If you want to read more books but lack the time to sit and read, audiobooks are a fantastic alternative. Listen during your commute, while lounging on vacation, or tackling household chores. Once expensive and bulky, audiobooks are now accessible through digital subscription services, offering vast libraries at your fingertips. This guide covers the top audiobook platforms of 2025, highlighting their key advantages, disadvantages, and distinctive features. Grab your headphones and dive into a good book!
Audible
Though Amazon-owned, Audible remains a top-tier audiobook service with hundreds of thousands of titles available for purchase, rental, streaming, or offline listening via apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and Amazon devices. You can also play audiobooks through Sonos speakers. Your listening progress syncs across devices, ensuring seamless transitions.
Audible offers a 30-day free trial with one free book. Post-trial, the Premium Plus plan costs $15/month for one credit (one audiobook), with purchased books yours to keep even if you cancel. The Plus membership ($8/month post-trial) provides unlimited streaming or downloading of select Audible Plus Listens titles, included with Premium Plus. Non-members can buy audiobooks at a 30% discount, and integration with Amazon applies discounts when browsing.
Audible Pros:
- Huge catalog of audiobooks, podcasts, and original titles
- Books are yours to keep after subscription ends
Audible Cons:
- Part of Amazon, which may not appeal to all
Sign up for Audible
Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com offers over 500,000 audiobooks and a 30-day free trial with three free books. For $15/month, you get one book credit plus a VIP program bonus book. The service features curated listening lists and a family plan for shared listening with individual bookmarks. Apps for iOS and Android support offline listening and sleep timers.
Audiobooks.com Pros:
- 30-day free trial includes 3 books
- Family plan for multiple listeners
Audiobooks.com Cons:
- VIP content access ends upon cancellation
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B&N Audiobooks
Barnes & Noble’s audiobook service provides access to over 300,000 titles for $15/month (one credit) after a 30-day free trial. Listen via the B&N Nook app on iOS or Android, which syncs audiobooks, ebooks, and other B&N content. However, credits expire 30 days after subscription cancellation, and there’s no option to add credits.
B&N Audiobooks Pros:
- Nook app combines audiobooks with ebooks and other digital content
- Discounts on audiobook purchases with a subscription
B&N Audiobooks Cons:
- Limited subscription options compared to competitors
Sign up for B&N Audiobooks
Libro.fm
Libro.fm supports independent bookstores, offering over 500,000 titles for $15/month, with a portion of proceeds going to your chosen bookseller (from over 3,000 options). You get one credit monthly and 30% off additional purchases. Credits never expire, even if you pause or cancel. iOS and Android apps include sleep timers and synced bookmarks.
Libro.fm Pros:
- Supports independent bookstores
- Curated bookseller playlists and recommendations
Libro.fm Cons:
- No free trial (offers a free book with signup instead)
Sign up for Libro.fm
Everand
Everand, from Scribd, offers audiobooks, ebooks, podcasts, magazines, and articles for $12/month (one credit) or $17/month (three credits) after a 30-day free trial. Apps for iOS, Android, and Amazon devices support offline listening and sleep timers. While its audiobook catalog is smaller than Audible’s, the diverse content makes it a great value.
Everand Pros:
- Multiple content types included in monthly fee
- Helpful features like offline reading and sleep timer
Everand Cons:
- Monthly reading limits
Sign up for Everand
Spotify
Spotify Premium subscribers ($12/month, $17/month Duo, $20/month Family, after a 2-month free trial) get 15 hours of audiobook listening monthly from over 250,000 titles. Hours don’t roll over, and only primary subscribers on Duo/Family plans access this benefit. A standalone Audiobooks Access plan costs $10/month for 15 hours. Books can also be purchased outright.
Spotify Pros:
- Music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one app
Spotify Cons:
- Listening time limits rather than per book
- Not available to Duo/Family plan members
Sign up for Spotify Premium
Libby
Libby, powered by OverDrive, lets you borrow audiobooks and ebooks for free with a library card from over 90% of North American libraries. Available on iOS, Android, Amazon, and web, it supports offline listening and device syncing. Selection varies by library, and popular titles may have waitlists.
Libby Pros:
- Free to use
- Offline access and device syncing
Libby Cons:
- Selection varies by library catalog
- Waitlists for popular titles
Learn more about Libby
Hoopla
Hoopla provides free access to audiobooks, ebooks, music, movies, and TV shows via your library card. Available on iOS, Android, Amazon, and web, it supports multiple media types with library-set borrowing limits. Content availability depends on your library’s catalog.
Hoopla Pros:
- Free to use
- Multiple media categories, including audiobooks and ebooks
Hoopla Cons:
- Selection limited by library’s catalog
- Must return at end of borrowing term
Learn more about Hoopla
Chirp
Chirp offers discounted audiobooks (often under $5) with no subscription or monthly fees. Buy books outright, with personalized recommendations and apps for iOS and Android supporting sleep timers, bookmarking, and offline listening. Ideal for those avoiding subscriptions.
Chirp Pros:
- No commitment
- Significant discounts on select books
Chirp Cons:
- Popular titles cost more than monthly credits on other services
Sign up for Chirp
This guide was updated in 2025 to reflect current pricing and services.
