While Audible got flashier with unlimited content and marketing gimmicks, Audiobooks.com stayed seemingly “boring”, focusing on sustainable member benefits and fair author payments. For smart listeners who think beyond just getting the most stuff, that boring approach might actually become attractive in 2025!
**The marked links and book covers on this page are affiliate links. If you use them to purchase something, I earn a fee at no additional cost for you. Disclosure**
Audible vs Audiobooks.com: The Quick Answer
- Most content? Audible (Membership benefits come out of the pocket of indie authors, not Amazon)
- Most ethical? Libro.fm (supports local indie bookstores, 1 book/month)
- Smart middle ground? Audiobooks.com (member benefits and sustainable payments for authors)
What You Actually Get for $14.95/Month
Audible Premium Plus
✅ 1 audiobook credit for a premium title
✅ Unlimited listening to 30,000+ Audible Plus titles
✅ 30-day free trial**
Unbeatable for pure volume! You get as many listening hours per dollar as you want.
Audiobooks.com
✅ 1 audiobook credit for a premium title
✅ 2 monthly borrows from monthly new VIP bestseller selection
✅ Access to a free audiobook library
✅ 30-day free trial**
More than just 1 book per month, but can’t compete with Audible’s unlimited catalog.
Libro.fm
✅ 1 audiobook credit for a premium title
✅ DRM-free downloads to save your audiobooks forever
✅ Supports local indie bookstores
✅ 2 Premium Audiobooks in your first month**
❌ No additional free content
The Hidden Cost of Audible’s “All You Can Listen”
Here’s what Audible doesn’t advertise: their royalty payments were already insultingly low (25% for non-exclusive authors). They praised themselves for increasing these to 30% but changed their whole payment structure in a way that will result in an even smaller bottom line for most authors!
Audible’s Deceptive Royalty “Increase”
- Promised: Higher royalties (30% non-exclusive, 50% exclusive)
- Reality: Changed the entire payment structure so most authors actually earn LESS
- Result: Fewer audiobooks get made, authors struggle financially
Why This Matters to You
When authors can’t make a living, fewer quality audiobooks get produced. Audible increasing the reach of its “unlimited” deal could mean fewer great books in your future TBR pile. It also might lead to more titles being AI voice generated, further hurting narrators as well.
The whole audiobook creator industry hurts!
Audiobooks.com: The Ethical Middle Ground
ABC isn’t flashy, but they’ve stuck to fundamentals. You get more than just one audiobook per month for your fee, but ABC can maintain a sustainable royalty structure. Authors being able to make a living means more quality, human-read audiobooks get produced long-term, which makes us listeners happy, too.
Audible vs Audiobooks.com Apps
There isn’t much difference in regard to the Audiobooks vs Audible app. Neither service lets you use your own choice of audiobook player. Only Libro.fm offers this as their audiobooks are DRM-free and can be downloaded as MP3s.
Both apps offer what we as avid listeners expect:
- Sleep timer
- Narration speed settings
- Bookmarks
- Offline downloads
Audible advantage: Seamless Amazon integration (Kindle Unlimited audiobooks and Whispersync)
ABC advantage: Accepts PayPal, belongs to an independent company
Returns Policy Reality Check
Audible: Easy one-click returns (over-promoted and too easy, leading to author abuse and penalties on customer accounts)
Audiobooks.com: Contact customer service for returns (protects both your account and authors)
Who Should Choose What?
Choose Audible if:
- Volume matters most and you can’t get audiobooks through library apps
- Audiobook budget is tight
- You love Audible Originals
Choose Audiobooks.com if you:
- Want good value but ethics matter
- Care about a sustainable audiobook industry
- Prefer supporting independent companies
- Want more than 1 book/month
Check out the current VIP Selection**!
Choose Libro.fm if:
- Ethics matter most
- You want to support your local indie bookstore
- You prefer DRM-free files so you can save your audiobooks forever
- 1 book/month is enough
Related article: How to find quality Cheap Audiobooks
The Smart Choice for 2025
Audible’s unlimited catalog is genuinely impressive and unbeatable for pure content volume. And the elaborate productions of Audible Originals always make me think that there are still a few people at Audible who genuinely love audiobooks.
But in 2025, if we want to be smart listeners and consumers, we want to try and think beyond just “getting the most stuff”. And we know that one company having all the market power is bad for everyone else, including us customers.
Audiobooks.com represents the sensible middle ground. They provide fair author payments that ensure a sustainable industry, and still give us member benefits that mean more bang for our buck.
Sometimes boring wins! While Audible chases flashy features and keeps squeezing authors more and more, ABC quietly provides solid value for customers while treating creators fairly.
Ready to try them?
Try Audiobooks.com free for 30 days**
Try Audible free for 30 days**
Try LibroFM and score 2 Premium Audiobooks**
Related article: My 3 favorite Audiobook Apps that I never uninstall
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 11 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 200 audiobooks per year has become the new normal, and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.
Great summary here on the comparison of 2 audio book giants. I want to give extra props for striking a very well balanced comparison without showing personal favorites. This writing style and comparison articles is what I look for in each article I read and it is pretty easy pick up on favoritism for a product almost immediately.
Thx for the good info.
Thanks for these comparisons, exactly what I am looking for. Have been a member of Audible for many years and recently trying Audiobooks. However, as an older reader and one who is an avid reader I am not finding Audiobooks user friendly. Just my opinion!
Would you like to share a bit more about how you find it not user-friendly? It might help others who come here for a comparison 🙂
I’m not the original poster, but I’m feeling frustrated with Audiobooks.com at the moment. I have a promotion code for a free book, but I can’t find a way to create an account at Audiobooks.com without giving my credit card info and signing up for the monthly service, which I have no desire to do. Is this free book code a snare and a delusion, or is there some way to make use of it without giving my credit card info? Yes, I know I can cancel my monthly service if I sign up, but I really don’t want to get involved with that.
It’s been a while since I had a promo code for Audiobooks.com, so I don’t remember exactly how that went, sorry. But if you go to the sign-up form and fill in the “Have a gift or promo code?” line, does it still require you to add a credit card?
It definitely shouldn’t be just a snare!
Hi, just wanted to say thank you for this blog and information. I used to be a physical book lover but living a busy life I’ve started to love audio books. I still want to support my authors and read lot of different stories. So thank you for your insight.