10 Best Apps to Listen to Audiobooks

The educational process of the 21st century goes beyond visiting the library. Teams of leading IT specialists cannot be left out. They try to make learning as comfortable as possible. Thanks to online platforms and other tools like audiobooks, teachers and students can receive information in a convenient place and in different formats. No matter what genre they prefer.

Enthusiasts are interested in the best audiobook apps, it’s not just about students and teachers. Listening to works is useful for athletes, travel enthusiasts, historians, managers, and other professionals. All such people will appreciate the benefits of audiobooks. For lovers of reading, the following selection will be a real find.

Here are the 10 best apps to listen to audiobooks:

Audible

Industry leader, world’s largest audiobook reader app. The digital product was created by the American giant Amazon. Audible has the largest copy database with over 400,000 audiobooks.

Here are the key advantages of the platform:

• those who decide to use Amazon Prime will get free access to Audible Channels (a section of original lectures from the best authors);
• the user himself chooses whether to buy audiobooks in the traditional way (individual titles) or by subscription;
• it is possible to adjust the speaker speed;
• fast forward and rewind;
• you can use the platform free of charge and without ads.

The app syncs audiobooks associated with the account logged into the reader’s specific devices. A monthly subscription costs almost $15 (the user gets access to one book of their choice from the entire range, as well as two titles from the Audible Originals corporate catalog). For other copies, you will have to pay extra.

Download Audible

audiobooks.com

The Audiobooks.com platform library contains over 100,000 audiobooks, most of them in high quality. Nearly 8000 copies are free. The developers of the resource claim that hundreds of new audiobooks appear on the project website every week.

The Audiobooks.com platform is based on a subscription system. New subscribers will receive their first book for free. But after the 30-day trial period expires, you will have to pay $14.95 per month (the same price as Audible).

Storytel

The app is available on iOS and Android phones. The reader allows you to play audiobooks offline (after downloading the files). Often this helps out with a weak Internet.

The developers have added a sleep function (listening is interrupted if the system detects that the user is inactive). Moreover, in Storytel you can create your own bookmarks, notes, and thematic lists of books. In the free version, filtering by different criteria is available. Other features of the platform:

• new customers can take advantage of a 14-day trial period;
• when purchasing a subscription, access to audiobooks and electronic catalogs without restrictions;
• Literature for children and youth has been added to the library.

Storytel offers an extensive library of audiobooks divided into 19 categories:

• crime novels,
• children’s poetry,
• business,
• economics, and more.

The monthly subscription is $5 and every new user can take advantage of a trial period.

Serial Box (Now Realm-Podcast App)

Product for the budget-conscious. Instead of spending money on one long novel or audiobook, book lovers can get shorter episodes. Serial Box Content Library – Ideal for everyday learning or leisure. Among the advantages of the product:

1. Serial Box offers a wide range of genres, from drama to fantasy to science fiction.
2. The first excerpt is free, subsequent versions are $1.99 per copy (text and audio versions).
3. Discounts are offered with a season pass.
4. You can set up a custom reading mode.

The developers have created a customizable audio player with support for light and dark modes. Sound can be streamed to AirPlay 2 speaker, HomePod. The interface and control buttons allow you to skip the intro/outro and set a sleep timer.

Sirin

The product has an integrated function of automatic scanning for audiobooks. The user can manually add literature from the device’s memory or download a file from a torrent. This is not always the case with competitors. Users who have installed Sirin will not have to look for an additional torrent client. Other benefits:

• directly in the player, there is a button for changing the playback speed;
• there is a timer to turn off;
• Customizable fast forward and rewind buttons have been added to the interface.

It is worth praising the developers for the ability to flexibly edit the description of the audiobook. You can just as easily set the cover, book title, enter an author, or add a publication date.

Download Sirin Audiobook Player for Android

mAbook

The strength of this digital product is its large number of functions and fast loading. The user can view the history of files in the menu, detailed statistics on reading time, and customize the equalizer to fit their needs. The basic functionality of the platform includes:

• button to add audiobooks from the device memory;
• text reading speed adjustment tools;
• timer (starts automatic shutdown).

With this product, you can customize literally everything –

• the color theme,
• automatic playback,
• navigation.

You can change the rewind settings, interaction with the headset, and other settings. With it, you can create bookmarks or scroll through an open audio recording.

The developers have done everything so that people can comfortably listen to audiobooks and at the same time keep track of how much time is spent on this process. In terms of monitoring and maintaining statistics, there will be no problems. Reading can still be configured in portions.

Download mAbook Audiobook Player for Android

plaidy

The Plaidy application attracts with a concise and simplified interface. The developers decided not to burden readers with complex settings. This product has special features – the program allows you to change the background (rain with thunder or fire in the fireplace). This will appeal to those who like to read books before going to bed on a tablet or smartphone. Plaidy has successfully implemented the division into chapters and the scrolling function.

The app is completely free with no ads. Because of this, you can safely turn a blind eye to small flaws in the form of poor chapter recognition. Works on Android 5.0 and above.

Download Plaidy Audiobook Player for Android

Book Aloud

The platform allows you to get different selections of audiobooks in 1 click. Literature can be grouped by author or genre. The library has collections of works that have been made into films. There is a lot of documentary literature and even books for self-study. The main principles of the platform:

• all books are sold separately, with payment for each copy,
• access to purchased literature from any device,
• the price of a subscription in the amount of hryvnia from twenty per month.

The company offers the Subscription service with a discount of 15%, 25%, and 35%. An assessment is available for each received file and a rating view. Categories are implemented as a list and a slider.

Downpour

The independent store has made it into the top audiobook apps for a reason. The developers of Downpour managed to collect collections of literature in different languages ​​in the library. Most DRM-free copies, select audiobooks included.

The reader gets more than 300 free public domain audiobooks in every genre:

• fiction,
• romance,
• business,
• science fiction,
• detective stories
• children’s books.

The interface will not disappoint. Playback controls and rewind are simplified: chapters and 30-second skip, tabs, and sleep timer. Support for downloading and playing in the background will please. Users have the option to borrow a book for 30 or 60 days using the Downpour mobile app (Android and iOS).

Audiotales

This is an application for listening to public audiobooks dubbed by enthusiasts from all over the world. The development team offers a functional and convenient player with a sleep timer and a change in the speed of the audio stream.

Among the differences in the product:

• the addition of libraries and books from other sources,
• sections “Interesting” and “My Books”,
• constant updating of the catalog.

The player has integrated playback tempo functions, an alarm that stops audio at a selected time.

You can find the above top 10 in several categories. For most users, the basic parameters are the design and availability of literature. Although the following is important:

Every book lover has their own set of rules when it comes to finding the right digital product. But there is definitely no doubt that the listed readers will certainly fall into the top 10. Even if one of the programs has its drawback.