9 of the Best (Free & Paid) Audiobook Apps in 2026 (with sample audios)
I love listening to podcasts. But lately I’ve run out of interesting podcast episodes to hear, so I thought about listening to audiobooks instead.
The problem is that there are so many audiobook apps out there… Which should I choose ??
So I read a few articles, talked to some very wise friends (yes… ChatGPT and Claude 😂 ), and searched on the App Store for the most popular and highly rated audiobook apps, and finally came up with a list of 9 of the best (free and paid) audiobook apps.
That’s still a big list. So I personally tried 7 of them (the other 2 had country restrictions 🥲 ) to find out which is the best audiobook app in 2026. And here I share my experience with each app, and at the end I tell you my favorite one. So if you are in a similar situation like me, I guarantee this will save you a ton of research time.
1. LibriVox (free audiobooks)
This is the best app if you’re interested in listening to books that are in the public domain (all books published before 1931 are considered to be in the public domain, at least in the US).
The app is free because it only includes books in the public domain, and narrations are made by volunteers. On the flip side, the app is ads-supported and some narrations might not sound as professionally as narrations on a paid app such as Audible or Apple Books.
Twelve Years a Slave (narration sample):
✓ Free audiobooks
✓ Offline listening
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay
The app has a library of over 45,000 audiobooks, so if you’re looking for a classic (or any book in the public domain), odds are you’ll find it here! And you can download any audiobook to listen offline.
⭐️ LibriVox is rated 4.8/5 from 32K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
2. Audible
This is the giant in the Audiobook space. They claim to have 1M+ audiobooks, exclusive Audible originals (audioboooks exclusive to Audible), and podcasts.
I’m currently listening to an audiobook of the novel The Great Gatsby. This is a classic I’ve been wanting to listen and the reviews on the quality of the narration where really good, so I decided to give it a try. I’m already on chapter Five and I love the book and narration style!
The Great Gatsby (narration sample):
✓ Previews and narration samples
✓ Offline listening
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay + Android Auto
On the Audible app, you can also change the marketplace (inside settings), so you can see all the audiobooks listed in Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, etc. If you’re learning a new language, this feature can be really valuable!
In terms of pricing, there are two options:
(1) You can buy the subscription, which costs $8.99/month. The subscription gives you access to one audiobook per month (from their entire library of 1M+ titles). The only caveat here is that if you cancel the membership, you won’t be able to access previous titles you picked with the membership.
👉 Try Audible free for 30 days! (then $8.99/month until canceled)
(P.S. I earn a commission if you sign up with this link — at no extra cost to you. This supports my work and keeps the site ad-free)
(2) You can purchase audiobooks directly. After exploring some titles, it looks like prices range from $7 (typically classics and short books, such as Animal Farm) to $30.
P.S. You can also use both options. You can buy the subscription to get the monthly audiobook, and purchase individual titles if you want more audiobooks in the same month.
⭐️ Audible is rated 4.9/5 from 5.5M ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
3. Apple Books
If you’re an Apple user, this app is a great choice. The app is called “Books” inside Apple, and it comes by default in all Apple devices — so it’s very convenient if you’re in the Apple ecosystem.
They mention (in the App Store) they have “millions of books and audiobooks.” And they have a list of 100 free books (mostly classics in the public domain), but the audiobook version is never free :(
The Brothers Kamarazov (narration sample):
✓ Previews and narration samples
✓ Offline listening
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay
One thing I hate (yes… hate!) about Apple Books is that if you want to make any changes in your settings, these changes are also made to your Apple ID. I live in Spain, so Apple Books only shows me titles in Spanish. If I want to see titles in English (or listed in the US), I’d have to change my residence in Apple ID!! (which by they way I tried to do and is not possible, because Apple tells me I first need to cancel the phone insurance I bought in Spain 😅 ).
In terms of pricing, audiobooks are priced individually — there are no subscription plans.
I also compared the prices of a few audiobooks with the other audiobook apps, and Apple Books was by far the most expensive! I guess Apple wants to keep their high margins even in selling audiobooks 😂
⭐️ Apple Books is rated 4.4/5 from 83K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
4. Google Play Books & Audiobooks
This app comes by default in all Android devices, so it’s a convenient option if you are on Android. But even if you’re not on Android, you can download the app on your iPhone and it’s still convenient because it’s linked to your Google account.
They claim to have “millions of ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and manga.”
Reality Is Not What It Seems (narration sample):
✓ Previews and narration samples
✓ Offline listening
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay + Android Auto
Similar to Apple Books, I can’t change the marketplace and see titles in other countries. But in curated lists such as “Top Selling” I do see titles in English.
There are no subscription plans. Audiobooks are priced individually.
⭐️ Google Play Books & Audiobooks is rated 4.4/5 from 9.6K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
5. BeFreed (the AI player)
BeFreed turns books into podcast-style audio lessons that you can listen in 10 minutes (if you choose the quick version) or around 30 minutes (if you choose the deep dive version). So it’s not exactly an audiobook app… it’s more like an audiobook summary app.
The audio lessons are built with AI, and you can talk to an AI tutor to help you solve any doubt during a lesson. So the app relies heavily on the use of AI.
They claim to have over 10,000 titles.
(Note: The founder, Jisong Liu, was an AI engineer at Pinterest and Google.)
Eleven Minutes, by Paulo Coelho (narration sample + synced transcript):
✓ Access to the full library of audio lessons
✓ Offline listening
✓ Synced transcripts
✓ Sleep Timer
I love this app for discovering new books. For instance, I discovered the novel Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho, which I’m planning to listen on Audible once my Audible subscription lets me get the new monthly audiobook (I already got The Great Gatsby a few days ago).
👉 I talked to the team at BeFreed and they agreed to give us a 20% discount by signing up with this link!
