Do you wish you could listen to unlimited audiobooks all day, every day? But you don’t because they are so expensive, and it’s starting to add up? Don’t worry, if you need a Netflix for audiobooks, let me introduce you to the best audiobook subscriptions with unlimited listening!
With the services below, you can listen to as many audiobooks as you like for a flat monthly fee. I’ll go into the differences between each offer so you can easily find out which unlimited audiobooks subscription is the best one for you.
**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 Plus: Unlimited Audible Originals
Try it for free: 30 day free trial**
Audible Plus is Audible’s unlimited audiobook subscription service that includes thousands of Audible Originals and Audible Studios productions. You can listen to as many of them as you want for a flat monthly fee!
Audible Plus offers a wide variety of genres, from Nonfiction to Fantasy, and since the catalog is made up almost exclusively of Audible productions, you can expect high-quality audiobooks with great narration.
How does Audible Plus work?
If you are an Audible member, Audible Plus is included for free in your membership!
Simply browse through Audible’s catalog on the website or in the Audible app, and you can listen to all Audible books that don’t have the “1 credit” tag for free.
Audible now offers audiobook streaming, so you can directly play these books if you like. Or you can download them as usual to your library and continue listening when you aren’t online.
As with all unlimited audiobook subscriptions, these audiobooks are borrowed and are removed from your library once you cancel your subscription.
Audible Plus cost
If you have an Audible Premium Plus membership (previously called Gold plan and Platinum), you get access to the entire Audible Plus catalog for free, in addition to your monthly Audible credit.
If you aren’t an Audible member, you can sign up for Audible Plus by itself for $7.95 per month. You won’t get any Audible credits but have unlimited access to the Audible Plus catalog for this cheaper monthly fee.
One thing to consider before choosing Audible’s cheapest plan is that the upgrade to Audible Premium Plus would only cost you an additional $7. For those $7, you actually get to keep an audiobook and can choose from Audible’s entire catalog, which includes many very high-priced premium titles.
So, if you are set on wanting Audible Plus, and you regularly pick up Whispersync deals on Amazon anyway, the Premium Plus subscription might be the best option for you.
Is Audible Plus right for you?
If you enjoy many different genres and are looking for flawless, high-quality audiobook productions, Audible Plus is perfect for you and might come out ahead when you compare it to Scribd or Kindle Unlimited audiobooks which I’ll introduce below.
Get your 30 day free trial**
Related article: Is Audible worth it?
Audiobooks.com: Use your monthly credit
Try it for free: 30 day free trial**
Audiobooks.com used to be your typical “1 monthly credit for an audiobook of your choice” type of subscription. But they have added a new feature that allows you to use your credit to join one of their Audiobook Clubs. You can then listen to any and all of the included audiobooks.
How do Audiobooks.com Clubs work?
Instead of buying an audiobook, you use your monthly credit to purchase access to the Audiobook Club of your choice. The big advantage of this is that you get access to bestselling titles and can listen to as many of them as you like.
The big drawback is that you don’t get anything lasting for your credit which makes this a relatively expensive unlimited audiobooks subscription.
And because of that, it’s important that you look through the Audiobook Club catalogs before you decide to use your Audiobooks.com credit for this. The catalogs aren’t that big, and it would be a shame if you don’t find any titles that interest you.
Here are direct links to the catalogs of each club:
“Best of” – Romance – Thriller – Sci-Fi/Fantasy – Health&Wellness – Business – Kids – Religion**
You can listen to these audiobooks in the Audiobooks.com app that’s available on both iPhones and the Google Play store.
Audiobooks.com cost
To get the unlimited audiobooks subscription from Audiobooks.com you sign up for their usual membership. It’s $14.95 per month. You can then use your monthly credit to join an Audiobook Club and borrow audiobooks from it, instead of buying one title for it.
Are Audiobook Clubs right for you?
If you find several interesting audiobooks in a Club, this is a solid offer. I find it relatively expensive compared to the other services on this list, which are all under $12. And I am not sure whether you can find anything here that isn’t also available in Scribd.
However, as you will see later, Scribd isn’t entirely unlimited. In your Audiobook Club, however, you really can listen to every single audiobook that’s included.
But again, before you decide to use your credit for a Club instead of buying one audiobook for it, make sure you find many interesting titles in the Club you plan to join.
Get your 30 day free trial**
Kindle Unlimited: Unlimited Indie Audiobooks
Try it for free: 30 day free trial**
Many people don’t know this, but Kindle Unlimited is a great unlimited audiobook service. It has over 2000 free audiobooks from all genres, with new ones being added every week.
Most titles in Kindle Unlimited are released through Amazon’s own publishing houses, which makes it a great choice to discover new authors. And the audiobook you receive is the Audible narration!
How do Kindle Unlimited audiobooks work?
