Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts

Books & Reference

7.1~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.6 Google Play·100M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-01

Screenshots

Audible home screen showing Project Hail Mary narrated by Ray Porter and a Recommended for you row

Discover screen with a #BookTok finds banner, a grid of podcast covers and Goodreads members' picks

Fanned covers of Audible Originals and bestsellers, including Pride and Prejudice and Sunrise on the Reaping

Audible podcast player on The Mel Robbins Podcast with 30-second skip buttons and 37 minutes left

About Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts

Audible is Amazon's audiobook store and player. Since March 2026 its plans page offers two tiers: Standard at $8.99 a month lets you pick one title a month that plays only while you subscribe, and Premium at $14.95 adds a credit for a title you keep, plus the Plus Catalog (US prices). The 1M+ catalog and Originals are the draw; the weak spot is the Android player, where reviewers keep reporting unwanted autoplay over car Bluetooth.

App information

DeveloperAudible, Inc.

Version26.38.08 (Android) · 4.78.2 (iOS)

Size164 MB (Android) · 342 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsYes

In-app purchasesYes

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Android 9.0+

Requires (iOS)iOS 18.1+

Offline modeDownloaded titles play offline; streaming, the store and Plus Catalog downloads need a connection

Interface languagesNL, EN, FR, DE, IT, JA + 5 more

Store rating (Google Play)4.6 from 1,764,363 ratings

Installs100M+

Updated by developer2026-09-28

Data checked2026-10-01

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-01. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

Audible Review: The Biggest Audiobook Shelf, a Pushy Android Player

Standard at $8.99 vs Premium at $14.95: what stays yours after you cancel

The app is free, but listening runs on a membership once the 30-day trial ends. Standard, launched in the US on March 3, 2026, lets you pick one audiobook a month from the full catalog, ACX titles included, plus a curated shelf with nearly 200 former Wondery+ titles. Unused picks do not roll over, and every Standard selection locks when you cancel. Premium gives one credit a month instead: a title bought with it stays in your library for good, whatever its length or list price, and the Plus Catalog of included Originals and podcasts comes on top. Credits expire 12 months after they are issued, and leftover membership credits are forfeited at the end of the final billing cycle. Annual Premium costs $149.50 for 12 credits. These are US prices on the check date and can change.

The player: 3.5x speed, Whispersync and the Bluetooth autoplay bug

On Android, narration speed goes up to 3.5x, above the 3.0x ceiling in Libby, and the speed you choose is saved per title across apps. Whispersync for Voice keeps your place when you switch between a Kindle ebook and its audiobook, and Immersion Reading highlights the text while the narrator reads. Car Mode covers driving, and Kids Profile lets a parent share chosen books with a child. The weak link is the Bluetooth handoff. Play reviews from December 2024 and September 2025, each with over 350 helpful votes, plus newer ones in English and German through September 2026, describe books starting on their own when a car or earbuds connect, even with auto-play settings off. Several also report a sleep timer that fails to stop playback.

Ads in a paid app, AI voices and what the privacy labels say

Google Play marks the app with Contains ads, and Apple's age rating lists advertising too. Reviewers describe a Home tab that works as a storefront and a promo for another title after a book ends; in September 2026 they also complained about promotional push notifications, including for books marked Not Interested. Since May 2025 the company has offered publishers AI narration with more than 100 synthetic voices, and TechCrunch counted over 50,000 titles labelled Narrated By: Virtual Voice, so check the narrator line before spending a credit. On data, Apple's label shows no cross-app tracking, but purchases, coarse location, search history and audio data are linked to your account. Play's Data safety form adds that name, email and device IDs are used for advertising or marketing, and app interactions are shared with third parties for analytics.

Pros

Over 1 million audiobooks, podcasts and Originals in one catalog
One Premium credit buys any title, whatever its length or list price
Narration speed up to 3.5x on Android, saved per title
Whispersync for Voice keeps your place between Kindle ebook and audiobook
Credit purchases can be returned within 365 days on the website
Monthly plans can be paused for 30, 60 or 90 days

Cons

Standard selections lock when you cancel, and unused monthly picks don't roll over
Reviewers since 2024 report books auto-playing on car Bluetooth despite settings
Paying members still get title promos, and Google Play lists Contains ads
Membership credits expire after 12 months and are forfeited when you cancel

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Verdict

We score it 7.1: the 1M+ catalog, exclusive Originals and Kindle sync earn the points, while the Android player and the subscription terms keep costing them. Take it if you finish at least one book a month and want to own titles, which is what Premium at $14.95 does. Skip it if you mostly borrow, since Libby is free with a library card, or if you already pay for Spotify Premium and listen to under 15 hours of books a month.

Core function9.01M+ titles, exclusive Originals, Whispersync with Kindle, Kids Profile and offline downloads in one player.

Ease of use6.0Reviewers report Bluetooth autoplay despite settings, a store-first Home tab and a back button that exits the app.

Monetisation6.5Standard picks lock on cancel, unused credits are forfeited, and iPhone in-app plans cost about $1 more than the website.

Performance6.0September 2026 reviews of version 26.38.08 cite crashes, failed downloads and a sleep timer that misses its stop.

Privacy & permissions7.0Apple's label shows no cross-app tracking, but Play lists name, email and device IDs used for marketing.

7.1out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is Audible free after the 30-day trial?

No. The app is free to install, but after the 30-day trial listening needs a membership or a cash purchase. Standard costs $8.99 a month for one title a month that locks if you cancel. Premium costs $14.95 a month for one credit, which buys a title you keep, plus the Plus Catalog. These are US prices and can change.

How fast can Audible play audiobooks?

On Android, narration speed goes up to 3.5x, starting from a default of 1.0x. The speed you pick for a book is saved for that title across apps, and the speed set in Player settings becomes the default for new listens on that device. By comparison, Libby's audiobook player tops out at 3.0x.

Is Audible Premium worth it over Standard?

Premium is worth the extra $5.96 a month if you want to own what you listen to: each monthly credit buys any title permanently, and the Plus Catalog is included. Standard suits people who finish one book a month and accept losing access when they cancel. Inside the iPhone app both cost more: Apple lists $15.99 for Premium and $9.99 for Standard.

Can you listen to Audible offline?

Yes, downloaded titles play without Wi-Fi or mobile data. Streaming, the store and new Plus Catalog downloads need a connection, and some reviewers say the app waits for a network before opening the player. If your membership ends, Plus Catalog and Standard titles lock, while books bought with cash or credits stay playable.

What are the best alternatives to Audible?

Libby is free: it borrows audiobooks from your local library with a library card, with due dates. Spotify Premium includes 15 hours of audiobook listening a month alongside music and podcasts. Google Play Books sells audiobooks one at a time with no subscription, so there are no credits to lose. Audible keeps the edge on its exclusive Originals.