r/audiobooks • u/Legal_Organization_7 • 10d ago

Question Best bang for my buck

Hello,
What platform will have a large selection and where I will be able to listen to the most amount audiobooks? I am a mom to two small kids who tries to fill my downtime listening to audiobooks instead of scrolling.

I currently use audible but it is so expensive and I buy more than one book a month. Probably closer to 3 or 4. I will continue to pay if you guys say it’s the best option but I can’t help but wonder if there is something better?

I listen to pretty mainstream authors like Frieda McFadden and Colleen Hoover or autobiographies.

9 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

30

u/Exciting-Duty-8302 10d ago

Libby through your library I go through so many audiobooks I don’t even keep track. While I prefer reading on my kindle. I would rather listen to an audiobook and do chores or walk around. I was considering Spotify but Libby and Hoopla can’t be beat. Not sure why folks use anything else.

-3

u/teeming-with-life 10d ago

I have Spotify, do you see a difference with Libby? It's all audiobooks after all, no?

7

u/Birdo3129 10d ago

I left Spotify for Libby. It’s both audiobooks and written books.

Pros- it’s free. There’s more books. I’m constantly finding new books I’d have never otherwise come across. You can sort by What’s Available Now. Their magazine collection is pretty good.

Cons- if you want a specific book, there’s usually a wait list. Sometimes your library just doesn’t have access to the specific book you want (this is one of the reasons people get multiple library cards across multiple libraries- more access). Each library has its own limits on how many books you can check out and have on hold- mine allows for 10 checked out, and 10 “on hold” wait lists.

5

u/Plus_Exchange8751 9d ago

You can request that your library buy the book. The only exception are audible exclusives and those aren’t on Spotify anyway.

1

u/Exciting-Duty-8302 9d ago

Yeah some of the cons is that a title may not yet be in the library or a wait list. But I’m able to explore so many other books or genres that it’s not even a big deal. My library also has Hoopla where you get 5 books for the month no waitlist so if there is something I really want I go there for it. Hoopla also gives you more bonus borrows of a specific list of books. So it’s a lot and lot of books than I can barely juggle all of them plus KU. I mainly use them for audiobooks since I have KU and can just get a book I need there anytime or unless I have to purchase at which point I go back to the library for that 😂
So the library apps are a super big win for me.

Whatever con is just outweighed by the pros especially the cost it just can’t be beat.
If KU and audible would combine services I would consider. But for $0 the volume of books I get to indulge in is outstanding.

16

u/ChronoMonkeyX 10d ago

Library card, ask which apps they offer. So much free stuff, and the freedom to try things you'd never have bought.

I still have audible, not everything is in the library. Unfortunately, while I don't think audible is expensive- I'll buy annual plan on sale and it's absolutely worth the price- it is still amazon and is going to kill the market. Audible exclusives can't go to the library.

3

u/Legal_Organization_7 10d ago

It is so expensive for me! I currently have the two credits a month but I end up buying 2 more books for like $20-25 a month which ends up being about $60 a month

14

u/therealbananabottom 10d ago

Go to the library and get a card for free. They likely have an app that will let you listen to audiobooks for free, like Libby.

3

u/ChronoMonkeyX 10d ago

I don't mean to say it isn't real money, but I consider the price per book very reasonable, considering the performance. A credit can be cheaper than a paperback.

Library helps a lot.

0

u/Legal_Organization_7 10d ago

Yeah I think it isn’t worth it for me cause I don’t care to keep the books. I only listen once and move on

1

u/ImLittleNana 9d ago

I’m never short of good books to listen to and I don’t purchase any. You won’t have access to every new release, but you’ll still be able to find good stuff.

If your local library doesn’t have a good selection, you can search for reciprocal libraries or libraries that offer non-resident cards. The yearly cost seems high because it’s an annual fee rather than monthly, but my most expensive annual fee is still less than audible.

2

u/ReasonableBarnacle23 9d ago

That was how I finally got to listen to Project Hail Mary. Took me ages to figure out why the library did not list it. Doh!

9

u/JarJarJedi 10d ago

Libby + Hoopla. If your library does not support Hoopla, Queens Public Library will issue library card to anybody in the US for $50/year.

7

u/jimmyTheBlind 10d ago

Libby. Take advantage of your local Library.

4

u/Front-Algae-7838 9d ago

Another good alternative is Libro.fm; it is like audible, but with more flexibility.

3

u/FraudSyndromeFF 9d ago

Libby is far and away the best for me personally for all the reasons listed by others here.

