How much do you listen to audiobooks? Are you more of an auditory learner? If you are, then this Audible review would be useful for you as you get to know more of Audible’s features. We want to help you decide whether Audible is worth your money or not.
So let’s get started with this Audible Review
Audible Review: What Is Audible?
Audible is an audiobook subscription service owned by Amazon. It curates the world’s largest collection of audiobooks, in multiple languages, across all genres.
Aside from a wide selection of available audiobooks, Audible is also known for their creation of new audio “shows” as well as their publication of hundreds of Audible Originals that are produced by the company.
To get started, you must first subscribe with an Audible membership. Once you’re subscribed, you have instant access to download one “free” book each month. Then you will have access to many audiobook titles available for purchase.
These audiobooks can be played on numerous devices and can be paused, played, rewound, annotated, and shared.
Audible Review: Free Trial!
If you’ve never tried Audible before, then here’s good news for you!
You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial to test if Audible is a good fit for you. During the trial period, you can download two free audiobooks to enjoy. And you can keep the audiobooks you’ve downloaded even if you don’t keep the membership!
If you fell in love Audible and want to keep the subscription, then you have the easier option. You don’t have to do anything as long as you’ve signed up for the free trial!
Yes, that’s right. After your free trial, the membership period will begin automatically unless you choose to cancel. That simple!
An Audible membership costs $14.95 per month, which includes one audiobook download of your choice, plus two Audible Originals (audiobooks created by Audible).
Even if you decide to cancel, these audiobooks are yours to keep and access at any time.
Not much time to read this month?
Luckily for you, your Audible credits roll over. This means that if you don’t select an audiobook this month, you’ll have two credits to use next month!
Is Audible included with Prime?
Unfortunately, Audible is not included with Prime. It would have been awesome if it was, right? Hear ye, hear ye, Amazon!
Nonetheless, while Audible membership is not free for Amazon Prime subscribers, Prime members still have access to some free audiobooks through their Prime Membership. This, however, doesn’t have any link to Audible, which means that Prime members still don’t have access to the audiobooks available in Audible.
So, for Prime members, if you want all of the benefits of Audible membership, you will still need to pay the separate subscription fees. Find out more here.
Audible Review: Devices to Use
Do I need a tablet to listen to Audible?
Nope! There are many different ways to listen to Audible audiobooks. You can download the free Audible app on any device that has access to an App Store or Google Play Store. This means that iOS, Android, and Google devices can all play Audible resources.
Of course, any Amazon technologies capable of wi-fi connection and audio can also play Audible audiobooks. This includes the newer Kindle Fire, Oasis, and Paperwhite devices, as well as Alexa-enabled devices, and even Fire TVs.
PCs with Mac or Windows operating systems can play audiobooks from the Audible desktop app as well. Other Audible compatible devices include Sandisk MP3 players and Garmin GPS devices.
And here’s the best part… after you download an audiobook from Audible onto your device, you can listen 24/7, even without a wi-fi connection! Isn’t that exciting?
Audible Review: Audible Credits
Do Audible Credits Accumulate?
Yes! If you choose not to redeem your monthly credit for an audiobook on Audible, your credit will roll over to the next month. This means that you will have 2 credits once your membership is renewed the next month.
This process continues for up to 6 months, where you can choose to use your monthly credit on a later date. However, if you wait more than 6 months without using any, you will no longer get an additional credit on the seventh month and the following months thereafter.
If you had 6 credits and used one, making your balance 5, the next month you would get another credit, bringing your balance back to 6. Therefore, it would be safe to say that Audible will allow you to collect up to a maximum of 6 credits only.
Audible Review: Signing up
First of all, even if you’ve decided you want to subscribe to Audible, don’t miss out on the 30-day free trial! Even if you already know that Audible is for you, why turn down a free audiobook, right?
After your trial is up, membership will automatically begin unless you choose to cancel. The card that you have on file with Amazon will be charged $14.95 monthly until you unsubscribe from the service.
You are also eligible to activate Audible Escapes once you sign up for an Audible membership. This is a curated package that is separate from normal memberships designed especially for romance novel lovers.
Audible Escapes is $6.95 per month and includes UNLIMITED monthly access to thousands of romance novel audiobooks! If this is your preferred genre, Audible Escapes is the perfect Audible add-on for you.
Alternatively, you can select Audible Escapes only without full Audible membership, and pay just $12.95 per month.
How do I cancel a membership?
It is easy to cancel your audible subscription. However, you can only do it from the desktop site and not from the Audible or Amazon apps.
To cancel Audible, go to the Account Details tab in Audible. At the bottom of the page, under “View Membership Details”, click Cancel Membership. Follow the prompts to cancel.
Remember, you do not lose access to any audiobooks that you purchased using credits or money while you had a trial or membership. They are yours to keep!
You can also re-activate your Audible membership at any time.
