15 Alternatives to Audible | Free & Paid Audiobook Apps Tested

I love sharing money-saving travel tips, and these are for all my fellow traveling bookworms looking to save a buck or two. You’ve probably landed here because you’re an audiobook freak and sick of Jeff Bezos’s shit – I am also both of those things by the way.

Want to move away from the Amazon ecosystem? You’re in the right place.

Over the years, I’ve tested every major audiobook platform I could get my hands on. Some are completely free and a few are worth paying for because they offer features Audible doesn’t (or they just aren’t owned by Amazon).

I read more than 70 books a year, mostly audiobooks, and listening while traveling has become one of my favorite ways to make long flights, road trips, and train rides more enjoyable. But buying every audiobook can get expensive fast.

For perspective, I once spent about $360 on accommodations for three weeks in Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and England. That’s roughly the same as two years of Audible Premium Plus membership. And you don’t even technically OWN those audiobooks!

If you’re looking for the best alternatives to Audible, these are the apps and services I personally use (and some others you might prefer) to save money while still keeping my audiobook habit fully stocked.

Last Updated: June 2026

Why Trust My Recommendations?

• I regularly compare audiobook platforms to find the best value and features.
• I typically read about 70 books every year.
• I’ve personally used or tested all of the audiobook apps featured in this guide.
• I’ve relied on audiobooks for years while traveling, commuting, remote working, and at home while cooking, cleaning, and hobbying.

How I Use My Favorite Audiobook Apps

I find the best deals by rotating through the following apps. Here’s a quick rundown of my process:

1. Libby and Hoopla – As 100% free alternatives to Audible, I check here first and usually find what I’m looking for.

2. Spotify Audiobooks and Prime Reading – If there is a long wait on Libby and Hoopla doesn’t have what I want, these are my next stops. They are subscriptions that I already pay for, so they are sunk costs that I try to take advantage of every month to get my money’s worth.

3. Amazon Alexa app – As a last-ditch effort, I check to see if an e-book version of what I want to read is available at one of my libraries or on Prime Reading, and I use the Alexa app to turn it into an audiobook.

4. Libro.fm, Audiobooks.com, or Book of the Month – I will pay for a membership just to get a credit to pre-order an audiobook that I will want to read immediately when it’s published. For complete transparency, if it’s an Audible exclusive release, I do the same but complain about it the whole time. I cancel the membership once the pre-order is complete, unless I get a crazy deal for two or three months – then I will take advantage and hoard those credits to use later.

5. Netgalley – This one is a bit niche and will not apply to everyone, but I have been using it more frequently this year than ever before since they’ve added more audiobook ARCs. Netgalley is the middle man putting publishers and authors in touch with librarians, booksellers, and reviewers who want to read digital ARCs of books before they are released in exchange for feedback or review.

6. Éist – This is a new app I use that narrates EPUB and PDF files that the Alexa app will not. You better believe I celebrated when I realized I finally have a way to listen to the stack of Heated Rivalry and Dramione fan fictions that have been waiting for me.

How the Best Alternatives Stack Up

Before I dive into the details, let’s take a quick look at how the best audiobook apps stack up against Audible.

My Favorite Alternatives to Audible For Free Audiobooks

Libby

Libby is a digital library app that works with local libraries across North America.

There are two downsides to borrowing audiobooks with Libby. First, and worst, is the long wait times for some books. Sometimes the wait can be months-long, but if you have a library card with partner libraries, that wait can sometimes be shorter.

I’m lucky that Massachusetts has a library partnership, which gives me access to eight library systems.

The second isn’t even that bad, but you only have 7, 14, or 21 days to finish listening before they are automatically returned – aka you don’t own the book. The length of time you can borrow an audiobook is dictated by the library and what kind of book it is.

Hoopla

Some libraries may use Hoopla instead of or in addition to Libby, but because of costs many libraries are opting for one or the other. Hoopla differs in two main ways: 1) you always get instant access to audiobooks you borrow – no long wait times, and 2) the number of borrows per month is limited.

For example, I got a new library card when I moved to Groton, MA, and switched to this one because I get ten borrows a month instead of seven with my old one. I have a friend who only gets three borrows per month through her library.

Unlike Libby, you can only use one library card at a time, and they only accept library cards you are officially signed up for – there are no partner libraries in Hoopla. If you have more than one card, you have to log in to each one every time.

