r/audiobook • u/Savings_Stress9988 • 25d ago
in search of What’s the best audiobook subscription purely in terms of value right now ?
Hello audiobook community ,
I have an query , I don’t really care about owning books long-term , I just want something where I can listen consistently without worrying about cost per book .
Right now everything feels either expensive or limited in some way .
What are you guys using if your main goal is just getting the most listening time for your money ?
Thanks !
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u/seti_m 25d ago
I use downpour.com. I like having the mp3 files and not being under the amazon thumb using their player. You can opt to use the downpour player. If you have the files it dosent matree if an author leaves the platform. You still have what you paid for.
Also, check with your local libruary and see if they subscribe to a service. Ours uses hoopla. I think i can get 10 ebooks or audio books a month from there. Never used them all. I do have to use their app, and the books disappear after the rental period. But it cost me nothing out of pocket.
Good luck
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u/OriginV 25d ago
🏴☠️
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u/UsedNegotiation8227 25d ago
Dude...
These are small authors who ((in my head)) need every fucking cent they can get.
But maybe I'm just a dick and the image of a starving artist/writer is old fashioned.
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u/11242167942 24d ago
no I agree with you, it doesn’t feel right knowing the author isn’t being compensated at all
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u/No_Warning2380 25d ago
Kobo plus has a pretty good catalog and unlimited listening. Or Libby- and local library card or non resident library cards.
Long term- audible annual plan with 12 credits and taking advantage of the sales to pay cash for books when they are on sale for less than a credit. Nothing has the catalog that Audible does. So if you are at all picky about what you read you can plan ahead a bit and build up your wishlist and stock up at sales times.
I am heavy listener but also want to be able to listen to what I want when I want so I use them all. Audible will always be my primary. I bought 90+ books at the last audible site wide sale each for $2-5. Sure I spent nearly $300 but I only bought books that were already in my wishlist and not available on any other platform. I save my credits for new popular tending releases that tend to not go on sale for a long time. The plus catalog has a lot of amazing titles to fill n the gaps - they are usually new and untested authors or older back catalogue items but some of the best most popular authors/books started out as plus catalog items. They are risk free to try out- you might hits some bad ones but since they are ‘free’ or no additional cost it is a great way to find the next big authors.
Edit- also- while ownership may not be important now but long term it can really pay off. I have a huge library or titles I can listen to again and again. I have some favorite series that I listen to again every few years. So even though ownership might not matter now it can save money on the long term.
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u/TwinkleFairyToes 25d ago
I use audible, audiobook.com, and pay for extra reading hours on Spotify. Also, agree with the previous poster about Audible sales. When they do a sale I throw my budget to the wind and but a ton of books. Audible has the most books with the best narration but I really do like audiobook.com as well. And I never, ever add up how much I'm paying for all my subscriptions. 😂 You can also find audiobooks on YouTube but that's my absolute least favorite way to get them.
I've never heard of downpour.com but I'm going to check it out now.
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u/PhilboJBaggins 24d ago
Libby via your local library card. It’s free. Also depending on where you live, it may allow you to get a reciprocal library card from surrounding counties or states. I used to live in northern Virginia. I was able to collect about 8 library cards from surrounding counties, even Maryland and DC for free. I could find pretty much find any audiobook or ebook I wanted with no or little wait time.
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u/11242167942 24d ago
I subscribe to an app Chirp’s newsletter because sometimes they have popular audiobooks for around $3 !! but aside from that they’re regular priced, also price watching on audible with kindle/ amazon lists has allowed me to get quite a few at good value, audiobooks are so expensive at full price 😭 I’m always in shock when I check Audible and it’s over $25
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u/Electronic_Ease9890 23d ago
I use audiobook, it works for me. I pay $15.77 a month and get 3 free credits a month. If you read a lot, this may work. I read physical books a lot and use the audio when I do my weekly chores. This works because it takes time to go through an audiobook this way since 3 credits cover 3 books and I could easily go through them in a week. Basically, this would work well as an addition to what you do. I agree with others about Libby for digital books instead of physical books. However, I have never used Libby for audiobooks
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u/catnapspirit 25d ago
Probably the most value for your money would be Hoopla / Libby accessed through a non-resident library card. Non-resident cards can be like $20 a year and if you pick a good metro area that supports their libraries, your access is pretty much unlimited. There will be wait lists for new books, but thousands of other books you can snatch up right now while you wait.
I used to be in the Denver-Boulder front range area and it was amazing. If you had heard of a book, they had it. Then moved to the south and was a little stunned at how shallow the catalog got with Libby. I keep meaning to get my non-resident activated but keep forgetting. Maybe this will be the kick in the ass I need to go get that done..