Is Chirp Audiobooks worth it in 2024?

Chirp audiobooks is a great service for all audiobook listeners who love a bargain, who want to own (not borrow) their books, who don’t enjoy subscriptions with a monthly fee, and who like to spend their money outside of the Amazon sphere.

But let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of this audiobook store, what it is exactly, what you can expect, and how it works. And you can grab a special 30% discount Chirp promo code to try it out!

**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**

Disclaimer: I received a gift card from Chirp so I could try out their service. I live in the EU and could not have tested Chirp without this offer. It did not influence my opinion in any way. This is an honest review!

Chirp Review

Chirp is set up as a simple store without any form of subscription model. You sign up for a free account, and when you see a good audiobook on sale, you buy it. Simple and straightforward!

Overall, their catalog is considerably smaller than Audible’s. It still has over 200k titles, though. Small is relative!

But it’s important to note that not every audiobook you can find here has a really good deal. Many books I looked up were still $17 (in comparison, an Audible credit has a value of, at most, $14.95). The number of really cheap deals, let’s say audiobooks under $8, is limited.

But, according to Chirp, it’s 450-500 new deals per month. That’s probably more than enough listening for most of us, haha!

Customers also need to be aware that it’s all limited-time deals on Chirp. When you see an audiobook you want, you will have to grab it pretty much right away, because the offer might be gone a few days later.

Screenshot of the Chirp website showing their main menu
The Chirp Website has a nice and clean navigation.

Since the deals have an expiration date, you can sign up for email notifications. Whether this is a pro or con depends on you.

I have noticed that I appreciate the email when it’s an audiobook I want. But getting an email every week with deals I’m not interested in is… well… not always fun.

I have also noticed that it’s smart to keep a wishlist with audiobooks that I want but that aren’t yet discounted, as we will be notified once they come up in a deal!

The Chirp books website is very nice. I found it easy to navigate to the current deals (aptly named Deals For You in the top menu). And I appreciate that we can filter by price and genre.

Since there is indeed a fairly big number of deals, it’s nice to be able to go straight for the genre we enjoy.

Like Audible, but unlike many other audiobook services, Chirp offers a return policy. For better or worse, it’s not as convenient as returning a book on Audible.

But if something is wrong with your Chirp audiobook, you can contact customer service up to 45 days after purchase and receive a refund.

Chirp is only available in the US and Canada, which is a shame for us international listeners because, overall, this is a really great service!

Chirp audiobooks filters
You can filter all audiobook deals based on your interests.

Use this link to get 30% off your first Chirp purchase**

Is Chirp Audiobooks legit?

Yes, Chirp audiobooks is 100% legit and safe! Authors and audiobook producers add their titles to Chirp themselves. They set the price and decide how long the discount will be active.

Chirp is the audiobook branch of Bookbub, a popular promotional tool among authors. This is a trustworthy service, and they really deliver exactly what they promise.

Making an account and the Chirp app download are 100% free. You only pay for the audio books you choose to buy. And those are yours to keep! But they are not DRM-free, so you can only access them through the Chirp website or Chirp app.

Can I buy all my books on Chirp?

That depends. They always have a lot of great audiobook deals in different genres, including New York Times bestsellers and other trending popular audiobooks. So, theoretically, you could use Chirp exclusively.

But if you are looking for a specific book, or even author or narrator, it’s unlikely that you will always find something on Chirp that you couldn’t get cheaper in an audiobook store with a credit-based membership (like Audible or LibroFM).

How to Listen to Chirp Audiobooks: The Chirp App

The iOS and Android app for Chirp audiobooks are very stable and have a nice, intuitive layout. They have basic functions like sleep timer and narration speed. And in my tests, they were very stable.

You can’t buy audiobooks in the app, though. You will always have to use a browser for that.

Mind, that’s something that has to do with the app stores and not with Chirp itself! You can’t buy audiobooks in the Audible app anymore, either.

Chirp Audiobooks App: overview of My Library
Chirp Audiobooks App: audiobook player

Chirp Gift Cards

I really want to mention gift cards for Chirp audiobooks** here because they are something special! They are very different from Audible gift cards.

Why? Because with a $15 Audible gift card, you get 1 credit for 1 audiobook. With a $15 Chirp gift card, you can easily get 3, 5, or even more audiobooks!

I think that makes this a really sweet gift that actually sets this audiobook service completely apart from others, which all offer gift cards only as a way to buy their audiobook credits and can’t be used on sales.

So yeah, what you have here is one of the best gifts for audiobook lovers! I personally, as an audio fan, find it a whole lot more fun than an audiobook credits gift card.

Chirp vs Audible

If you’re comparing Chirp vs Audible and only want to choose one audiobook service, it really depends on the type of listener you are.

If you plan to listen to a few titles now and then, Chirp may be the best choice, as they offer plans with no monthly commitment. So, for example, if you listen to several audiobooks during your 1 month road trip in summer but at no other time, Chirp could be a very good service for you, especially if you pick up deals regularly throughout the year.

On the other hand, Audible is a great choice if you want to listen to several audiobooks every month, and find that you often want a very specific book, e.g., something that was recommended to you or a book club pick. That’s something that doesn’t work so well with Chirp.

In my opinion, for most listeners, Chirp is more of a complimentary service that audiobook listeners might want to use in addition to Hoopla or Audible.

It absolutely excels at that, though!

Related article: Is Audible worth it?

Chirp Audiobooks Promo Code

Lovely Audiobooks readers can get a 30% discount on Chirp for your first purchase! Click here to shop with the special 30% off Chirp audiobooks promo code**.

Conclusion

Based on my own experience with it as well as the feedback I have received from other audiobook listeners, Chirp is a fantastic service.

It is great for occasional audiobook listeners who want to watch their book budget since you can get cheap audiobooks without having to commit to a membership.

And for avid audiobook listeners, it’s a great addition to other audiobook subscriptions.

They have some really, really good deals that are even cheaper than Audible sales!

Personally, I don’t think I could use Chirp audiobooks exclusively. But that’s fine. Since this is such a flexible service without any recurring subscription fees, we can simply use it whenever we feel like it and see something we want.

By the way, we share current Chirp deals in my Facebook group. That’s a nice alternative to the Chirp emails!

To sum it up, if you love a good bargain, Chirp is a great audiobook service, and it is absolutely worth it to keep an eye on their audiobook deals.

Grab my special promo code and get 30% off your first purchase**

Lovely Audiobooks Newsletter

If you found this blog post and my recommendations helpful, sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter to get more from Lovely Audiobooks straight to your inbox!
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Audiobook Subscriptions

2 thoughts on “Is Chirp Audiobooks worth it in 2024?”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *