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Best Audiobook Apps of 2021

We put 10 audiobook apps to the test to see which is best for catching up with our reading on the go without breaking the bank.

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Best Audiobook Apps of 2021
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Audiobooks can be a great option for busy people who still want to keep up with their favorite authors. With many apps on the market, we tested the 10 best to see which ones were worthy of your attention. 

We determined that the $14.95 a month for an Audible subscription was by far the best option. We also found our favorite for casual listeners and the best app to keep all your ebooks and audiobooks in the same place. Here's why we chose these apps:

Our Pick

The best value for premium content

Audible is a market leader in audiobooks, and it’s easy to see why. With over 200,000 titles to choose from and an easy to use app, it stands out above all others as one of the best apps on the market.

Why we chose Audible:

  • After the generous 30-day free-trial, only $14.95 per month for your subscription, which includes 1 free book credit a month.
  • Includes many titles that are not available on other apps.
  • Audiobooks can be downloaded for use offline, which is ideal for listening when not connected to the internet.
  • Credits roll over if not used.
  • A comprehensive library, including over 200,000 audiobooks, gives you a great choice of audiobooks.
  • You’ll find many of the more popular books on Audible.

This may seem like the obvious choice here, but trust us, it did stand the test compared to the rest and had the best value in relation to its library offerings.

Read Audible's Full Review
Runner Up

The best app for all-inclusive content

With thousands of audiobooks to choose from, Scribd also gives you access to eBooks, magazines, and podcasts and even has an area for you to view and download sheet music. It has around 70,000 titles available, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find the author that you’re interested in and uses a recommendation feature to show you books that it thinks you’ll like.

Why we chose Scribd:

  • You get a 30-day free trial where you can download one free book. After that, the monthly subscription is only $9.99 per month.
  • Ability to adjust your listening speed so that you can listen at a faster pace.
  • 32kbp audio quality is moderate and more than acceptable for casual listeners.
  • With the ability to download books for offline use, you can listen anywhere.
  • Combining both ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more, you can keep all your preferred reading in one place.

The sound quality is outstanding. And with the ability to download your audiobooks and listen back when you’re not online, you can keep up with your favorite stories no matter where you are.

Read Scribd's Full Review
Also Groovy

Budget app for casual listeners

  • All the books you love. On the page or out loud. Anywhere you are.
    4.1 Ratings 2M+ Reviews 1B+ Downloads
    Free Feature Rich Fresh 1M+ Reviews
    Free
    Free

    Loading...

A free to use app, you only pay when you make a purchase, which can be great for casual listeners who only buy a new book now and then.

Why we chose Google Play Books:

  • You don’t have to worry about spending money on your monthly subscription as the app itself is free to use.
  • Only pay when you buy a book. Includes both Ebooks and audiobooks in a simple and accessible format.
  • Filters allow you to find books based on price, rating, popularity, and more.
  • A huge collection of books available, currently sitting at over 5 million.

With these 5 million+ titles available, you can select both ebooks and audiobooks that you’re interested in, and with an easy to use app and simple playback controls you’ll feel just as comfortable as if you were to sit down with a real book. 

Read Google Play Books' Full Review

Everything We Recommend

  • Our Pick
    A listen for every moment. Stories for every day. Audio entertainment is here. Indulge in a library full of binge-worthy audiobooks, exclusive podcasts, bite-sized audio storytelling, and genre-bending Audible Originals. Whether it’s comedy, mystery, true crime, fantasy or meditation - listen to original content and series and enjoy Audible as part of your daily listening routine.

    Sign in securely with your Amazon account - your first 30 days are on us.

    THE PLUS CATALOG
    Listen all you want to thousands of select originals, audiobooks, and podcasts including exclusive shows and series. All Audible plans include unlimited access to streaming or downloading anything in the Plus Catalog. With new titles added every week, there’s always something new to listen to for every mood and moment.

    UNPLUG BY TUNING IN.
    Listen to storytelling that transports you. Feel good with comedy podcasts, unwind with meditation titles or tap into your detective skills with a new mystery series or true crime podcast. You can download, stream and listen to audio books offline too.

    Hear captivating audio books, listen to podcasts and relax with mindful meditation. Make your Audible Library the listening routine you can’t live without.

    LISTEN TO AUDIO STORIES ANYTIME.
    Our Library of audio entertainment is always open. So come on in and listen to bite-sized audio content like the latest fantasy series, true crime podcasts, mystery stories, daily news updates, and sci-fi audiobooks as you cook, walk the dog, run, work or fold laundry. Your listening routine starts here.

    Download and listen to books, series, and podcasts offline. Dive into engrossing true crime thrillers, mysteries, sci-fi series & fantasy, kids stories, meditation titles, memoirs, documentaries, and genre-bending Audible Originals.

    With monthly credits, you can find the audio content you want, including bestsellers and new releases. Discover a variety of audio entertainment with Audible.

    AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
    - Build your own library and listen to the largest selection of audio titles from the entire Premium selection - titles purchased with credits are yours to keep, even if you cancel.
    - Fantasy series, mystery & thrillers, true crime, sci-fi stories, comedy podcasts, meditation and more - you get 1 monthly credit to pick any title that you want to keep.
    - 30% off any additional titles from the catalog, plus access to exclusive deals and discounts.
    - And, access the entire Audible Plus catalog - thousands of binge-worthy audiobooks, exclusive podcasts and audio entertainment, with fresh audio content added every single week.
    - Plus, you can listen offline to any title. You can download, stream or listen to books and other audio entertainment titles from the Audible Plus Catalog.

