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Honest audiobook app reviews

Find the audiobook app that fits how you actually listen

I compare every major service on the same five tests, check each price by hand, and tell you plainly which one is worth your money and which one is not.

Prices checked by hand in October 2026

Three friends standing on top of a round green hill under a clear blue sky

Best free trial

8.6/10
Audiobooks.com logo

Audiobooks.com

The most generous way to start: three books in the first month, then a simple credit plan with no surprises.

Biggest catalog

8.8/10
Audible logo

Audible

The largest catalog and the best original content, with a Premium plan that mixes one owned book a month with an included library.

Services compared on HumPage Listen

Compare

The short version

How the six services I recommend most often stack up on the things people ask me about.

Audiobooks.com logoAudiobooks.com
How it works
Monthly credits
Price from
$14.95 a month
Keep books
Yes
Audible logoAudible
How it works
Credits plus included catalog
Price from
$8.99 a month
Keep books
Partly
Libro.fm logoLibro.fm
How it works
Monthly or annual credits
Price from
$14.99 a month
Keep books
Yes
Libby logoLibby
How it works
Free library loans
Price from
Free with a library card
Keep books
No
Spotify logoSpotify
How it works
Monthly listening hours
Price from
Included with Premium Individual
Keep books
No
Everand logoEverand
How it works
Unlocks plus included titles
Price from
$11.99 a month
Keep books
No

Prices checked October 24, 2026. Prices and trial offers change, so confirm on the official site.

See the full comparison

How I review

Every review follows the same five tests

Same titles, same devices, same questions. It is the only fair way to compare apps that work in very different ways.

Read the full method

How the score is weighted

  • Catalog25%
  • Value25%
  • App20%
  • Narration and audio15%
  • Cancelling and ownership10%
  • Support5%
  1. 01

    Catalog check

    I search the same 40 titles on every app, from new releases to backlist classics.

  2. 02

    Narration and audio

    Sample quality, speed controls, and how well the player handles long books.

  3. 03

    App experience

    iOS, Android and web: downloads, sleep timer, bookmarks, and car playback.

  4. 04

    Real yearly cost

    What twelve months actually costs, including credits, add ons and taxes.

  5. 05

    Cancelling

    How easy it is to leave, and exactly what you keep afterwards.

Book reviews

Audiobooks I would press play on again

Cover of The Hobbit audiobook

“Andy Serkis plays every dwarf, troll and dragon as if he were on stage, and somehow never loses the warmth of a bedtime story.”

The Hobbit

Narrated by Andy Serkis

5.010 hours
Cover of Educated audiobook

“Julia Whelan reads it with such restraint that the hardest chapters land even harder. A memoir I could not pause.”

Educated

Narrated by Julia Whelan

4.812 hours
Cover of The Midnight Library audiobook

“Carey Mulligan gives Nora a quiet, believable voice. A short, kind listen for a week when you need one.”

The Midnight Library

Narrated by Carey Mulligan

4.79 hours
Cover of Atomic Habits audiobook

“Short, practical and easy to come back to. Clear reads his own book plainly, which suits the advice.”

Atomic Habits

Narrated by James Clear

4.25.5 hours
Cover of Lessons in Chemistry audiobook

“Sharp, funny and angry in all the right places. Miranda Raison nails Elizabeth Zott's deadpan.”

Lessons in Chemistry

Narrated by Miranda Raison

4.612 hours
Cover of Dune audiobook

“A big, slow, rewarding listen. The cast edition makes the politics far easier to follow than the page.”

Dune

Narrated by Scott Brick and Orlagh Cassidy and cast

4.421 hours
Cover of Where the Crawdads Sing audiobook

“Cassandra Campbell's soft Carolina voice is half the reason this book feels like a warm marsh evening.”

Where the Crawdads Sing

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

4.712 hours
Cover of Becoming audiobook

“Hearing a memoir in the author's own voice is a different thing entirely, and this is the best example of it.”

Becoming

Narrated by Michelle Obama

4.819 hours
Cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow audiobook

“A novel about friendship and making video games that somehow made me tear up on a bus. Two narrators, both excellent.”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Narrated by Jennifer Kim and Feodor Chin

4.515 hours
Cover of Sapiens audiobook

“Big history in small chapters. Derek Perkins makes it feel like a very good lecture series.”

Sapiens

Narrated by Derek Perkins

4.515 hours
Cover of Fourth Wing audiobook

“Fast, loud and very bingeable. The dragons talking is my favourite part of the audio edition.”

Fourth Wing

Narrated by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton

4.320 hours
Cover of The Body Keeps the Score audiobook

“Dense and important. Better in short sessions than in one long drive.”

The Body Keeps the Score

Narrated by Sean Pratt

4.116 hours
A man walking alone across a wide green field under a soft cloudy sky

Listening notes

“Three audiobooks in a thirty day trial is still the friendliest way I know to find out whether listening is for you.”

Read the review

Audiobooks.com

From my Audiobooks.com review

Getting started

Start listening this week

Audiobooks.com logo

New to audiobooks?

Three books free for 30 days

The Audiobooks.com trial includes one premium audiobook of your choice and two bonus VIP Rewards audiobooks. After 30 days it renews at $14.95 a month plus tax unless you cancel, and you can cancel any time.

Start the Audiobooks.com free trial

Offer checked October 24, 2026 on audiobooks.com/pricing.

Libro.fm logo

Prefer to support bookshops?

Credits that help your local store

Libro.fm costs $14.99 a month for one credit, and the independent bookstore you choose gets a share. Credits never expire and the audiobooks are free of DRM.

Questions people ask me

Which audiobook app has the best free trial?+

Right now Audiobooks.com gives the most in its 30 day trial: one premium audiobook plus two bonus VIP Rewards audiobooks.

Do I keep my audiobooks if I cancel?+

On credit services such as Audiobooks.com, Audible Premium and Libro.fm, books you buy stay yours. On streaming style services such as Spotify, Everand, Kobo Plus and Storytel, access ends when you cancel.

Which app has the biggest catalog?+

Audible has the largest English language catalog. Most bestsellers are also on Audiobooks.com and Libro.fm.

Is Spotify's audiobook time enough for one book a month?+

Usually. Premium Individual in the US includes 15 hours a month, which covers an average length novel. Time is counted at normal speed, so listening faster does not save hours.

Can I listen offline?+

Yes, on every app I review. Download the book in the app before you lose signal.

What is the cheapest way to listen to audiobooks?+

Libby, which is free with a library card. For buying books, Chirp's limited time deals are often the cheapest.

How do you make money?+

Some links on HumPage Listen are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you sign up. It never changes scores or verdicts, and I explain the details on the disclosure page.

How often are prices checked?+

Every price on the site is checked against the official page by hand, and each review shows the date it was last checked.

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