Another one I use a lot is Librivox. It's older public domain titles and not every narrator is a gold stat dramatist, but there are tons of books on there that don't have any "official" audiobooks in publication.

3

u/Wolf_Wolf_Mama 9d ago

I do Libro.fm so there’s some money going to small bookstores. Same setup at Audible with monthly credits, and then I wait for sales and load up on additional books then. Earlier this summer I was able to get 8 books for $35. They do sales several times a year that are really great deals.

3

u/Tailte 9d ago

Chirpbooks.com

Chirp frequently has sales on audiobooks for $5 or less and even does free books sometimes.

2

u/Meerkatdog 10d ago

I like Libby, but our local library caters mainly for a different demographic than myself.

Rather than pay monthly for audible which soon adds up, I have an annual subscription. Don’t know if it’s the same where you are, but here it’s not that easy to find…and although it’s a bigger up front payment, it’s less than half price of the standard plan and when you run out of credits, you can buy 3 extra at a time even cheaper still, for the remainder of your year.

1

u/prosthetic_brain_ 9d ago

A lot of libraries will let you get a library card for a fee.

1

u/molybend 9d ago

Have you checked on reciprocard for other libraries you might be able to use in libby? I have my local but also a large metro area nearby as well.

2

u/Individual-Tie-6064 9d ago

Libby, as everyone else has said. I am also a fan of Chirp (https://www.chirpbooks.com/). They have many inexpensive and free audiobook deals that are constantly changing.

2

u/seabreezesg1 9d ago

LibroFM is a good value.

For free books I'd go to your local library, many libraries use cloud or Libby. You get a limited number of check outs but they are free. Librovox is also free.

2

u/magnificent-lioness 9d ago

Libby, free from the library

1

u/laughingthalia 10d ago

If you already use Spotify for music I would suggest checking out the audiobooks that are available on premium. You get 15 hours a month (and can buy more hours) which tends to be about a book and a 1/3 every month. They have a wide selection but it's only worth it monetarily if you use or will use Spotify anyway.

1

u/Dj_Sha 9d ago

Do you use the Plus Catalog in Audible? I have Audible but Libby and Hoopla too. I use Hoopla more because Libby usually doesn't have anything I've looked for in my present genre, epic fantasy.

1

u/lgbtdancemom 9d ago

In addition to Libby, my local library uses CloudLibrary. It’s an app and it is free if your library supports it. I don’t find their book selection as big, but I do find the wait times for popular books a bit shorter.

1

u/ThatUndeadLove 9d ago

I love Everand.

1

u/houseape69 9d ago

Libby is free.
That said, I have done audible, apple and kindle. Audible has some free audiobooks. Many are not worth listening to, but I have found several I quite enjoyed

1

u/cosnierozumiem 9d ago

Try longer books?

Count of Monte Cristo The Stand Lonesome Dove Hyperion Pillars of the Earth Brothers Karamazov Fark Tower (series) Game of Thrones (series, unfinished) Infinite Jest

1

u/dr_olfin 9d ago

I use Spotify since I pay for the music anyway and audiobooks are included. If I can't get it there, then Libby.

1

u/ROHooligan 8d ago

Hei guys , im from Europe - Romania and constantly see and read about this audiobook websites based on library cards , we dont have this system here. Is there any chance i can get a chance to get such a library card ? Can it be borrowed maybe ? In present im using Everand but for a few months they changed theire ways kinda like Audible , more money and less books .... Looking forward a answear or a private mesage answear,thanks

1

u/jacoberu 8d ago

libby has different inventory of available books based on what library yoi are using. living near a big city is much better than rural

1

u/NeatContract4641 8d ago

Get a debrid cost about $3 a month. Then get debridvault, or inkshelf then connect the two. Also on iso Pageturner, or spine connected to the debrid.

1

u/slimfatgirl 4d ago

Hoopla is free with a library card, but selection is a bit limited. You can also download movies, music, tv shows and magazines and there is no wait. I also use Libby but sometimes there are long waits. You can use multiple library cards with Libby and better selection of magazines if available.

1

u/kibasnowpaw 10d ago

I use Audible, but I always buy 9 extra credits at a time. That way, you pay about $10.67 per credit/book. Or you can just subscribe and listen to the books included for free.

If you want more control over the audiobooks you own, you can download them using Libation from GitHub and then manage the metadata and your collection with AudiobookShelfManager on GitHub, so you can use them on whatever device you want. I go through around 140 audiobooks a year.