Is Audible Worth It? What You Need to Know in 2020

Audible is the best way to listen to audiobooks. I use Audible every day and regularly listen to at least 15-20 hours of Audible content a month. This is what you need to know about Audible and my Audible review to help you decide if Audible is worth it.

Audible is the best way to listen to Audiobooks. Trust me, I’ve tried them all and I always came back to Audible. I’ve tried using library options and Audible alternatives, but ultimately they come up short.

You can get a free Audible book when you sign up for a trial, but you can also get discounts when giving an Audible gift membership for 6 or 12-months. This is what you need to know about subscribing to Audible, the best Audible deals and any catches to the free audible audiobooks offers.

What is Audible?

Audible is an audiobook store that allows users to buy audiobooks one at a time, or to join as a member and get several audiobooks each month much cheaper than buying audiobooks individually. Audible is owned by Amazon and in addition to getting audiobooks at a discount when you subscribe, you can also buy cheaper audiobook companions and you can also sync progress from ebook to an audiobook.

Try Audible and Get A Free Audiobook

While there are other places you can get audiobooks, this is my go-to source. I don’t have to wait for a copy to come back in stock at the local library and I don’t have to deal with limited selection on some competing services. I’ve been an Audible member for years and tried many Audible alternatives, but I keep coming back.

Audible Review: Is Audible Worth It?

I’ve used Audible on and off for more than a decade, starting in late 2008 and picking up loads of steam in the last several years when I upgraded to the Platinum plan. I love Audiobooks because I can listen to them while driving, cleaning, doing yard work, shopping and pretty much anything else.

I am able to “read” more books than I can when sitting down and the narrators do amazing work at bringing the books to life in new ways. I listen to 15-50 hours of audiobooks a month, sometimes nearly 60 hours if it is a month where I am traveling or have a lot of away from the computer work to do.

I love that audiobook progress syncs between my Amazon Echo Dot, iPhone, iPad and whatever Android phone I am testing. I enjoy the great narration from Ray Porter, RC Bray, Scott Brick, Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton and many others.

I’ve tried to use other services online and through my library, but I either ran into issues finding the book I wanted or was stuck waiting for a long list of other users to finish. Audible is the best way to listen to audiobooks that I’ve found.

What’s the Catch with a Free Audible Book?

When you are a new Audible member you get a free audiobook when you try Audible. This is a free 30 day trial and you can cancel at any time. If you don’t cancel you will automatically renew at the plan you choose when you sign up. You can pick from a range of Audible plans from $14.95 a month and up.

There is no commitment to stay with Audible, and you keep the free books even if you don’t sign up for another month. The only real catch is that you cannot sign up for another free trial later.

Audible customer service is very helpful if you need support with your free book and in some cases can help you with a refund if you forget to cancel your free trial on time.

How Much Does Audible Cost?

There are two main Audible monthly plans and two annual plans that help you save even more by paying for a year of service upfront.

• Audible Gold – $14.95 per month – 1 Credit
• Audible Platinum – $22.95 per month – 2 Credit
• Audible Gold – $149.50 per year – 12 Credit
• Audible Platinum – $229.50 per year – 24 Credit

That a range of $9.57 per credit to $14.95 per credit. It’s important to use credits on books that cost more than the price you pay for a credit. I use credits on new releases from authors I love and then I pay outright for short stories or books that are on sale for under $10. With a membership, you also get 30% off the list prices.

You can also gift Audible memberships from 1 to 12 months. Those prices range from $15 for pone month to $150 for 12 months. The gift memberships include one audiobook of your choice, two free Audible Originals and 30% off audiobooks.

You can buy an extra Audible credit if you run out or if you are down to one credit. In most cases, you need to buy a pack of three credits for around $35. The price will vary based on your plan.

Can I Carry Over Audible Credits?

If you don’t listen to audiobooks fast, you can always carry over credits to another month. With the Gold monthly plan you can carry over up to six credits and with the Platinum monthly you can carry over up to 12. With the annual Gold plan you can carry over up to 18 credits and the Platinum annual plan includes the ability to carry over up to 36 credits.

Users can place their membership on hold for up to three months once every 12 months. This is great if you get super busy and cannot listen, but want to save your credits. During this time, you don’t pay for your membership and you can still use your current credits.

What if I Don’t Like an Audible Book?

When you subscribe to Audible you can test out a new audiobook without worrying about wasting a credit or your cash. With any of the membership plans, you can swap a book at any time if you don’t like it.

I’ve done this twice when I couldn’t get into an audiobook or the book series switched to a new narrator that wasn’t on par with the previous one. There is no hard limit, but if you abuse the return program you may find that you can no longer use it.

How to Listen to Audible

You can listen to Audible on a wide array of devices. You need an Internet connection to download the book and to sync progress, but once it is downloaded you can listen offline. Audible is available on the following devices.

• iPhone
• iPad
• Mac
• Android
• Android tablets
• Amazon Fire tablets
• Kindle, Kindle Oasis
• Fire TV
• Sonos Speakers
• Amazon Alexa
• Windows
• Windows Phone
• Sandisk & Creative MP3 players

There are a lot of places you can listen to, and you can connect many of these to your car, Bluetooth speakers or headphones so that you can listen to audiobooks from audible almost anywhere.

Audible Deals

The best Audible deal is when you get two free audiobooks by signing up for the first time. You can save a lot by paying for an annual membership if you are able to go that route.

Right now you can get a free audiobook when you try or join Audible for the first time. This is the best deal you will find and then you can use the 30% off discount members get on other books or wait for your next set of credits.

You can gift an Audible Membership to someone, which is an awesome birthday or Christmas gift.

Audible WhisperSync Deals

One great benefit of Audible is that you can get an audiobook companion to ebooks you own for as little as $1.99. With this option, you can switch between ebook and audiobook at the same location seamlessly. It is also a handy way to use the Amazon Prime reading membership to get a cheap audiobook from Audible.

How to Put Your Audible Membership on Hold

If you need to put your Audible membership on hold to save money or if you have too many credits, you can ask for a vacation hold. You are eligible for a hold once every year for up to three months.

You can’t do this in the account section of the app or website. You need to start a chat, email or call Audible for support. I recommend using the chat option. Ask for a vacation hold and then stay on the chat for a few minutes while they make the change to your account.

This keeps your credits and prevents new charges for up to three months. At the end of the time, the account will reactivate. You can also contact Audible if you want to end the vacation hold early.