Audible vs LibriVox
Audible
audible.comLibriVox
librivox.orgSide by side
| Figure | Audible | LibriVox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Audiobook Apps | 8.6 (#2) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Catalog | Audible describes its catalog as including bestsellers, new releases, exclusives, and Audible Originals. | Listeners can browse the catalog by author, title, genre or subject, and language. |
| Founded | 1995 | LibriVox was started in August 2005 by Hugh McGuire. |
| Offline listening | Listeners can download titles in the app for offline listening. | Users can download complete books or chapters and listen later without an internet connection. |
| Support | Audible customer service is available 24/7, and it offers a dedicated accessibility support team for assistive technology and accessibility questions. | LibriVox says its forum is the best way to get in touch, with email also available. |
Plans
Audible
- Standard$8.99 a month
- Premium$14.95 a month
- Premium$149.50 a year
- Premium (24 credits/yr)$229.50 a year
In their own words
Audible
Audible offers audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals across Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Its catalog includes bestsellers, new releases, exclusive titles, and Originals. In the mobile app, listeners can download titles for offline playback, adjust narration speed, set a sleep timer, and use Car Mode’s larger, simplified controls. The Cloud Player streams titles in a browser on a computer with an internet connection. Free or purchased titles can be played in the app without a membership, but an Amazon account is required. Audible also works with Alexa-enabled devices when both services use the same Amazon account, and supports Android Auto, Android Automotive OS, Apple CarPlay, and Waze. Alexa does not support clips and bookmarks, ratings and reviews, listening logs, or marking titles finished. Plans include Standard at $8.99 a month, Premium at $14.95 a month, and Premium (24 credits/yr) at $229.50 a year. The service was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.
LibriVox
LibriVox is a free audiobook library built from volunteer recordings of public-domain books. Listeners can browse by author, title, genre or subject, and language, then play or download individual audio files, download a book ZIP, subscribe to RSS or use BitTorrent. Catalog pages provide 64 kbps and 128 kbps MP3 files, and most books also have an M4B option. Its podcast presents one book at a time in three audio installments per week. Recordings are accepted in all languages; volunteers need no prior experience or audition, just a voice, a computer and free recording software. The catalog API offers audiobook, track and author endpoints for apps that refresh catalog data. It returns 50 records by default, up to 500 per request, with offset batches for larger pulls. Recordings are donated to the public domain, though status can vary by country. LibriVox began in 2005 and is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. The catalog can include older works with language or ideas some readers find offensive or antiquated.