Are Audiobook Subscriptions Still Worth It?

For anyone who enjoys a good book now and then, you know there are a few ways to read them. You can pick up a physical or digital book for in-person reading, or download an audiobook for on-the-go listening. Audiobooks are great for long commutes, working, or relaxing while you listen to your favorite book or a new read. They're a great option for those who would rather hear the book spoken aloud, but audiobook sites come with their own ups and downs.

If you enjoy listening to books, there are several audiobook subscriptions available. Whether they're worth it or not depends on a couple of factors because it all comes down to the platform. Spotify has been trying to unseat Audible, adding free audiobooks to its service for paid members since 2023. However, members only get a limited number of hours for audiobooks each month. If you're somebody who exclusively listens to audiobooks during a long commute or while doing chores around the house, a limited number of hours each month might be worth it.

However, if you're a voracious reader who enjoys listening to audiobooks as your preferred form of reading, then being limited like that isn't worth it. Paying for a subscription with Audible or libro.fm is can be worth it, but even better is a free service. There's more nuance, though, as you need to consider the content available. Spotify offers around 700,000 audiobook titles on its Premium plan, whereas Audible's Premium Plus plan offers over a million audiobooks, but lumps them in with podcasts.

Many audiobook sites come with subscriptions that only give you access to a single free book per month, such as Audible and libro.fm, unless you opt for a more expensive plan. Meanwhile, Spotify's plan offers 15 hours worth of audiobooks for its members, along with all the music already on the platform. 15 hours really would only cover about two books — maybe three — depending on the length of the novel. If it's something from "The Stormlight Archive," that may be your only book for the month, and that's only if you're listening at 2x speed. 

While reading physical books allows you to read at your own pace, audiobooks let you adjust the listening speed, increasing or decreasing the narrator's rate of speech to your liking. It may not be the same as reading aloud or in your head, but if you have an annual reading goal, it can help you reach it. Unfortunately, Spotify's 15-hour allotment for audiobook listening time isn't affected by adjusting the listening speed.

For example, if you select a 15-hour book, listen to it at 2x speed, cutting the time to finish down to 7.5 hours, you'll still use up all of your audiobook listening time for the month. Spotify is not for someone who wants to read multiple audiobooks in a month.

If you don't want to pay a subscription fee and want to save some money to buy physical books, there are free audiobook sites. Places such as digitalbook.io offer access to thousands of free books, including "Sherlock Holmes" and works by Jane Austen like "Pride and Prejudice." Even Audible offers free audiobooks. One of the best ways you can get access to thousands of audiobooks and books for free in general is at your local public library. All you need to do is get a library card, which doesn't cost anything, and you can start downloading audiobooks or listening to them while you visit the library.

Apps like Libby, a cheaper alternative for audiobook listeners to try, will help you find local libraries and let you checkout audiobooks from there — as long as you have a library card. If you want access to free books, a local library is a great choice. You can even listen online without stepping into the library. One Reddit user shared that you may be able to take advantage of audiobooks on Spotify if they are labeled as a podcast. This means they aren't classified as an audiobook, placing them outside of the 15 hours per month subscription cost.