library
- Skip if
- You hate waiting for popular titles
- Price
- Free
hoopla
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
hoopla is another free library app, available in the US and Canada. Titles marked hoopla Instant can be borrowed right away with no wait list. Newer hoopla Flex titles work more like Libby, with holds when copies are out. It also carries ebooks, comics, movies, TV and music.
Your library sets how many titles you can borrow each month, and some allow as few as four. Loans can be downloaded for offline listening.
What you lose vs Audible: unlimited choice. Your library decides the catalog and your monthly borrow limit.
- Replaces
- Audible for instant borrowing
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, iPad
- Licence
- Free with a library card from a participating library
- Skip if
- You live outside the US and Canada
- Price
- Free
LibriVox
LibriVox is a volunteer project that records public domain books and gives them away. It is non-commercial, non-profit and ad-free. As of its 20th anniversary in 2025, it had finished over 20,000 recordings, in English and many other languages.
You do not need an account. Stream in a browser or download the files and play them on any device. Think Dickens, Austen, Twain and Doyle.
What you lose vs Audible: modern books and professional narration. Readers are volunteers and quality varies.
- Replaces
- Audible for classic literature
- Runs on
- Web browser, MP3 download to any device
- Licence
- Free, non-profit, ad-free, public domain recordings
- Skip if
- You want recent books or pro narrators
- Price
- Free
Cheaper audiobook subscriptions
Spotify Premium
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
If you already pay for Spotify, you may not need Audible at all. Spotify Premium Individual is $12.99 a month in the US and includes 15 hours of audiobook listening each month from a catalog of over 700,000 titles. That is roughly one or two average books.
Need more? The Audiobooks+ add-on gives another 15 hours for $11.99 a month, and you can buy one-time top-ups in 10-hour blocks. Monthly hours reset and do not roll over. There is also a $9.99 Audiobooks Access plan with the same 15 hours but ad-supported music.
What you lose vs Audible: books you keep. Hours are time on a meter, not titles you own.
- Replaces
- Audible if you already pay for Spotify
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, desktop, web and 2,000+ devices
- Licence
- Subscription; Audiobooks+ adds 15 hours for $11.99 a month
- Skip if
- You listen to more than one or two books a month
- Price
- $12.99 a month (15 audiobook hours included)
Kobo Plus Listen
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
Kobo Plus Listen costs $7.99 a month in the US for unlimited audiobooks from the Kobo Plus catalog. Kobo Plus Read & Listen adds unlimited ebooks for $9.99 a month. Listen in the free Kobo Books app or on select Kobo eReaders.
The catalog is a selection, not the whole Kobo store. Big new releases are often missing. You can also buy books from the Kobo store to keep.
What you lose vs Audible: the biggest bestsellers and anything you keep after cancelling.
- Replaces
- Audible for binge listeners
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, iPad, select Kobo eReaders
- Licence
- Subscription, unlimited listening from the Kobo Plus catalog
- Skip if
- You want the newest bestsellers
- Price
- $7.99 a month (Read & Listen $9.99)
Everand
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
Everand, from the company behind Scribd, dropped its old unlimited model. Standard is $11.99 a month for one unlock, Plus is $16.99 for three and Deluxe is $28.99 for five. An unlock works on an audiobook or an ebook from a catalog of over 1.5 million titles. A smaller curated set can be played without using an unlock.
Unused unlocks roll over for up to six months. You can listen offline. There is a 30-day free trial on the website, or 7 days in the App Store.
What you lose vs Audible: ownership. Unlocked books stay only while you subscribe, and come back only if you resubscribe with the same email.
- Replaces
- Audible credits
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, web, Apple Watch, CarPlay
- Licence
- Subscription with 1, 3 or 5 unlocks a month
- Skip if
- You want to own your books
- Price
- From $11.99 a month (Plus $16.99, Deluxe $28.99)
Buy audiobooks with no subscription
Google Play Books
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
Google Play Books sells audiobooks one at a time with no membership. You pay the listed price and the book stays in your library. You can pay with Play Balance, download books for offline listening and pick up where you left off on another device.
On iPhone and iPad, you finish the purchase on the Google Play Books website, then listen in the app. Prices are set per book and are often close to full retail.
What you lose vs Audible: a monthly credit that lowers the cost of pricey new releases.
- Replaces
- Audible for occasional listeners
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, iPad, web, Google Home
- Licence
- No subscription, buy only the books you want
- Skip if
- You listen to many books a month
- Price
- Price per book
Chirp
- Android
- iPhone and iPad
Chirp, from the team behind BookBub, sells limited-time audiobook deals with no membership fee. Its App Store listing says bestsellers start at $1, and it also offers hundreds of free audiobooks. The books you buy are yours to keep, and you can download them for offline listening.
You need a free account. Purchases happen on the Chirp website, not inside the iPhone app. Deals rotate, so it works best if you are flexible about what you listen to next. If you like owning what you pay for, see our list of buy once software.
What you lose vs Audible: a full catalog at a steady price. Deals come and go.
- Replaces
- Audible for deal hunters
- Runs on
- Android, iPhone, web
- Licence
- No subscription, pay per book, books are yours to keep
- Skip if
- You need a specific new release today
- Price
- Deals from $1
Audible India costs Rs 199 a month after a 30-day free trial. Local apps can be cheaper. Storytel India is still running, with plans from Rs 149 a month and titles in over 10 languages. Kuku FM sells Premium from Rs 99 a month on the Indian App Store, with Hindi and English shows and audiobooks. Pocket FM is mostly audio series, with daily free episode unlocks and Premium at Rs 129 a month, per its support page.
Who should still pay for Audible
Audible still makes sense for some listeners:
- People who want to keep their books. Titles bought with a credit stay yours even if you cancel.
- Fans of big new releases who do not want to wait on a library hold list or hope for a deal.
- Heavy listeners who value credits. One credit can buy a pricey new release that would cost much more on its own.
For everyone else, Libby, hoopla, Spotify Premium or Chirp cover a lot of the same listening for less.
What is the best free alternative to Audible?
How much does Audible cost?
Do you get audiobooks with Spotify Premium?
Where can I buy audiobooks without a subscription?
Is Everand still unlimited?
Sumit
ContributorHi, I'm Sumit, Being an introvert I have always been obsessed with technology-computers and reading dozens of posts to learn, find answers out of my curiosity. I love to write as I explore more.