    Listen how you want. And never lose your place with seamless cross-device listening with Whispersync, available with all audio book titles, podcasts, series and selections across your library.

    SELECTED AUDIO STORIES, SERIES AND TITLES
    - Explore the Audible Plus Catalog anytime you want, no credits necessary.
    - Thousands of binge-worthy audio books, podcasts and Audible Originals.
    - Fantasy series, mysteries, true crime podcasts, comedy podcasts, sci-fi audiobooks, kids books and thrillers. Listen to books and podcasts from thousands of titles.
    - Fresh audio content and new listens added to the Catalog every single week.
    - Listen offline. You can stream and download all you want.

    The most compelling stories. Told by inspiring voices. Listen to storytelling that speaks to you, anytime, anywhere. Fall in love with books all over again with Audible, an Amazon company.
    Cost
    Free
    Free
    In-App Purchases
    No
    $7.99 - $39.99 per item
  • Runner Up
    Join the millions of readers who turn to Scribd’s digital library to access an unlimited* number of audiobooks, books, magazine articles, sheet music, and more. Our ad-free experience puts some of the best books and audiobooks in your pocket starting with a free trial for new members.

    GET STARTED TODAY:
    1. Download the free Scribd app.
    2. Sign up for your free trial.
    3. Pick a book or audiobook from our catalog of over one million titles.
    4. Begin reading or listening right away. Keep reading all month long for no additional fee.
    5. Cancel anytime.

    HERE’S WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SCRIBD:

    “Put an entire library in your pocket with a subscription to Scribd.” - Entrepreneur

    “Scribd is a massive library that's home to millions of books, audiobooks, magazines … and even sheet music. (Sheet music!)” - Mashable

    “The fact that I could have access to all the greatest minds, mysteries, and stories for $8.99 a month was (and still is) crazy to me.” - Business Insider

    ALSO INCLUDED IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP:
    - Unlimited* books and audiobooks across all genres including Personal Growth, True Crime, Business, Travel, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, YA, Science Fiction, and more.
    - Unlimited sheet music selections that cover every musical genre, instrument, and difficulty level. Play the classics or explore current hits from popular artists.
    - Unlimited articles from hundreds of magazines including People, New York Magazine, Time, The Atlantic, Entrepreneur, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and more.
    - Unlimited access to the world’s largest document library, which includes more than 60 million documents including official government reports, case studies, study guides, academic dissertations, medical reports, and more.

    All content read or listened to on Scribd can be synced across multiple devices. These special features are included in your membership for free:

    FEATURES FOR THE AUDIOBOOK LISTENER
    - Customize your narration speed
    - Set a sleep timer
    - Download audiobooks to listen offline

    FEATURES FOR THE BOOK READER
    - An e-reader in your pocket. Download books to read offline
    - Make notes and annotations, and add bookmarks
    - Customize your font size, type, and background color
    - Choose horizontal or vertical page scrolling

    FEATURES FOR THE DOCUMENT/EPUB READER
    - Download documents to read offline
    - Save or print your documents

    Our membership is a monthly subscription that starts at $9.99 and automatically renews unless the subscription is canceled at least 24 hours prior to the next billing date.

    Download the free Scribd app and start listening and reading today!
    Cost
    Free
    Free
    In-App Purchases
    $7.99 - $10.99 per item
    $7.99 - $12.99 per item
  • Also Groovy

    Google Play Books & Audiobooks

    4.1 Ratings 2M+ Reviews 1B+ Downloads
    Google Play Books is the one app you need for enjoying audiobooks and ebooks purchased from Google Play.

    Choose from millions of best selling ebooks, comics, textbooks, and audiobooks. Download your book to read or listen on the go. When you’re finished, find your next favorite from recommendations personalized just for you. Buy audiobooks and ebooks as you go - with no subscription required.

    LISTEN TO A GREAT AUDIOBOOK ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
    * New! Audiobooks are now available on Google Play
    * Buy one or many - no monthly subscription required
    * Preview free samples of audiobooks before you buy
    * Pick up where you left off on Android, iOS, or on your web browser

    MILLIONS OF EBOOKS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
    * Preview free samples from our catalog of millions of books
    * Read your books, comics, and textbooks on Android, iOS, or your web browser, even when you’re offline
    * Tap the page and watch your favorite comic book or manga come to life with Bubble Zoom
    * Take notes that sync with your Google Drive and share them with a group for easy collaboration.
    * Use the Night Light setting to automatically adjust the background color and brightness to make it easier for you to fall asleep
    Cost
    Free
    Free
    In-App Purchases
    No
    No
Compare All Apps

The 411 from our Appventurer

  • I’ve used Audible for a long time now but cancelled a few months back because I’ve been driving less and therefore listening less during COVID. But I do need to get back into reading! I may try Scribd next since it’s a bit cheaper even though it has less titles

Anton Mark
Written by:

Anton Mark

Best Audiobook Apps of 2021

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