Is there a completely free audiobook app?
Audiobooks have been gaining immense popularity in recent years. According to the Publisher’s Association of America, the audiobook market generated over $1.8 billion in revenue in 2022, a 10% increase from the previous year (Source). This growth is expected to continue, with some estimates predicting the global audiobook market will reach $35 billion by 2030 (Source).
With the rising popularity of audiobooks, many apps and subscriptions services have emerged. However, these often come with monthly fees or in-app purchase costs. The goal of this article is to explore options for accessing audiobooks through a completely free app, with no hidden costs or subscriptions required.
Paid Audiobook Apps
The most popular apps for accessing audiobooks are paid subscription services. The major players in this space include Audible, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Audiobooks.com.
Audible, owned by Amazon, is the largest provider of downloadable audiobooks. An Audible membership costs $14.95 per month for 1 credit to redeem for any audiobook, regardless of price. Additional credits can be purchased for around $11-14 each. Audible offers a 30-day free trial (cite: https://www.greatworklife.com/best-audiobook-subscription-services/).
Apple Books has a large catalog of audiobooks available for individual purchase or with an Apple Books subscription for $9.99 per month. There is no free trial, but you can get Apple Books free for 3 months when purchasing a new Apple device (cite: https://www.wsj.com/buyside/arts-entertainment/best-audiobook-apps-2038607d).
Google Play Books and Audiobooks.com also offer audiobook subscriptions starting around $10-15 per month. Most paid services offer some kind of free trial period to sample the service.
Partially Free Audiobook Apps
There are some audiobook apps that offer a selection of free audiobooks, but also have paid options for premium content. Some of the most popular partially free audiobook apps include:
LibriVox – This app gives you access to over 15,000 free public domain audiobooks. These are books where the copyright has expired. While there are thousands of classic titles, the selection of more recent books is limited. [1]
OverDrive – If you have a library card, OverDrive allows you to borrow free audiobooks from your local library’s digital catalog. However, you are limited to what your library has available, wait lists for popular titles, and loan periods. [1]
Hoopla – Similar to OverDrive, Hoopla allows you to borrow free audiobooks with a library card. The selection and availability depends on your local library system. Titles can only be borrowed for a limited time period. [2]
While these apps do provide free audiobooks, the selection is limited compared to premium services like Audible. You may not find the latest bestsellers or all of the genres you want for free. The free options serve as a sample of what these services offer if you decide to pay for a subscription.
Free Audiobook Sources
There are several ways to access free audiobooks without a subscription or membership:
Public libraries – Many local libraries offer free audiobook lending services through apps like OverDrive and Hoopla. Library card holders can borrow audiobooks on these platforms for free.
Academic institutions – Schools and universities often provide students and faculty access to free audiobook collections. Platforms like OverDrive partner with academic institutions to offer this.
Free trials of paid apps – Services like Audible and Google Play Books offer free trials which include 1-2 free audiobooks. These let you sample audiobooks risk-free.
Promotional giveaways – Audiobook services periodically offer free audiobook downloads as promotions. Checking sites like Audible, Scribd, and more around major holidays is a good way to find these.
Completely Free Audiobook Apps
There are a few apps that provide unlimited free audiobooks without any paid tiers or subscription fees. However, the legality, quality, and selection of these apps can be questionable.
For example, some apps like Audiobooks from AudiobooksNow promote themselves as completely free but make money by running audio ads during the books. While this may technically fit the definition of a free service, the ad interruptions significantly impact the listening experience.
Other apps like Audio Books Free rely on public domain audiobooks to provide free content. While public domain books are legal, the selection is extremely limited compared to paid services. Most popular contemporary audiobook titles will not be available.
Additionally, some free audiobook apps have been removed from app stores in the past due to copyright complaints. Unless the app exclusively uses public domain content or has agreements with all copyright holders, unlimited free audiobooks are unlikely to be legally obtained.
In summary, apps promising unlimited free audiobooks often resort to poor quality recordings,intrusive advertising, or legally questionable content libraries. For the best experience, paid audiobook services or library apps remain the top options for most listeners.
Advertising-Supported Apps
One way to access audiobooks for free is through apps that are ad-supported. These apps provide free audiobooks in exchange for users listening to advertisements periodically throughout the books. One of the most popular free, ad-supported audiobook apps is LibriVox, which offers over 40,000 titles.
LibriVox has a massive collection since all of their audiobooks are in the public domain. This means the books are older classics, which can be seen as either a pro or a con depending on your preferences. The app itself is easy to use, allowing you to download books for offline listening or stream them. However, the advertising can be disruptive, playing before and after each chapter. Users report the app can be buggy at times as well. Overall, LibriVox provides free access to audiobooks, but the collection may be limited for some listeners and the advertising frequent.
Other ad-supported apps like Audiobooks.com offer more modern titles and potentially less advertising, but may require a subscription after a free trial. With these apps the quality of the experience ultimately comes down to how much advertising you’re willing to tolerate for free content.
Public Domain Audiobook Apps
There are several apps that focus specifically on offering audiobooks of public domain works for free. One of the most popular is LibriVox, which gives access to over 40,000 public domain audiobooks. LibriVox relies on volunteers to record and upload audiobooks, so the quality can vary depending on the narrator. However, there are options to select higher rated narrations for each book. The selection focuses primarily on classic literature and non-fiction works.
Another app called Freed Audiobooks also provides access to thousands of public domain audiobooks. One advantage of this app is the ability to adjust playback speed without distorting the audio. The collection includes literary classics, philosophy, history, and more. Overall, the audio quality meets or exceeds commercial audiobook standards.
The main benefit of apps like LibriVox and Freed Audiobooks is the completely free and legal access to a vast library of audiobooks. For classics and academic works no longer under copyright, these apps offer an unparalleled selection. Just be prepared for variable narration compared to professional recordings.
Drawbacks of Free Audiobook Apps
While free audiobook apps can provide convenient access to audiobooks without any monetary cost, there are some notable drawbacks that users should keep in mind:
Limited selection – Free apps often have a much smaller catalog of audiobook titles compared to paid services like Audible. According to one reviewer, the selection on free apps can be “very limited” compared to paid options (source). The free audiobooks available may not include recent bestsellers or a wide selection of genres and authors.
Advertising interruptions – Some free audiobook apps insert advertising breaks periodically throughout the narration. These disruptive ads can negatively impact the listening experience. One Libby app reviewer stated that the “occasional ad interruptions” were a drawback (source).
Audio quality concerns – Since professional narrators and production teams are not used for some free audiobooks, the audio quality can suffer. Volume inconsistencies, amateur narration, and background noise are common issues according to reviewers (source).
Paid Audiobook Recommendations
While free audiobooks have their benefits, paid audiobook services often offer higher quality audio and narration, a wider selection of titles, and convenient features. Here are some cost-effective paid options to consider:
Audible, owned by Amazon, is the largest audiobook service and offers a 30-day free trial for new members. After the trial, an Audible membership costs $14.95 per month for 1 audiobook credit. With sales and promotions, you can often get audiobooks for under $10 each. Audible members also get 30% off additional audiobook purchases and can exchange unwanted audiobooks (Lifehacker).
Scribd offers an extensive ebook and audiobook catalog for $11.99 per month after a 30-day free trial period. They partner with major publishers to offer new releases the same day they come out in print (Videoblocks Review).
Libro.fm supports local bookstores by allowing you to designate a bookstore that will receive a portion of your membership fee. Their memberships start at $14.99 per month for 1 audiobook credit. They also offer gift memberships and seasonal sales promotions to help you save.
Consider getting an annual membership which averages out to a lower monthly fee for services like Audible or Scribd. You can also maximize limited-time special offers like 2-for-1 sales or free audiobook bundles to stock up on credits.
Conclusion
In this article we explored various options for accessing free audiobooks. While paid audiobook apps like Audible offer the largest selection, there are some completely free alternatives available. Public domain audiobook apps like LibriVox provide a treasure trove of classic literature recordings. Newer apps like Libby also partner with local libraries to allow free audiobook borrowing. However, free apps tend to have limited selection compared to paid services.
For most avid listeners, a paid subscription to a service like Audible is still the best way to access the latest bestsellers and hottest titles. But for more casual listeners on a budget, the free public domain resources can be a great way to try out audiobooks and dip your toe in the water. Just bear in mind that the selection will be mainly classics rather than new releases.
Overall, audiobooks provide a wonderful way to fit more reading into our busy lives. Whether paid or free, they allow literature lovers to enjoy books during their commute, workout, chores, or downtime. As technology improves, audiobook apps are only getting better. So give them a try – they just might make you fall in love with books all over again.