Where to Listen to Audiobooks: My Favorite Apps for Saving Money
Updated: Aug 29
Hi. My name is Deanna, and I'm an audiobook girly.
If you already knew that... welcome back.If you didn't... now you know.
Audiobooks are my emotional support hobby.
They get me through cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, long drives, folding laundry, and those walks where I'm pretending I'm exercising when really I'm just trying to find out who the killer is.
The problem?
This habit can get expensive real fast.
I read enough that if I paid full price for every audiobook, somebody would need to come check on my bank account.
So let's talk about the best audiobook apps
Here's my system.
First Stop: Libby
Before you spend a single penny...
Search Libby.
Every. Single. Time.
Libby connects to your library card and lets you borrow audiobooks for free.
I said free audiobooks
As in, your wallet doesn't even have to wake up.
And if you don't have a library card...
Respectfully...
What are you doing?
Go get one.
Actually... go get several.
The more library cards you have, the better your chances of finding the audiobook you're looking for without waiting until next Christmas.
People ask me all the time how I read so much.
Baby... the library is carrying this habit on its back.
If Libby Doesn't Have It...
My next stop is Libro.fm.
I love Libro.fm because every audiobook you buy supports an independent bookstore
instead of a giant corporation.
Plus, and this matters to me...
Your credits never expire.
So if life starts lifing and you forget to use one for a few months, your audiobook isn't sitting somewhere saying, "Well... should've been faster."
It's still yours.
Audible Is Still in Rotation
Now don't get me wrong.
I still use Audible.
A lot.
The Plus Catalog alone has enough books to keep you busy for a while.
But here's where people lose me...
Y'all be spending credits when Audible is practically giving the audiobook away.
Friend...
Look at the sales first.
They run 2 titlies-for-1 credit sales all the time.
Even better are the cash sales.
I've bought audiobooks for $1.74.
One dollar.
Seventy-four cents.
I've spent more than that on a bottle of water at the airport.
Most good sales have books for five dollars or less.
So before you burn a credit on a $4.99 audiobook...
Don't.
Save the credit for that 20-hour historical fiction novel that's going to emotionally damage you.
Two Places I Haven't Fully Tested
I've heard really good things about Chirp.
I've also heard Spotify has stepped up its audiobook game.
Have I tested either enough to tell y'all to run over there?
Not yet.
But enough people whose opinions I trust keep mentioning them that they're officially on my "I should probably stop being stubborn and try this" list.
So Here's My Audiobook Flow
Libby first.
Libro.fm second.
Audible third.
And before I spend a credit anywhere...
I'm checking for a sale.
Because I like books.
But I also like groceries.
Both deserve a place in the budget.
If there is a good source I left out, drop me a line. Because I'm always on the hunt.
If there's another app out there helping us feed this addiction without requiring a second mortgage... I need to know.
