LibriVox vs Loyal Books
LibriVox
librivox.orgLoyal Books
loyalbooks.comSide by side
| Figure | LibriVox | Loyal Books |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Audiobook Apps | 8.5 (#3) | 8.3 (#7) |
| Catalog | Listeners can browse the catalog by author, title, genre or subject, and language. | The app page lists 7,000+ audiobooks and 35,000+ eBooks. |
| Languages | Volunteers may record in any language and the catalog supports multilingual projects. | The Android listing says books are available in more than 25 languages. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 from 33K ratings. | 4.5 out of 5 from 360 ratings |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.5 out of 5 from 68.1K reviews. | 4.1 out of 5 from 912 reviews |
| Support | LibriVox says its forum is the best way to get in touch, with email also available. | The app page directs Android and iOS comments and requests to [email protected] and [email protected]. |
| What it does | LibriVox volunteers record public-domain books and release the audio online for free. | Loyal Books is a searchable service for streaming or downloading public-domain audiobooks and eBooks. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
Loyal Books
Loyal Books offers free audiobooks and eBooks on the web, Android, and iOS. Its app page lists 7,000+ audiobooks and 35,000+ eBooks, with material including children’s books, fiction, and mysteries. Books are available in 25+ languages. The catalog includes public-domain works digitized and recorded by volunteers, most sourced from Gutenberg.org and Librivox.org; Loyal Books says all audiobooks on its website are in the public domain. It also offers best sellers. Audiobooks can be streamed or downloaded for offline listening, and playback speed is adjustable. Readers can browse featured books and top charts, and use reviews, ratings, and other discovery features. The website describes its browsing as primarily visual and screen reader friendly for people with vision disabilities. Its privacy policy says the service collects reviews, desktop or mobile preference cookies, and standard server logs, which it says are not shared outside the company. Google and its partners use tracking and third-party cookies to serve ads, and the site uses Google Analytics Advertising Features.