Top 7 Non-Fiction Books
To help you decide further if you want to try Audible or not, here are some of the top nonfiction books available on Audible.
1. It’s a Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson
This is an autobiography of Willie Nelson’s life.
Learn about the highs and lows of Willie Nelson’s storied past, from music and business to love and loss. (9 hours, 33 minutes)
Check the reviews on Amazon here.
2. Becoming by Michelle Obama
This is an autobiography by the former First Lady.
It remained atop the NY Times bestseller list for weeks.
Find out the reasons for its popularity by listening to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself. (19 hours, 3 minutes)
See what others had to say here!
Listen for free here!
3. Educated by Tara Westover
A true story about the author’s journey from rural Idaho where she was not allowed to attend school as a girl, and her eventual graduation from Harvard and Cambridge Universities. (12 hours, 10 minutes)
Check the 14,000+ reviews on Amazon here.
4. The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
This is an account of a codebreaking couple who put their skills to work for the Allies during WWII. The true story of the origins of modern cryptology. (13 hours, 36 minutes)
Check out nearly 1,000 amazing reviews here!
5. Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Gary John Bishop
The self-empowerment guide for the 21st century, this edgy guide helps you become your best you through tough love and acceptance. (3 hours, 23 minutes)
Check the reviews on Amazon here.
6. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
If there’s anyone we should be taking empowerment advice from, it’s David Goggins. Retired Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, Air Force TATC,
tri-athlete, and World Record Holder: listen to what this man has to say. (13 hours, 37 minutes)
Check out the crazy 7,000 + reviews on Amazon here!
7. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
The latest book from viral motivational speaker Rachel Hollis continues to encourage women to stand up, speak out, and own it! (8 hours, 10 minutes)
Check the reviews on Amazon here.
Is an Audible Membership Worth It?
Let’s put it this way. An Audible trial is definitely worth it. You’ll get two free audiobooks that are yours to keep, even if you cancel, you’ll get to try out audiobooks for free, and get tons of information without paying a penny. What’s not to love, right?
It is clear that an Audible trial is worth it. But what about an Audible membership?
As they say, you do you, whatever floats your boat. If you completed your Audible trial and found that you really enjoyed audiobooks and plan to incorporate them into your reading routine, then continuing Audible membership is a great way to move forward.
An Audible membership means guaranteed monthly listening, with the flexibility to roll over credits or cancel at will.
However, for more casual listeners who are on the fence about audiobooks in the first place, subscribing to an Audible membership may not be the most logical step to take.
But wait, don’t go yet. Let’s just recap all the benefits of signing up to Audible.
Benefits of Audible Subscription
- Two Free audiobooks when you sign up!
- One free audiobook every month included with your membership
- Two free Audible Originals every month
- Exchanges made simple. They have a hassle-free return policy.
- Upgrade to Audible Escapes. You have the option to get access to Exclusive romance novel audiobooks for a lesser price.
- Compatible with Apple, Android, Kindle and more. You can play your Audible audiobooks on a wide array of platforms, from Kindles to iPhones to FireTVs, and even your car’s GPS!
- Audiobooks are available in multiple languages
- Gift audible and the recipient gets free books and 30% off future audiobook purchases
- Thousands of adult’s, children’s, fiction, and non-fiction books to choose from
- Alexa compatible for instant listening around the house. You can integrate Audible to any Alexa enabled devices in your house.
Now, if that’s not prime, then it’s Audible (pun intended. 😄)
Audible Alternatives to Try Out Before Signing Up
Still not sure if Audible or audiobooks, in general, is the best fit for you? Here are a couple more other options to try after an Audible trial before signing up for a $14.95 membership.
One of them is an Amazon Prime membership. You can have access to some free audiobooks outside of Audible. Amazon has a rotating list of books with audio narration that are free to Prime members even without an Audible subscription.
For this deal, you may still have to buy the e-book itself, but the audiobook version is included with your purchase.
Another option is to check out your nearest public library. Many public libraries have large collections of audiobooks that you can check out for free with a library card.
For readers who are willing to wait for audiobooks to become available, listening to audiobooks from the library is a great alternative to Audible. Of course, you don’t get to keep the audiobooks, but it just depends on what you prefer in your reading habits.
So is an Audible membership worth it?
That’s a question that every reader has to answer for themselves. But for readers who love audiobooks, Audible provides access to a great variety of books at an affordable price.
Even if you decide that Audible isn’t for you, being able to keep your trial audiobooks as well as make hassle-free returns makes trying Audible worth it.
I hope this audible review has been useful to you. Don’t forget to leave your comments about the topic below. And don’t forget to share this blog with your friends and families who likewise enjoy the wonders of reading books.
If you enjoyed this post, I’m sure you will love to read these, too!
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Let’s push towards our goal to read more books this year.
Until next time friends!
