Is an Audible membership worth it? Find out in our Audible review. When you sign up for a 30-day trial, you’ll also learn how to acquire free books.
Have you run out of time to read your favorite books? Do you question if it’s worthwhile to listen to audiobooks through Audible?
I questioned the value of audiobooks a few years ago. Why?
Listening to an audiobook on a device, on the other hand, seemed a little like cheating on a genuine book. I was also skeptical about being able to engage with something narrated by an actor. Audiobooks, in my opinion, were pricey diversionary devices from the printed word.
I was completely mistaken. I recently signed up for a 30-day Audible trial and chose my first free audiobook to try out the service. I haven’t turned around since.
Audible is an Amazon subsidiary that develops and distributes tens of thousands of popular audiobooks and Audible Original products.
In this Audible review, I’ll explain how much an Audible membership costs and whether it’s worth it.
Audible
What Is the Audible Membership Plan and How Does It Work?
To begin, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Audible and receive a free audiobook. This may be a classic or perhaps an original Audible production. After your trial period has ended, you can purchase an Audible Plus or Audible Premium Plus monthly membership. You must use your Amazon account to join up for the membership.
Audible gives you one credit each month. This credit can be used to buy Audible audiobooks in a variety of genres, including technology, fashion, romance, social media, and advertising. You can buy more Audible credits or pay per audiobook if you want to buy more books.
You can listen to Audible audiobooks on your phone, PC, Windows, iOS, Android, Mac, and Alexa device from anywhere.
Benefits of Hearing
Your Audible account also comes with a number of unique benefits. On the first Friday of each month, members of this subscription service can download two of six Audible Originals. They are free of charge. These Audible Originals are yours to keep indefinitely.
Audible audiobooks are yours to keep even if you cancel your subscription, unlike other streaming services like Netflix or Spotify. It’s simple and quick to cancel. Every Friday, Audible runs a daily bargain in which blockbusters and other books are discounted. Audible subscribers who have used up all of their credits but do not wish to increase their membership plan should use this option.
Pricing for Audible
You can sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible and get one free audiobook. To begin the free trial, you must provide your credit card information.
After your free 30-day trial ends, Audible charges $14.95 per month, but you can cancel at any time. You get one credit each month for your monthly subscription cost, which you can use to buy and keep any audiobook. This is the monthly gold plan.
If you choose the gold annual plan, you will pay $149.50 each year and receive 12 credits.
The Platinum monthly subscription rate is $22.95 per month, which includes 2 credits each month, while the Platinum yearly plan costs $229.50 per year and includes 24 credits. With no credits, the Audible Channels plan costs $4.95 per month.
However, if you have Amazon Prime, you may use Audible at no additional cost. When you use your Amazon Prime membership to access your Audible account, you can only choose from a rotating assortment of 50 or more books.
Each month, you can also purchase additional Audible credits.
How to Get a Discount on Audible
If you’re an Audible member and use your credits every month, you’ll quickly save money on audiobooks.
Individual audiobooks can be purchased for anywhere between $10 and $25. For instance, Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is now an Audible best-seller and costs $23.95, as of this writing.
A credit, on the other hand, costs around $14.95. As a result, you will save $9. A monthly membership to this audiobook service is also more cost-effective if you plan on listening to more than one audiobook.
Audible also provides member-only discounts that can save you up to 60% off the cost of an audiobook. I’ve also purchased individual audiobooks from the Apple iTunes store in the past.
This worked good at the time, but it’s cheaper to subscribe if you listen to at least one audiobook per month. For example, at the time of writing this Audible review, the same Mark Manson audiobook costs $22.95 on iTunes.
Here are seven reasons why I enjoy using Audible:
1. You’ll be able to read more great books and do so more frequently.
On phones, tablets, and computers, the Audible app is available. Audible is available on both Android and iOS devices.
I usually use this app on my Apple iPhone, and because I always have my phone with me, I can listen to Audible audiobooks when commuting, at the gym, or while running. I’ve recently started using Alexa to listen to Audible audiobooks.
To put it another way, I can read while doing something else. I can spend more time reading and finishing wonderful books thanks to the Audible app. The Audible app works flawlessly on any Android smartphone or tablet.
I really like that each audiobook’s playback speed can be slowed or sped up. This is a useful option for readers (or listeners) who want to immerse themselves in a novel when listening to audiobooks.
I usually listen to audiobooks at 1.25 times the average pace of playback. Any quicker would be overwhelming to me, although you can listen to Audible audiobooks three times faster than usual if you want to.
2. Audible Is Inexpensive
So, what does Audible cost?
You can either buy titles individually or subscribe to Audible for a monthly subscription. I pay Audible slightly over EUR10 a month for a credit because I’m based in Ireland. This credit can be used to purchase any audiobook on Audible.
Because some audiobooks cost upwards of EUR20/USD20, I usually save money by purchasing membership credits. Members (who pay a recurring membership fee) can also take advantage of Audible’s regular promos and deals, which include classics for as little as 99 cents.
Use your Audible credits only for books with a price list of more than EUR10/USD15. If you use your credits to purchase an Audible audio tale for less than EUR10/USD15, you won’t receive the best deal because your credit is worth more than the audiobook.
