The 13 Best Audiobook Apps for iPhone and Android Phone in 2023

Audiobooks may be listened to for more reasons than just convenience or enjoyment. In reality, if used often, audiobooks can bring listeners a lot of benefits.

Since they may save readers time, audiobooks can be more engaging than conventional e-books. The second factor is crucial for young audiences in particular: audiobooks are extremely helpful for students with reading disabilities. Audiobook apps provide access to many books that users can listen to rather than read.

With audiobooks, readers may enjoy novels while on the road with just a mobile device in their pocket.

Our team has conducted an evaluation and comparison of audiobook software available on the market, and we will now go into depth about several of them in the hopes of assisting users in selecting the best tool to suit their needs.

On a boring long journey, or on the way to the office or home from work, do you usually get bored? Or are you a book lover who is looking for an easy way to read anytime, anywhere? Nothing can calm you to sleep or make a tedious commute into leisurely moments with your favorite book like a great audiobook. However, it is difficult for users to figure out which app is the best for them. In this post, 13 of the best audiobook apps are selected after we’ve done much work on the test and review of them. No matter whether you are a user of an iPhone or Android phone, you can find the perfect one to suit your needs and enhance your listening experience.

If you don’t want to download anything on your devices, it’s ok – there are also lots of choices for you to enjoy audiobooks on YouTube, as well as other websites for audiobook torrents for you to navigate.

The Comparison of Listed Audiobook Apps

Audiobook App	Best for	Price	Compatibility	App Store/Google Play Rating
Audible	Users who need a large number of books in various languages	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 15.0 or later/ Android 6 and up	4.9 4.5
Kobo Books	Book lovers who are asking for customized recommendations and controlling functions	Free	Requires iOS 12 or later/ Android 6 and up	4.5 4.3
Google Play Books	Preview of audiobooks and automatic syncing	Free	Requires iOS 15.0 or later/ Android 5 and up	4.5 4.7
Chirp Audiobooks	Listeners who want to pay good prices and need recommendations based on their interests	Free	Requires iOS 15.0 or later/ Android 10.0 or up	4.8 4.5
Scribd	Members to upload their own books besides just listening	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 14.0 or later/ Android 5.0 and up	4.6 4.6
Apple Books	Previewing books before purchasing and efficient purchasing procedure	Free	Requires iOS 10.0 or later	2.9
Libby	Audiences with the need for a multifunctional and customizable experience	Free	Requires iOS 10.0 or later/ Android 5.0 and up	4.8 4.8
Storytel	Hardcore book lovers of many kinds of languages	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 13.0 or later/ Compatibility for Android varies with device	4.7 4.1
LibriVox	The free and ad-free listening experience	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 13.0 or later/ Android 5.0 and up	4.8 4.7
Spotify	Those who request a well-designed interface for a diverse range of audiobooks	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 14.0 or later/ Compatibility for Android varies with device	4.8 4.4
Speechify	People who are suffering from problems such as dyslexia	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 14.0 or later/ Android 5.0 and up	4.6 4.5
Loyal Books	Classic book lovers	Free Offers in-app purchases	Requires iOS 10.0 or later/	4.4 4.8
hoopla Digital	Audience with US library cards for completely free use	Free	Requires iOS 13.0 or later/ Compatibility for Android varies with device	4.8 4.7

1. Audible

As a program where new audiobooks are usually published first, Audible serves as an expert in delivering audiobooks exclusively, is one of the most well-known and best audiobook applications available and it now has the most audiobook titles available with more being added daily. You receive complete access to podcasts, certain additional content, and audiobooks that are only available on Audible) with each membership.

Also, in addition to the basic features and functions of similar apps, it has an amazing dark theme, as well as sleep mode, configurable playing rates, and bookmark function for amazing playback controls.

You may listen to Audible on your phone, tablet, computer, Alexa, Sonos, Kindle, and a variety of other devices. These devices support several languages, including Spanish, Latin Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, and Chinese.

Key features:

• Biggest audiobook library
• Supports many languages
• Available for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac
• Customizable

Download Audible from App Store

2. Kobo Books

Kobo offers a decent selection of audiobooks with more than 5 million titles. While not as well-known as some of the other brands on the list, it does boast a sizable library of e-books and audiobooks totaling more than 1.5 million items. For iOS and Android devices, users may access a large number of audiobooks, and the app offers a variety of audiobook titles, including popular audiobook editions of both trendy fiction and non-fiction books.

Based on your reading history and current progress, the app provides personalized recommendations for you. A timeline scroll bar, time jump buttons, chapter navigation, playing speed choices, and a repeat timer are offered among the practical features. Also, it indicates how much time is remaining to complete the narrative. You can continue where you left off thanks to the app’s cross-platform synchronization.