You can borrow twenty ebooks at the same time, the Audible books don’t count extra. You can’t find Kindle Unlimited audiobooks through the Audible website, though. You have to look for “Read and Listen for Free” ebooks on Amazon!
When you borrow those kinds of Kindle Unlimited books with narration, you always receive the Audible narration automatically. The audiobooks are added to your Audible library, and you can listen to them in the Audible app.
However, you do not need an Audible membership to get access! Simply log into the Audible app with the login and password you use for Amazon. And you’ll see your Kindle Unlimited audiobooks right there ready to be downloaded!
Use this Amazon search link to browse through all Kindle Unlimited audiobooks: Listen for free**
Kindle Unlimited audiobooks cost
A Kindle Unlimited subscription costs $11.99 and always includes audiobooks as well.
You can only subscribe to Kindle Unlimited on your local Amazon website. The available titles vary, and international subscribers might find a smaller number of free audiobooks on their local Amazon than on Amazon.com.
Is Kindle Unlimited right for you?
If you are one of the many people who already have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you should absolutely check out their audiobook selection! Kindle Unlimited is also perfect for you if you are very new to audiobooks and want to try out many different genres and narrators.
However, they don’t have many bestsellers and well-known titles. That’s something you should be aware of.
Get your 30 day free trial**
Related article: The newest Audiobooks in Kindle Unlimited
Hoopla and Libby: Library Audiobooks
Many libraries take part in digital programs like Hoopla or Overdrive Libby that allow you to borrow audiobooks online without any extra cost.
How do library audiobooks work?
The most common programs are Hoopla and Overdrive with Libby. Depending on the app your local library uses, there are different restrictions in place. You might have to wait for an audiobook to become available. Or you can only keep it for a limited amount of time, like physical library books.
Please check with your library which digital service they use. They’ll also offer easy-to-follow instructions to sign up and get started with library audiobooks.
Are library audiobooks right for you?
Having a library, and especially one that offers digital services, close to you is a fantastic privilege to have! So, if you can get a library card that works with an online audiobook service, you should absolutely make use of it.
Depending on how many audiobooks you need and how much you enjoy indie and self-published books, you might want to pair it up with another unlimited audiobook subscription though.
LibriVox: Unlimited Audiobooks in the Public Domain
LibriVox is a project entirely comprised of volunteers. With the LibriVox app, you can listen to audiobook versions of books that are in the public domain.
How does LibriVox work?
When you go to the LibriVox website, you can browse through titles, genres, and languages. Since all LibriVox audiobooks are in the public domain, you can download them as MP3s and listen to them on any device and with any audiobook player app.
Is LibriVox right for you?
If you enjoy classic literature and can appreciate voluntary amateur work, LibriVox is a fantastic way to listen to unlimited audiobooks for free!
Related article: 5 Things you didn’t know about audiobooks
Bonus: Scribd
Not Unlimited but “Endless Entertainment”
Try it for free: 30 day free trial**
Like Kindle Unlimited, Scribd is not purely an audiobook service. They also offer ebooks and graphic novels. But Scribd has limitations in place, unlike the truly unlimited audiobooks services above.
Nevertheless, they have a lot to offer for people who want to listen to many audiobooks every month!
Scribd’s strength is that the program includes traditionally published titles, as well as popular new releases and TikTok hits.
How does Scribd work?
There is a complicated system in place that determines which audiobooks you can download. Let me try to explain it like this: Imagine that your Scribd subscription comes with a budget that you can spend on the included books.
If you get a new and expensive title, a big portion of your budget is gone, and you might not be able to get another expensive title. However, you can still afford several older audiobooks that are already heavily discounted or a few self-published titles.
Sadly, Scribd itself doesn’t provide any specific information on its system. So you never know which audiobooks you can still listen to after starting your current one.
If your access is restricted, certain audiobooks will show the message that they will only be available to you after the date when your subscription renews. And they’ll be hidden when you browse through titles.
However, you always have many indie-published audiobooks and Scribd Originals available!
Scribd comes with a convenient app to read and listen to their books. You can use it just like the Audible app, and it also brings nice features like a sleep timer and narration speed options.
Scribd audiobooks cost
Scribd costs as much as a Kindle Unlimited subscription, $11.99 per month. While it has restrictions, it also offers more high-profile content since many new titles from big publishing houses like HarperCollins are added right after release.
Is Scribd right for you?
If you like to listen to traditionally published audiobooks, you will likely enjoy Scribd more than Kindle Unlimited, despite the restrictions. Especially if you only listen to an audiobook a week. In that case, you will probably find that Scribd offers you enough.
If you listen to audiobooks every day, you might find that you run out of choices long before your subscription renews. But it might be worth pairing Scribd with another audiobook service like Hoopla, Kindle Unlimited, or Audible.
Try Scribd 30 days for free**
Related article: The Top 5 Best Audiobook Subscription Services
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 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.
