A while back I started an Audible subscription (after a multitude of people kept recommending it to me). Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised, as it’s something a lot of people can reliably make a lot of use of. While I certainly love reading a book the old fashioned way, audiobooks are becoming more and more popular. For good reason too, after all it is far more convenient and easy to multitask while listening to an audiobook.
As far as audiobook platforms, vendors, and services go, Audible is definitely the top one on the market. It looks like it will stay that way for a while too. Without further ado, let’s get into the Audible review and break down everything you need to know!
How Does It Work?
Audible is mostly straightforward. You can even get a free 30-trial and an audiobook of your choosing! On top of that, you get access to routine sales and discounts. Once your trial ends, you’ll have to choose a subscription plan if you want to continue, and each one comes with its own benefits.
Audible’s Pricing And Subscription Plans
Right now there are two primary plans, Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus. If you consistently listen to one or more audiobooks every month, Audible Premium Plus provides immense value and is the far better choice. If you listen irregularly, or just want access to a lot of Audible exclusives, Audible Plus is probably the right subscription plan for you.
Audible Plus
With audible plus you basically get access to a lot of nifty Audible-exclusive content. You can purchase Audible Originals, audio books, sleep tracks, meditation programs, and even access podcasts. This currently costs $7.95 per month. I think it’s a good option for the uninitiated, to try out audio books and podcasts, or access content that is exclusive to Audible. However, I highly recommend upgrading to Premium Plus if you like it, as that is where the real value is in my opinion.
Audible Premium Plus
With Audible Premium Plus, you get access to everything from Audible Plus, and you get one credit every single month. Credits can be redeemed for an audiobook. In other words, every month you get a free audiobook of your choosing. This plan costs $14.95 per month.
Honestly, that’s a great price when you think about it. For $15 you get access to a lot of free content, plus you can redeem a credit for an extra free audiobook. Now, not all audiobooks cost more than $15, but a lot do. So if you like to listen to one or more audiobooks a month this could potentially be a massive steal. I personally like to listen to history audiobooks, which can be quite expensive. Getting them for basically $15 is equivalent to getting them at an incredibly steep discount for me.
What I just described is the core Audible Premium Plus monthly plan, but there are a few offshoots. I won’t get into the details of them here, but they’re basically slightly different prices that offer more credits if you go through audiobooks fast. While I’ve never had the need to use them, if you go through a lot of audiobooks each month, they provide an even better value than the main Audible Premium Plus Plan.
You Keep The Audiobooks
I thought this went without saying, but a lot of people seem to have concerns about this. If you cancel your Audible subscription, you still have access to the audiobooks you purchased with cash or traded a credit for. So, as long as you keep your account, you can log in and listen to your newer books and relisten to your older ones. In fact, I know some people that get the Audible Premium Plus membership, but cancel it every now and then to give them time to catch up because they don’t listen to audiobooks often enough to keep up with the free monthly credit.
You Can Listen More Often Than You Can Sit Down And Read
Let’s be frank. While reading can be fun, and you definitely should take the time to do it, it’s not something we can always afford to do. Fortunately, audiobooks make it easy to keep up with the latest literature or learn more about various topics. You can listen while you do chores, errands, sit in a waiting room, or even commute. In other words, audiobooks can help you make some of the “idle” time much more productive.
You Can Check Previews
Before you make a purchase you can listen to quick previews and snippets of the content. Sometimes a dull narrator can make or break an audiobook for me, especially if I have a hard time understanding the narrator. So, this is definitely a nice feature to make use of so you don’t end up regretting a purchase.
Frequent Sales And Deals
Another nice thing about being an Audible member is that you have access to their discounts. A lot of times you’ll see audiobooks at a discount that is more competitive than just about any other vendor. So, between sales and your credits, you’re generally making the most of your money at Audible.
Is It Worth It?
I went over this a bit when I discussed Audible’s subscription plans earlier. The simple answer is that yes, it’s worth it. The long answer is that it depends. I think the trial is generally enough to dip your feet in before deciding if you like Audible or not. Audible Plus gives you more time to decide, but if you like Audible then the real value is with the Audible Premium Plus plan (again, in my opinion).
Access to Audible exclusives and a free audiobook every single month usually makes it more than worth it. And, if you ever need to catch up on your audiobooks, you can cancel for a month or two if need be and pick right back up.
As for the advanced versions of Audible Premium Plus, it’s hard to say if they’re worth it. You’re definitely getting a lot for your money at that point (for additional credits each month, instead of just one), but if you don’t regularly listen to that much content there is no point and you should just stick to Audible Premium Plus.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this review and it made deciding whether to use Audible or not a lot easier! If you’re on the fence, just go ahead and give the 30-day trial a spin. Of course, if you realize you don’t like it, you can just cancel. If you have any thoughts on Audible, or tips on getting the most out of your money with it, let us know in the comments.
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