I love reading. To the point that I want to inspire a lasting love for reading in everyone around me – my siblings, my partner, and my friends.
So, when my colleague told me about his obsession with audiobooks, I frowned.
How can listening ever trump reading?
Well, it doesn’t.
Reading & listening are two different experiences. And they both have advantages of their own. I learnt this five days after this colleague downloaded ‘Grimms FairyTales’ on my phone and asked me to listen to it.
I didn’t mind it because I’ve always Wilhelm Grimm’s stories. So, for the next four days, I listened to it while jogging, travelling, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry.
I finally got the hype about audiobooks – From the audio version, I could derive a lot of information from a speaker’s intonations and inflexions. I could sense the tension and mood much better. I could feel the intrigue and suspense in the narrator’s voice. And the best part, I could multitask.
Six months forward, I’ve listened to more than twenty audiobooks and I’d dare say I love it (but a wee bit less than reading).
And that sums up why I am reviewing each of the audiobook apps I’ve tried:
Amazon’s Audible
At Audible, some of the best books are narrated by some great performers. Apart from the classics and best-selling titles, audible also has an impressive range of originals that you can tune into anytime!
With 200000+ audiobooks available on Audible, you are sure to find the perfect listen for your commute, workout, or drive. Whether you’re looking for education, inspiration, stories, or entertainment – Audible has books for every mood and passion.
Paid members get monthly credits to download audiobooks that they can keep forever, even after cancelling the subscription, and an additional 350 minutes of handpicked listen for free.
And if you don’t like a book, you can always swap them for free.
Google Play Books
On Google Play Books, you can use just about any device to enjoy both audiobooks and ebooks purchased from Google Play. You can choose from millions of bestselling titles, preview the free sample from the catalogue, and download your books to listen on the go.
On Google Play Books, you can buy one or many audiobooks – no monthly subscription required.
Kobo Audiobooks
Kobo Audiobooks has trending titles for every mood and activity. If you’re looking for a good listen, you can download Kobo Rakuten and check their audiobooks section for an impressive range of titles from genres like biography and memoir, business and finance, fiction and literature, mystery and suspense, science fiction and fantasy, and more.
Kobo AudioBooks has a subscription-based pricing model, where users get access to exclusive content like Kobo Originals and free credits.
Storytel
On Storytel you can stream audiobooks online or download them to listen offline. It has thousands of titles from different categories. Storytel’s ever-expanding audiobook collections are available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam & Tamil Language.
Few exciting Storytel features include built-in sleep function, set own bookmarks, save upcoming books, review books, and share recommendations with others.
Audiobooks.com
AudioBooks.com has a catalogue of 150,000+ premium titles narrated by the best of the artists. They have it all – classics, NYT bestsellers, award-winners – you name it!
On AudioBooks mobile app, you’ll also find a vast directory of 700,00 free podcasts to download or stream at any time, from anywhere.
You can get started with a free trial or become a member to earn VIP rewards. In addition to the monthly credits, VIP members can choose from an exclusive selection and download books for free. In short, you get extra listening, every month for no additional fee!
Over to You Now:
I’d love to hear about any audiobook app or site I’ve missed. If you know any, share them with us and our readers in the comments below.