I don’t understand why none of these businesses have offered an unlimited audio book streaming service. My wife and I are truck drivers. We both enjoy listening to audio books while we work. I can go through a book in a day or two and I’m not about to pay $25 for a book I will only listen to once. If a company decided to do an actual unlimited streaming service I would gladly pay $40 a month for it…
Thank you for your comment!
If I understand you correctly, you are upset that no business offers all audiobooks in an unlimited subscription, instead of offering unlimited listening for a limited catalog (like the services I have listed above).
The problem aren’t the audiobook services here. The rights to the audiobooks are held by the publishers and each one offers their audiobooks in a different way. Penguin Random House pulled all of their audios from streaming services like Scribd last year. Now, you can only buy them individually or get them from a public library. Then there are all the indie publishers and authors who might or might not offer their audiobooks in library services. And with Audible Plus, authors actually have to wait for an invite to even add any of their audiobooks to the service.
Long story short, it’s simply not possible to create an unlimited audiobook service that includes *all the audiobooks* because it just doesn’t work with the rights holders. You have to pick your audio streaming service based on your taste. And when you listen to a lot of audiobooks, as you and I do, we just have to mix and match. Borrow some, buy some, use different services to get all the audiobooks we want at an affordable rate.
Even though that’s disappointing, I hope this explanation helped 🙂
Thank you all of this useful information, Eline. Before the pandemic I think I had only seriously attempted an audiobook once and now the only time I read a book is when there is no audiobook available. Listening to audiobooks has increased my “reading” tremendously. I understand what you are saying about the different way publishers allow these services to offer or not offer their audiobooks and how this affects access across services. I currently have Audible and Scribd memberships and I borrow using OverDrive through local and metropolitan libraries every day, Like you, I wish Scribd would give a real accounting of what causes access to be limited. I reach out to them to get more specifics so I could watch for when this is going to happen, but there really is no rhyme or reason and they keep going around in circles saying the same wordy nonsense. I also wish that Scribd and Audible didn’t have titles that are only available through them as that is very limiting and I wish it was illegal. End rant. Thanks again!
Thank you for your comment 🙂
About the exclusive titles… I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I wish all books would be widely available. There are several audiobooks I would like to buy but can’t because of geo-restrictions (which I believe has nothing to do with the companies directly, but with rights distribution). And it’s simply annoying to sign up for a new service because a favorite author has an exclusive audiobook there. And I find it rather questionable when Audible gets exclusive distribution rights for popular books like the October Daye series.
On the other hand, I do understand that companies have an interest in having exclusive content and it’s also a great opportunity for indie authors when they get a chance to sell an exclusive story, e.g. to Kobo or Scribd. And if Audible didn’t produce so many exclusive audiobooks, I think many books simply wouldn’t exist or at least wouldn’t have an audio version.
Thanks for the summary of these options! I usually listen to 2-3 audio books a week. I’m also working my way through Boxalls 1001 List, which means I’m only listening to classics, for the most part. I pay for an annual, non-resident membership to the New York library system, which gives me access to a large audio book catalogue, but there’s frequently long holds lines. My small, rural library does offer Hoopla, but there’s a 5 book a month limit in place. I just signed up for an audible plus trial and have been impressed with the amount of classics offered, without needing to use credits. I’ll have to look into the Kindle unlimited option though and compare the two. I don’t have a Kindle but it might be worth to have a subscription, for the audiobook options. I never re-listen to audio books, so I’m ok with borrowing vs owning.
Thank you for your comment! I’m happy to hear that you found my list useful.
It sounds like a good plan to add one more unlimited audiobooks subscription to your Hoopla sub. Kindle Unlimited has a great selection of classics (aptly named The Amazon Classics Collection) so that’s definitely worth a look. While it’s called “Kindle” it doesn’t require any special hardware. If you want to check out the ebooks at all, you could just download the Kindle app on your smartphone or read on your computer. The Kindle Unlimited audiobooks also come from Audible, so it’s the same app that you use now for Audible Plus.
Finally! someone that calls out scribd’s crapy business model. i was trying to read a series and three months in a row, the next book would disappear, third month i started a new series so if one book series disappeared, i could read the other. they took away the whole genre for a month. unlimited with a giant asterisk
I’m sorry to hear you had those issues! I’ve been there too and it’s the most annoying thing when you get pulled out of your series like that 🙁
I *do* enjoy Scribd and it’s probably the subscription I use most these days. I also feel like throughout the last year or so they have been less restrictive and I didn’t have a lot of unavailable books anymore. But I also still strongly believe they should find a way to be more transparent so people who want to listen to more than 1 or 2 audiobooks a month can plan what they want to/can listen to in Scribd. It all feels so very opaque, the “unlimited” with the hidden premium titles and different tiers or whatever. It’s a shame that they can communicate better how Scribd really works.