Netgalley

NetGalley is a platform where publishers provide digital copies of books, called galleys (hence Net-Galley) or advanced reader copies (ARCs), to readers before they are published in exchange for honest reviews on their platform and others. I used to read physical galleys all the time when I worked at a book store in college.

They mainly offer arcs in e-book format, but audio-arcs are becoming more of a thing, which I love and have taken full advantage of.

This option is most suitable for book reviewers, librarians, educators, and book sellers who can help generate buzz for upcoming book releases through word-of-mouth, social media, or review sites. Surprisingly, I was granted access to Netgalley in 2016 with a young blog and a small audience.

I wasn’t always great about finishing and reviewing digital arcs, but now that audio-arcs are more popular, I have been much better about following through with my reviews.

Amazon Alexa App + eBooks

In an absolute pinch, I will use the Amazon Alexa app to turn e-books into audiobooks using Alexa’s text-to-speech accessibility feature. It is entirely free to do, so why not!?

There are a few ways to use it with varying costs associated:

• Free when used with e-books borrowed from Libby
• A sunk cost when used with Prime Reading e-books

It will also work with Kindle books you buy or read with Kindle Unlimited, but those obviously come with a purchase or subscription cost.

How To Use Alexa Narration

When using it with Libby e-books, just send the book to your Kindle or the Kindle app using the “read with Kindle” option. All Amazon e-books you purchase will automatically populate in your library.

• First make sure the accessibility feature is turned on. On the home screen, click the graduated hamburger menu in upper left corner. 
• In Settings, click Accessibility and turn on Kindle Assistive Reader if turned off.

• Click back two screens and click Music & More, then scroll down to your Kindle e-book library. 
• Select the e-book you want narrated, and choose the device you want to play it on. I don’t have any Echo devices, so I just choose This Device (my phone).

Audible Alternatives I Think Are Worth Paying For

Even if just temporarily.

Libro.fm

Libro.fm is a social purpose corporation that works just like Audible, but your monthly fee goes to an independent bookstore of your choice. Pick one in your hometown (I recently changed my bookstore to Belonging Books in Hyannis, MA) or one across the country. It’s up to you!

Subscription choices are one monthly credit for $14.99 or two credits for $23.99. Credits never expire, so don’t worry about losing them during a reading slump! Plus, you get a 30% discount on any additional audiobooks you wish to purchase, which works on top of any sale prices.

You own all the audiobooks you buy and can even download the MP3 or M4B files to listen on another device.

When you sign up with Libro.fm for the first time, you can get three audiobooks for the price of one credit using my referral link! Try Libro.fm and stock up on reading materials today!

Audiobooks.com

Also works like Audible with a monthly credit to purchase one book, plus the option to choose from a curated selection of VIP audiobooks. Their free trial includes one regular audiobook and two VIP audiobooks (instead of just one) and 30 days to listen to them and decide if you like the platform.

They also have deals like 2-for-1 credit audiobooks and discounted audiobooks for less than the cost of a credit, so buying it directly would be cheaper. I saw some as low as $4 last time I was in the app.

The monthly subscription costs $14.95 a month, or you can save a ton with their annual subscription, which breaks down to $12 a month. You own all audiobooks purchased with your monthly subscription credit and can keep the VIP audiobooks for as long as your subscription is active.

Chirp Books

Chirp Books is a pay-per-book app with deeply discounted audiobooks. I was signed up for their daily email for a while, which includes a personalized list of audiobooks I might be interested in. Sometimes, they are discounted to less than $1.

These steep discounts are usually for a limited time – a few days or a week. However, even when they aren’t heavily discounted, regular prices at Chirp Books are still lower than the publisher’s price. Thousands of audiobooks are typically on sale for less than $5 a pop.

The advantage of buying audiobooks through Chirp Books is you own them forever, and you can take as long as you wish to finish reading them. One disadvantage is you cannot make purchases right in the app; it is for listening only. Use their website to buy all your audiobooks.

Spotify Audiobooks

Spotify Audiobooks is now included with premium subscriptions! The trick to this one is to only listen to audiobooks that don’t exceed the 15-hour limit. It’s not fun to run out of hours mid-book and have to wait for your subscription to renew! Top-ups are available to purchase for audiobooks over 15 hours, but I don’t think it’s worth the cost.