Key features:

• Cross-platform synchronization
• Delivers customized recommendation
• Available for iOS and Android devices

Download Kobo Books from App Store

3. Google Play Books

When it comes to the best audiobook apps available, we’d better not ignore Google Play Books, a fantastic platform that provides a ton of audiobooks for varied tastes. With Google Play Books, which is free to download on both iOS and Android devices, you can read comic books, e-books, and audiobooks from a variety of genres.

Several features in Google Play Books help enhance the audiobook experience for users across a wide range of devices. Another helpful feature is the automatic syncing of all downloaded audiobooks across all devices linked to your Google account, making it simple to resume where you left off. In addition, you may listen to audiobooks for free before buying them – this is a special point that distinguishes the app from others.

Key features:

• Offers free preview of audiobooks
• Automatic syncing
• Free to download

Download Google Play Books from App Store

4. Chirp Audiobooks

Chirp is an audiobook service with a reputation for offering affordable audiobooks and a lot to give listeners, with the goal of assisting them in discovering bargains on high-quality audiobooks. For readers and listeners who wish to search for good prices on audiobooks, it is perfect.

You will be asked to first complete a quick survey stating the categories of books in which you are most interested, then the app will send you a daily email with the greatest audiobook offers for you, customized to your tastes. You may add audiobooks to your “Wishlist”, and the app will let you know when a discount for those books becomes available – this is no doubt an excellent feature.

In a nutshell, Chirp is noteworthy due to its emphasis on providing limited-time discounts on specific titles. In contrast to many other audiobook services, with Chirp, you may retain the books, and there are no minimum purchases or monthly membership costs.

Key features:

• Perfect for listeners who want to pay at good prices
• Quick survey for further recommendations based on your interests
• Wishlist and daily email
• No minimum purchases or monthly membership costs are required

Download Chirp Audiobooks from App Store

5. Scribd

With more than 10 million downloads, Scribd gives you access to a digital library with more than 60 million books, audiobooks, magazine articles, sheet music, and other materials. With your mobile devices, including Android, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, and others, you can access the books you like from anywhere.

Scribd grants you access to their collection. You may include any book you want to build your own library. And users can download the book to their devices and store information on up to four mobile devices at once if they want to read it offline. You may also set a sleep timer, alter the narrative pace, and download audiobooks for offline listening.

The fact that any user may post their audiobooks for others to read sets Scribd apart from rivals.

Key features:

• Free trial of 30 days
• Members can upload their own books
• Customizable

Download Scribd from App Store

6. Apple Books

Apple Book is a dedicated audiobook software for iOS that lets you access your audiobooks from any Apple device. It features a huge catalog. There are a ton of options and well-liked titles.

With this app, users may download a huge selection of audiobooks and play them on their Mac or iOS devices. It is organized into useful lists by genre, bestsellers, discounts, and other categories. Also, there is a section with free audiobooks, some of which are classics and others which are more new promotions. Before purchasing, you may listen to a preview. If you want to explore the book store, keep track of what you’ve read, and listen to audiobooks all in one go, it’s one of the greatest platforms for you to choose from.

Key features:

• First-rate user experience and interface
• Preview books before purchasing
• More efficient purchasing procedure
• Synchronization

Download Apple Books from App Store

7. Libby

Even though you might not be familiar with this app, Libby is a fantastic choice for getting free access to audiobooks. The app enables you to borrow and read e-books and audiobooks from your nearby public library and partners with around 90% of libraries in America.

Libby provides free access to a huge selection of audiobooks. The Libby app offers offline audiobook downloads in addition to streaming material, so you can listen to them on your Android or iOS devices.

A sleep timer, bookmarks, and the option to change the playing speed are just a few of the fantastic features that Libby offers.

Key features:

• Completely free (with library card)
• Easy to use
• Multifunctional and customizable

Download Libby from App Store

8. Storytel

Storytel is another top-notch application for voracious readers, providing you free access to a vast library full of thousands of books from every imaginable genre on your iOS or Android devices. The combined worldwide collection has more than 700,000 titles.

You may stream your favorite shows on Storytel or download them for offline listening, as well as set the narration pace, an app shutdown timeout, and other features. You may make your own bookmarks and notes while an audiobook is playing, as well as recommend books to your friends.

Storytel is now offered in many nations in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Africa, with more than 30 other languages available.

Key features:

• Best for hardcore book lovers
• Available in many countries and languages
• The function of sharing with friends

Download Storytel from App Store

9. LibriVox

LibriVox, one of the greatest free audiobook apps available, is a wise choice for new users who want to test out audiobooks before signing up for a premium plan. It provides a collection of more than 25,000 audiobooks, many of which are classic literature. This software offers many different genres of audiobooks and is totally free.

