Audiobooks are becoming very popular nowadays. Life has become very fast, and people don’t have enough time to sit down a physical version of their favorite books. It is very time consuming to read physical books, and it requires a lot of focus to do that. Nowadays, people are always on the move, and they don’t have enough time or space to carry a book. That is where audiobooks come in. Audiobooks allow you to enjoy your favorite books without actually reading the book. You can listen to these audiobooks while on the run, being busy with some other work, being in the gym, etc.
There are hundreds of audiobook platforms available on the internet that allows you to listen to and download your favorite audiobook. The largest audiobook platforms are having a battle against their top competitors. Today we will be discussing the battle of Audiobooks vs. Audible and the battle of Audible with many other platforms.
1. Audible
Audible is one of the most famous audiobook platform made by Amazon with one of the biggest audiobook libraries in the world. It has received five-star ratings. Audible one of the few platforms that allows you to be the owner of the book once you purchase it, and you get to keep the audiobook even after the membership is ended. You have lifetime access once you buy the audiobook. It has a library of 200,000+ audiobooks that you can choose from.
Audible doesn’t only have audiobooks; it also has a podcast available. Audible has one of the best sound quality options available for audiobooks. It supports the bitrate of up to 64Kbps, which makes the whole listening experience even more pleasant.
Audible has multiple membership plans. Basic Audible Plus costs $7.95 per month; you can read and listen to books from a huge selected library. The audible Premium plan costs $14.95 per month. You get all the advantages of the Audible Plus plan, but you also get some extra advantages like you get a free book from the premium library every month. Now that you know everything about the Audible, here is a list of advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- It has a library of 200,000+ audiobooks, including podcasts.
- You get lifetime access to the audiobooks once you purchase them.
- The membership plans are affordable.
Cons:
- You only get 1 free audiobook a month in the basic plan.
- Once the membership is canceled, all the credits are lost.
- Credits can also expire if you use the account for too long.
2. Audiobooks.com
The first battle on our list is Audible vs. Audiobooks. Audiobook.com is was first created in 2012 by the name of “Simply audiobooks.” It was then later bought by the RB media in 2017. It also has a library of 200,000+ audiobooks. It supports a bitrate of up to 32 Kbps, which gives a good listening experience.
Audiobook.com initially started with unlimited access, and then it reduced down to 1 book a month. Audiobooks.com has more than 1 million downloads making it one of the most famous audiobook platforms in the world. Unlike its competitors, Audiobook.com has only one membership plan at the rate of $14.95 per month and comes with 1 credit a month. For new users, it has a 30-day free trial membership. Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of Audiobooks.com.
Pros:
- It has a very easy-to-use app.
- Has a smartphone app.
- Collection of 200,000+ audiobooks.
Cons:
- Limited membership plan.
- A bit more expensive than Audible.
3. Kindle Unlimited Audiobooks
The next battle on our list is Kindle Unlimited Audiobooks vs. Audible. You would be wondering that how can you listen to audiobooks on kindle because it’s an eBook service. You would be surprised to know that with Kindle Unlimited, you have access to over 2,000 audiobooks from Audible. Kindle Unlimited allows you to own an eBook and also its audiobook. These titles are whispersync voice-ready, which means that you can seamlessly switch between the eBook and the audiobook.
Kindle Unlimited comes at a rate of $9.99 a month, which allows you to have unlimited access to the whole Kindle Library. Like its competitors, Kindle Unlimited also comes with a free 30-day trial. Kindle Unlimited is compatible with more than 40,000 Audible books and up to 2,000 free Audible books. Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of Kindle Unlimited.
Pros:
- It is a lot cheaper than Audible.
- Supports whispersync that allows you to switch between eBook and the audiobook.
- Kindle is available worldwide.
- Has a smartphone app.
Cons:
- Has a small library of Audiobooks.
4. Walmart Audiobooks
The next battle is of Walmart Audiobooks vs. Audible, as they are the closest competitors. Walmart also provides audiobooks, along with eBooks, podcasts, and much more. Walmart has disclosed the size of its audiobook library, but it is assumed that it has 50,000+ audiobooks.
Walmart is trying to compete with the Audible with its pricing. Walmart’s monthly membership comes for $9.99. Walmart is fairly new in the market, so it will take some time for it to gain people’s trust. Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of Walmart audiobooks service.
Pros:
- It is a lot cheaper than the audible.
- Has a huge library.
Cons:
- Is fairly new in the market.
- Doesn’t have a mobile app.
5. Nook Audiobooks
The next competitor of Audible on our list is Nook audiobooks. It is a fairly new audiobook platform on the internet as compared to its competitors. You can listen to the audiobook on Nook using its own devices. You can listen to your purchased audiobooks on your favorite devices too.
Unlike other competitors on the list, Nook doesn’t have a monthly membership plan. You have to purchase the audiobook at its given price. The price can vary for each title available on the Nook audiobook library. Nook audiobook lacks in a lot of mainstream features, which makes it one of the weakest catalog on this list, but holidays sales might help you grab your favorite book at a killer price.
Now that you everything you need to know about the Nook audiobook, here is a list of advantages and disadvantages of Nook in the battle of Nook Audiobooks vs. Audible.
Pros:
- It has no monthly fees.
- If you already have a Nook e-reader, then it comes in handy.
- They organize multiple holiday sales.
Cons:
- Has no monthly plan.
- Has a small library of the audiobook.
- Doesn’t have any in-app store.
- Customer support is hard to approach.