Those 15 hours renew every month whether or not you use them, so try to listen to at least one audiobook every month. For quick access to the ones on my TBR, I save them to my Spotify library.

If you are new to Spotify Premium (and in the US), try it free for two months. That’s at least two guaranteed free audiobooks – or three or four if you choose the right ones!

Book of the Month

Book of the Month is no longer only for physical books! Now you can choose between their signature hardcovers or audiobooks. If you don’t like the monthly selections, you can skip the month and roll your credit onto the next month. Credits don’t accumulate, so you won’t pay for another one until you eventually use your rolled credit to select a BOTM.

The monthly subscription costs $16.99 for one credit per month. They also have plans for two credits per month for $14.99 each (you are charged $29.98 per month) and an annual membership that works out to $13.99 per month/credit.

When I first subscribed, I got my first month for only $5 – and you can, too! The only catch is they ask you to agree to just one additional full-price month. After that, you are free to cancel your monthly subscription if you don’t like the service.

Other Audible Alternatives That May Work For You

My audiobook system and recommendations might not work for you, so here are all the other platforms I’ve tested. Surely, one of these will fit into your reading and travel lifestyle.

Everand

Everand includes audiobooks, ebooks, podcasts, and a selection of Everand Originals. Your subscription also comes with Fable Plus, where you can track your reading goals, stats, and streaks, and interact with other readers.

Unlike Audible, Everand uses monthly unlocks for premium audiobooks and ebooks. The Standard plan includes one unlock per month for $11.99, and there are more expensive plans that include more unlocks. Unused unlocks roll over for up to six months, and all plans also include unlimited access to a rotating selection of 20,000+ audiobooks, ebooks, and podcasts that don’t require an unlock.

You can read or listen to any book you’ve unlocked for as long as your subscription is active. If you cancel and later resubscribe with the same email address, your unlocked books will still be waiting for you.

Overall, Everand offers more flexibility than it used to, but if you’re mainly interested in premium audiobooks, you’re still limited by your monthly unlocks.

Anyplay

Anyplay is an unlimited audiobook streaming service with more than 300,000 audiobooks, millions of podcasts, offline downloads, and a 7-day free trial. Unlike Audible’s credit system, you can listen to as many books as you want each month with no waiting lists or due dates. It’s available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices in more than 180 countries.

I can definitely see the appeal, especially for readers who finish multiple audiobooks each month. However, while the catalog is large, I noticed that many popular book series are incomplete. I also wasn’t a fan of the app’s layout or content organization, which made it harder to browse than some of the other services on this list.

Tempt

Tempt specializes in romance audiobooks across every subgenre and spice level, even using chili pepper emojis to rate the heat. The catalog also leans heavily toward indie authors, as I didn’t recognize many mainstream titles.

The app offers a small selection of free audiobooks, but its paid subscriptions are billed weekly, which makes it one of the more expensive options on this list. Personally, I wouldn’t subscribe. The catalog doesn’t match my reading preferences, and I don’t think the pricing offers enough value compared to other audiobook services.

Kobo Plus Listen

The Kobo Plus Listen subscription functions exactly like Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription. You can choose audiobooks only or ebooks only for $7.99 a month, or a combo for $9.99 a month, which is cheaper than KU by a couple of bucks.

The selection of audiobooks doesn’t fully align with my preferences, so this isn’t something I would subscribe to when I can find what I want using my preferred platforms. They do offer a free 2-week trial that you should check out if you’re interested, though.

Graphic Audio

GraphicAudio describes its productions as “A Movie in Your Mind,” and I think that’s spot on. Instead of a single narrator, each audiobook features a full cast, sound effects, and music that remind me of old-time radio dramas.

The catalog focuses heavily on fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, thrillers, and other speculative fiction. As a fantasy reader, I’ve really enjoyed the GraphicAudio editions I’ve listened to.

You can borrow many GraphicAudio titles through Libby and Hoopla, or purchase them to keep in MP3, M4B, or FLAC format and play on any device you choose.

Related Reading

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Any Other Audiobook Platforms I Should Know About?

I am always on the hunt for ways to make listening to audiobooks affordable. Please share any audiobook platforms not included in this post in the comments so I can research and add them to the list!

Lastly, if you are a bookworm like me, join me on Storygraph, where I keep track my yearly reading goals.

Audible Alternatives FAQ’s