3. Whispersync For Voice Is Incredible
My favorite Audible feature is Whispersync For Voice, a wonderful technology. This is how it works:
I use the Audible iPhone app to listen to audiobooks while walking or running. When I pick up my Kindle Oasis later that night, it instantly identifies my spot in the book so I can continue reading.
The next morning, when I open Audible before my commute, it begins narration from where I left off the night before on my Kindle Fire. I adore Audible for this seemingly innocuous but fantastic function.
There are a few stipulations.
The book must, first and foremost, be available on Kindle and Audible.
Second, in order to use Whispersync, I need to purchase both versions. (If this is a deterrent, Audible offers substantial discounts on audio versions of your Kindle books.)
Finally, both your Amazon and Audible accounts must be in the same region, for example, the United States. If you buy a book from the UK Amazon shop and an audiobook from the US Audible store, Whispersync will not operate.
4. You Can Get Your First Audiobook for Free
If you’re not sure if you want to join Amazon Audible, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and get one free audiobook. This is what I did before signing up for a recurring membership that required a monthly payment. (Don’t worry; if you don’t like it, you can easily cancel your membership.)
I looked through the audiobook user evaluations and got the audio versions of Gary Vaynerchuk’s Thank You Economy and Mark Levy’s Accidental Genius for free. Then I listened to these novels over the next 30 days to see if this audiobook service was worth it.
If you don’t enjoy the audiobook service, you may cancel your membership and keep your free audiobook after 30 days, just like Grammarly. To use the service, there is no need to pay a membership fee.
5. What If You Don’t Enjoy Your Audiobook? You’ll Get a Refund From Audible
If you’re wondering if you can return Audible books, the answer is yes! I contacted Audible regarding a technical issue I was having with my gadget a while back.
I indicated to an Audible representative that I didn’t like an audiobook I’d purchased a few months ago. No questions asked, Audible returned the cost of the book to me.
The representative said that Audible offers a Great Listens Guarantee, which states that if you don’t enjoy a book you purchased within the last 365 days, you can return it.
It is a condition of their return policy. I recently got an Audible account for both my son and myself. He was able to get the same guarantee after listening to a few hours of a book.
6. You may listen to best-selling authors read their books aloud.
On Audible, there are more than 200,000 audiobooks, many of which are classics or bestsellers. I recently finished listening to Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones and Stephen King’s On Writing. These are only two examples of authors who also serve as the narrator of their own books.
Whereas I used to be skeptical of this kind of reading, I now believe there is something intimate about having a book read to you in the way the author intended.
Professional actors narrate popular novels and masterpieces in other circumstances. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is one of the best. The narrator of this book is Kenneth Branagh. My spine shivered as I read his take on Conrad’s classic.
7. It Is Simple And Quick To Cancel
I discontinued my Audible.co.uk subscription and replaced it with an Audible.com (US) subscription before revising this Audible review.
Because I buy Kindle books from the US shop, and Whispersync only works if you buy both the book and the audiobook from the same regional Amazon and Audible stores, I did this. I also wanted to look for additional good novels in the US library, which has a larger collection than the UK library. New titles are occasionally first available in the US library.
When I called Audible’s UK customer service to cancel, they indicated I could put my subscription on hold for a few months. I explained my predicament. They assured me that “Audible books are yours to keep” even if I cancelled my subscription.
I recently became an Audible.com subscriber.
Is Audible a Good Investment?
If you listen to audio on the go and enjoy reading, paying a monthly price for an Audible subscription is well worth it.
I frequently purchase both the ebook and the audiobook, which is a pricey habit, but I prefer having versions that I can annotate and underline. It makes reading and writing easier for me. The Audible app allows you to bookmark your spot in an audiobook and take notes. However, having a copy of the book that you can flick through on a screen or tablet is more efficient.
I also haven’t found a way to lend audiobooks to friends or coworkers, and the app’s audiobook suggestion system isn’t as sophisticated as Amazon’s. Since 2014, I’ve been an Audible subscriber. Over the years, I’ve listened to scores of fiction and nonfiction books on Audible on my Apple iPhone.
Audible is my preferred method of maximizing my time while commuting, exercising, or traveling. You get a free book if you sign up for an Audible 30-day trial. If you’re interested in trying out Audible and need some book suggestions,
Audible Review Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I keep my audiobooks?
Your books are stored in the cloud by Audible. You can save them to your phone or computer and listen to them while you’re not connected to the internet.
Is it possible to have multiple users on a single account?
You can use three Audible mobile apps at the same time. In theory, you could use one device while a member of your family uses another.
When I sign up, how many free books will I receive?
After you sign up for Audible, you will receive one free book.
Is it possible to give Audible as a year-end gift?
Yes. You may give Audible as a present for one, three, six, or twelve months through their website’s gift membership section.
Is it possible to exchange a free credit book for another after reading it?
Audible promises a terrific listening experience. You can return the book and receive a refund if you don’t enjoy it. I had no problems returning two books.
Do Audible Credits Add Up Over Time?
If you don’t utilize your credits to buy an audiobook each month, they will accrue. You can’t have more than six Audible credits, though.
Is it true that Audible books are less expensive than hard copies or other copies?
Yes, for the most part. Becoming by Michelle Obama costs $35.71 in paperback and $17.24 in hardback. An Audible subscription, on the other hand, costs $14.99 for a month and can be purchased at a discount.
Is it possible for me to listen to a book more than once?
Yes, you can re-download and re-listen to a book at any time after purchasing it.