6. iTunes Audiobooks (iBooks)
Now we are going to talk about iTunes Audiobooks. Apple removed the audiobooks from the iTunes music library in 2015 and made a dedicated app called iBooks. iBooks was then renamed Apple Books in 2018.
This dedicated app makes it easier to organize audiobooks and allows a lot of features that make the whole listening experience a lot more user friendly. One of the multiple features of the Apple book’s app is a sleep timer, which allows you to set a specific playback time so you can sleep while listening to someone reading for you. Apple books are only available on Apple devices, and this is one of its drawbacks. It also has original titles available just like Audible, which makes it a great competitor of Audible.
Unlike Audible, iTunes audiobooks do not have a monthly subscription plan. You have to buy the audiobook individually to enjoy the book. Once you purchase the book, it is yours to keep forever. An average book costs more than a normal audiobook on any other service. Here are some pros and cons of iTunes Audiobooks in the battle of Audible vs. iTunes audiobooks.
Pros:
- Has a dedicated app on iOS and Mac devices.
- Comes equipped with DRM lock for security purposes.
- Sleep timer feature available.
- Has a huge library.
Cons:
- Works only on Apple devices.
- Has no monthly membership plan.
7. Simply Audiobooks
The next audiobook service on our list is a very unusual one. Unlike other competitors in its list, Simply Audiobooks is not an online service. It operates only in physics CDs, which makes it quite unusual and outdated in today’s world.
They have a library of some of the many famous audiobooks. You can go to their website, order an audiobook, and they ship it to you. They have a monthly membership that comes at a price of $19.98, which allows you to choose any one audiobook from the library of Simply audiobooks. Its price ranges seem a little high, but it seems just because they have to ship the physical book to you. That monthly membership includes charges like shipping, physical CD, and many others. They also offer a 15-day free trial that allows you to choose any book from the given library. They have a very outdated website for an audiobook service.
Even though we know the potential winner in the battle of Simply Audiobooks vs. Audible but we will still provide you some of its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- Doesn’t require any extra charges for shipping and postage.
- It only provides physical disks.
- Easy to use for the older age group.
Cons:
- Doesn’t have any digital content like its competitors.
- Has an outdated website.
- Limited amount of titles.
8. Tunein Audiobooks
The last audiobook service on the list is Tunein Audiobooks. Tunein audiobook service is unfortunately no longer available on the internet to use. Tunein Audiobooks was an online free radio that used to stream audiobooks on the radio. This was a great service because with these large libraries nowadays, many people can’t even decide what to read, which was made easier by Tunein audiobooks because people used to listen to whatever audiobook was playing on the radio.
They required no extra charges or membership to stream audiobooks. Audiobook feature was first introduced on Tunein on the non-premium service back in 2015. Tunein stopped the audiobook service in 2017. Tunein raised $50 million last year, which made the company value at $500 million. In the battle of Tunein audiobooks vs. Audible, Tunein has its pros and cons.
Pros:
- It is used to stream audiobooks on the free internet radio.
- Does not require any additional charges.
Cons:
- You cannot listen or rewind the playback because you do not own the audiobook.
- No longer in service.
Tip: Download Audible Books for Listening on Any Device
Now that you everything about the top audiobook services on the globe. A question arises about how to listen to those audiobooks on any device. That is where AudKit Audible Converter comes in handy.
This smart tool is a professional tool that allows you to convert audiobooks from pretty much any audiobook streaming service so you can listen to it on any device. It allows you to change the format of Audible audiobooks according to your preference. It is a very hassle-free tool. It can convert at a speed of up to 100 times a normal converter. It reserves all the ID3 Tags to get the lossless quality. Here is an easy step-by-step guide on how to use Audkit’s Audible Converter.
Key Features of AudKit Audible Converter
- Retain 100% quality for Audible AA and AAX audiobooks
- A lightning speed of 100X over the average conversion rate
- Keep metadata like ID3 tags for customization
- Automatically cut Audible books by chapters or by segments
Step 1
Step 1
Before we start, make sure that Audkit’s Audible Converter is installed on your computer. Once you are done with the installation, we move to the converting process. Launch Audkit’s Audible Converter on your desktop by double-clicking on its icon. Now you can import the Audible audiobook by clicking on the “Attach files” button located on the top bar of the main interface. You can also import by going to any of the audiobook streaming service’s websites and performing the drag-and-drop action to import the audiobook into Audkit’s Audible Converter.
Step 2 Change format and other parameters of audiobooks
Now that you are done importing the audiobook into the Audkit’s Audio Converter, we can move to the next step. The next step is to change the format of the audiobook so you can listen to that audiobook on any device. We can do that by clicking on the “Format” button on the bottom left corner of the main interface. Select any format according to your preference from the given choices like MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A, etc. You can also change other parameters like bitrate, sample rate, codec, etc. Once you are satisfied with your settings, you can click on the “OK” button to proceed.
Step 3 Convert and downloading the audiobooks
After you are done changing your settings, we move to the final step. Now to start converting, simply click on the “OK” button on the bottom right corner of the main interface. It will start converting, and in a matter of seconds, it will be stored on your computer. Once it is done converting, you can listen to the audiobook on your computer without being online. You can also listen to your favorite audiobooks on your audio devices by sharing them with your audio devices.
Conclusion
In this article, we laid out the basic information, pros, and cons of most of the leading Audiobook platforms, but ultimately it comes down to your personal preference that which one you are going to use. To listen to these audiobooks on your audio devices, you can use Audkit’s Audible Converter by following the given step above.
Elle Johnson
Staff Editor
Elle Johnson has been working in the technology and music software field for over 5 years. She is dedicated to providing easy-to-use guides and effective tips to play music anywhere.