AudiobooksNow vs Kobo Books

AudiobooksNow lets customers buy audiobooks individually or join an optional Club Pricing Plan for discounts. Purchased titles remain in a customer’s library without an active plan. The service lists a catalog of over 480,000 audiobooks and supports listening on the web, Android, and iOS. Customers can stream on the website or download purchases; the help center says over 95% of titles are DRM-free and available as MP3 files, while some titles require DRM and are limited to app or website streaming. Bookmarks sync across listening locations, and fully downloaded audiobooks can be played offline after signing into the app. Free Android and iOS apps are listed, with Android Auto and CarPlay support respectively. Monthly Club Pricing costs $4.99 a month after a 30-day free trial and discounts the first audiobook each month by 50%, with 35–40% off other eligible titles. Annual Club Pricing costs $35.99 a year and discounts any 12 audiobooks by 50%, with 35–40% off other titles. Club enrollment and Club Price purchases are unavailable in the Apple iOS app but can be completed on the website. AudiobooksNow says it is available worldwide, though title availability can vary by country.

Kobo Books is a digital platform for buying and listening to audiobooks, with apps for iOS and Android and playback on select Kobo eReaders with Bluetooth. The mobile app lets listeners pause, fast-forward, rewind, and resume playback. Downloaded audiobooks can be played on a smartphone or tablet without an internet connection, and Bluetooth headphones or speakers can be used with the app. Kobo Plus Listen costs $7.99 a month after a 14-day free trial, plus applicable taxes. Kobo Plus Read & Listen costs $9.99 a month after the trial, plus applicable taxes. These subscriptions include audiobooks, or eBooks and audiobooks in the latter plan, but neither includes every title. Subscription credits also apply only to eligible audiobooks. Audiobooks cannot be played in the Kobo Desktop app or on a laptop or desktop computer. On iOS, audiobook purchases must be made through Kobo.com because the app does not support in-app purchases. Kobo Plus members can open up to 15 books offline in an eReader or app during a 30-day period before reconnecting and syncing. Kobo is based in Toronto and was founded in December 2009.