⭐️ BeFreed is rated 4.7/5 from 2.8K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
6. Libro.fm (the Ethical player)
Their mobile app is not the most polished (compared to the other apps), nor the most convenient (you can only manage your account and payments from the website), and audiobooks are not the cheapest.
So… why is this app so popular (with 36K ratings on the US App Store) and included in my list ??
I think it deserves a mention because it might be the most ethical player. They have partnerships with local bookstores (all over the world, but mainly in North America, UK, Australia, and New Zealand) where they share a percentage of their profits with them. And when you sign up, you can actually pick the local bookstore that you want to support (if it’s listed in their directory of local bookstore partners).
Greenlights (narration sample):
P.S. I loved that the author of the book, Matthew McConaughey, is also the narrator. This audiobook is available on all audiobook apps listed here (except LibriVox).
✓ Narration samples
✓ Offline listening (including DRM-free files such as MP3)
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay + Android Auto
✓ Supports your local bookstore (if it’s a partner of Libro.fm)
Libro.fm also offers a wide selection with more than 600,000 titles (according to them).
But personally, I won’t be using Libro.fm for three reasons:
They do not disclose what percentage of profits they actually share with the local bookstores.
I live in Barcelona (Spain), and I see there are only two listed local bookstore partners — neither of which I’ve ever been.
Since a few years ago, I just read everything on my Kindle device. Because…
(1) I can travel anywhere with my full library of books,
(2) I can buy a book and start reading it right away,
(3) I’m a fan of highlighting apps (if you wanna learn more about highlighting apps, I wrote a review of my favorite one: Readwise).
Now let’s get into pricing.
They have two options:
(1) Subscription-based memberships:
Monthly membership with one credit → You can choose one audiobook per month, and you get a 30% discount on additional audiobooks. The subscription goes for $14.99/month (or €12.99/month).
Monthly membership with two credits → You can choose two audiobooks per month, and you get a 30% discount on additional audiobooks. The subscription costs $23.99/month (or €21.99/month).
Annual membership → You can choose 12 audiobooks per year (which you can get immediately), and you get the 30% off on additional audiobooks. The subscription goes for $169.99/year (or €154.99/year).
(2) You can also skip the subscriptions and just purchase audiobooks directly.
⭐️ Libro.fm is rated 4.9/5 from 36K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
7. Chirp Books (the “Best Deals” player)
I was only able to try Chirp Books on the website (which is available anywhere in the world), since the mobile app is restricted to US and Canada.
In Chirp Books, you’ll find a selection of audiobooks with steep — sometimes very steep — discounts. They do not say how big is the library of discounted audiobooks, but it looks pretty large. And they say that new deals are added every day (which can also be sent to your email).
The Art of War (narration sample):
✓ Narration samples
✓ Offline listening
✓ Sleep Timer
✓ Apple CarPlay + Android Auto
You buy the audiobooks directly, and listen on the website (from anywhere in the world) or the mobile app (if you live in the US or Canada).
⭐️ Chirp Audiobooks is rated 4.8/5 from 86K ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
Other Audiobook Apps (which I haven’t tried)
These are audiobook apps that I was not able to try — because of country restrictions — but I still list them here because they are highly recommended and you might be able to access depending on your country.
8. Libby & Hoopla (free audiobooks from your Public Library)
If you live in the US or Canada, Libby might be a great free alternative to check out.
It has partnerships with most public libraries (+90% of public libraries in North America, according to them), so you can sign up on Libby with your library card and then you get access to your local library’s digital catalog — where you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks.
They have a mobile app, and you can download the ebooks and audiobooks to read or listen offline.
⭐️ Libby is rated 4.9/5 from 4.4M ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
Another popular app that connects with public libraries (in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) is Hoopla. So if Libby is not a partner of your local library, Hoopla might be!
⭐️ Hoopla is rated 4.8/5 from 1.4M ratings on the US App Store, as of July 2026.
9. Spotify Audiobooks
If you live in one of the eligible countries (see the list below) and you already use Spotify, this might be an interesting alternative.
The library size depends on your country, but they generally offer a catalog of 600K - 700K audiobook titles.
The pricing depends on your country and type of subscription (Free account / Premium Student / Premium Individual / Premium Duo / Premium Family).
Click on your country of residence to see the full details…
(🌎 Eligible countries as of July 2026: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States)
Conclusion: Which is The Best Audiobook App in 2026?
My favorite audiobook app was Audible with the subscription plan, for three reasons:
A subscription of $8.99 per month that gets you one audiobook every month is a great deal when most audiobooks cost much more than $8.99.
They have a wide selection of 1M+ audiobooks.
The mobile app works flawlessly and it has both the best rating and the highest number of ratings on the App Store (4.9/5 from 5.5M ratings).
👉 Try Audible free for 30 days! (then $8.99/month until canceled)
(P.S. I earn a commission if you sign up with this link — at no extra cost to you. This supports my work and keeps the site ad-free)
In the case I wanna listen to more than one audiobook in a given month, I’d have to purchase audiobooks directly. In that case, I’d compare prices between Audible (it typically runs discounts if you are a paying member) and Google Play Books & Audiobooks (I found it to offer cheaper prices than Apple Books and Libro.fm). If I lived in the US or Canada, I’d look into Chirp Books too!
And of course, if I’m interested in a book that is in the public domain, I’d check on LibriVox to see if it’s available there for free. If it’s available and I like the narration style, then I listen to the audiobook on LibriVox for free!
I’m also using BeFreed (audiobook summaries) to explore new audiobooks and discover interesting ones to then go deeper on Audible. If you wanna check out BeFreed, here’s a 20% discount you can use on all subscription plans!
And thank you for reading my blog post ❤️
P.S. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.