5 Best Alternatives to Audible for 2021

Audible, the world’s largest audiobook seller, is not necessarily the best option for every audiobook listener. There are some great alternatives to Audible where you can save money with free and cheap audiobooks, get unlimited listening, and support your local bookstore. Read on to find the best Audible alternatives!

Best Alternatives to Audible

Tip: if you are an Audible member, learn How to Pause Audible to try the offers from other audiobook services listed below.


Audiobooks.com – a very generous free trial

audiobooks.com free trial

How it works: Audiobooks.com is a subscription service with a library of 200,000+ titles. Like Audible, it has an extensive library and the service works very well. The service has a generous free trial with 3 audiobooks and the app is slick and easy to use.

Getting started: visit Audiobooks.com and sign up for a 30-day free trial. You will your first 3 audiobooks free with 2 books from the entire catalog of 200,000+ premium titles plus 1 audiobook from the VIP selection (this is similar to Audible Originals). After the free trial, the cost is $14.95 per month.


Chirp – limited-time audiobook deals

chirp books deals

How it works: Chirp offers limited-time deals on popular audiobooks with savings up to 95% off and no requirement to subscribe to the service.

Getting started: visit Chirp to create a free account. Pick what types of audiobooks you enjoy and Chirp will start sending you a daily email with audiobook deals.


Libro.fm – support your local bookstore

How it works: Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through your local bookstore. As part of the sign-up process, you’ll choose the independent bookstore you want to support with future purchases and Libro.fm will split profits with this bookstore.

Getting started: visit Libro.fm and create a free account. If you are an avid audiobook listener, you can sign up for a monthly subscription and get your first audiobook for free and then pay $14.99 each month. Or, if you are switching from Audible to Libro.fm you can get two audiobooks for the price of one with the code SWITCH. Libro.fm also offers à la carte purchases for the occasional listener.


Libby – free audiobooks from the library

How it works: Libby lets you borrow audiobooks from your local library — for free, instantly — with a library card. It’s a great way to listen to popular audiobooks for free but you should be aware that libraries treat them like any other book, stocking limited “copies” and allowing only one person to check out each copy at any given time. So, depending on the size of your library, how popular a title is, and how many audiobooks are stocked, you may have a waiting period before you can borrow the audiobook you want.

Getting started: Libby is available for Android, iOS, Windows 10, some Chromebooks, and in your browser at libbyapp.com. The following video is a helpful guide to getting started with Libby:


Scribd – try unlimited listening

scribd free trial

How it works: Scribd is a subscription service that provides members access to millions of audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, comics, and sheet music selections. The subscription fee is $8.99 per month and membership includes access to an unlimited number of audiobooks and other content (although restrictions on certain titles may apply).

Getting started: visit Scribd to create a basic, free account. You can then activate a free trial of the premium membership for 30 days to get access to Scribd’s library of content.


Summary – the Best Audible Alternative?

As you see, there are some great alternatives to Audible for audiobook listeners. Which one is best? Well, that depends on what you value most in an audiobook service as they each have something unique to offer:

Audiobooks.com has a very generous trial which offers 3 free audiobooks.

Chirp has cheap audiobook deals without the need to subscribe to an audiobook service.

Libro.fm lets you support your local bookstore.

Libby lets you listen to audiobooks for free from the library. Note: you may have to wait for titles to become available to borrow, particularly if they are new releases and bestsellers.

Scribd has unlimited listening to audiobooks plus access to other digital media such as ebooks and magazines. Note: don’t expect the catalog to include latest bestsellers.


Do you use one of the alternatives to Audible above? Let us know your experience with the service in the comments below!

Would you like a free premium audiobook?

Audible has the world’s largest selection of audiobooks and spoken word content. Try Audible free for 30-days and get:

-Choose one title from Audible’s entire premium selection to keep.
-Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
-You will get an email reminder before your trial ends. Cancel online anytime.
Listen anywhere on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

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