As a non-commercial, non-profit, and ad-free program, LibriVox stands out because volunteers from all over the world upload recordings in many languages to the public domain.

Since the collection is huge and searching is simple, it makes your experience simpler – you may search by the title, author, narrator, or genre.

Key features:

• Completely free
• Non-commercial, non-profit, and ad-free
• Simple searching function

Download LibriVox from App Store

10. Spotify

Spotify is a wonderful option if you’re seeking the best free audiobook app. Spotify is a Swedish music streaming service that offers its consumers access to a wide variety of audiobooks. The audiobook app is compatible with all Android and iOS devices.

There were 300,000 audiobook titles available when the service debuted at the very first, and more titles will be added. A wide variety of audiobooks are available on Spotify, including mysteries, romantic novels, historical fiction, and nonfiction works.

The nice thing about Spotify is that all of its audiobook collections are available without a paid membership, although you have to pay to get rid of the ads.

Key features:

• Diverse range of audiobooks
• Well-designed interface
• Compatible with Android and iOS
• Need to pay for ad-free service

Download Spotify from App Store

11. Speechify

With just a few clicks, you can turn written information into engaging audiobooks with the Speechify program for your mobile device or tablet, which can read text and documents to you in a sound-alike human voice. From the very beginning, this software was designed to benefit those who struggle with ADHD, dyslexia, and other issues, but it turned out that the app also greatly aids you in increasing work productivity, enabling users to read more quickly, grasp more information, thus to save more time.

Besides this, Speechify provides a Chrome extension that enables users to create their own speechified content on any website they are currently viewing without the need for downloading anything on their devices.

Key features:

• A 3-day free trial
• Text-to-speech function
• Offers extension on Chrome

Download Speechify from App Store

12. Loyal Books

Consisting of free, public-domain audiobooks, Loyal Books offers great titles but what sets it apart from other apps in this post is that it also provides a variety of e-books.

While having a smaller range of titles than its rivals, the app offers numerous helpful features, including the ability to download or stream audiobooks, set a sleep timer, fast-forward and rewind, and control playing speed. Reviews of books are also available on Loyal Books, which may be quite useful when picking which ones to listen to.

The majority of the books on this program are classics, therefore it could be challenging to discover contemporary fiction that is popular among teenagers or well-liked books on this app.

Key features:

• Best for classic book lovers
• For free public domain audiobooks
• Also offers e-books
• Multifunctional and useful

Download Loyal Books from App Store

13. hoopla Digital

hoopla is a free app that links to your local library account and offers a large variety of more than 500,000 titles, enabling you to quickly borrow a maximum of 20 titles every month. There are no late fees or fines, and the service is completely free.

hoopla also offers eBooks, music CDs, comic books, TV series, and movies in addition to audiobooks. Besides, it provides a lot of features and lets you download audiobooks so you can use them later without an Internet connection. hoopla also offers modes specifically designed for driving or working out.

However, due to its connection to the library, hoopla has a disadvantage – it is only available to people with US library cards.

Key features:

• Completely free to use
• Easy to use and well-organized
• Only available to the audience with US library cards
• Driving mode

Download hoopla Digital from App Store

How did we choose these audiobook apps?

Most book lovers may be more accustomed to using e-book reading software. When people start to adopt listening apps for audiobooks, it may be difficult for them to choose a suitable audiobook app.

First, we downloaded and used the popular audiobook apps available on the market. Then, in terms of the different usage habits of different users, many factors were taken into account by our team, including the design of the user interface, the cost of downloading and purchasing audiobooks, the main types of books within the apps, the languages available, and some other functions for controlling. Through these efforts, we have finally selected 13 apps that meet the needs of most users.

FAQs

What is the best free audiobook app for iPhone?

For most iPhone users, Apple Books may be the best and most convenient for them to get.

What is the best free audiobook app for Android?

Audible may be the best choice for you if you are using an Android phone as it has many excellent features in addition to the basic ones.

Which audiobook app has the most books?

Without a question, Audible is the biggest and most well-known provider of audiobooks.

What is the best free audiobook app without a subscription?

If you want to get an audiobook app with paying, LibriVox serves as one of the greatest free audiobook apps available.

6. Conclusion

The free and paid audiobook applications in this post are the greatest starts for anyone who has even the slightest interest in audiobooks. You may choose one of these programs after giving each one a try as most of them provide a free trial. (If you prefer e-books, we also have recommended websites for you to read online.) We believe that by giving you thorough descriptions of and comparisons of the many audiobook applications, we can help you to choose the one that best meets your needs. Your favorite novels are waiting for you.