The Best Audiobook Apps: Top 5 Services Recommended by Experts

Reading a book means rest. But in our busy lives, it can be difficult to find time to simply sit and read. You don’t have free hands during the day, and you’re too tired in the evening. Audiobooks are a great solution to this dilemma. You can listen to them in your car or while doing housework, or in the evening you can rest your eyes from the screen and fall asleep during “story time”. Because you deserve premium entertainment, Study Finds has compiled a list of the best audiobook apps a relaxing listening experience.
Audiobooks help you feel the ultimate connection with a book. Researchers at University College London found that listening to audiobook versions of popular novels—and movies—had a greater overall emotional impact than watching them on screen. It was for different stories, different ages and different demographics.
There’s a reason why listening to a story engages us the most. According to the Brazilian study, storytime reduces pain and stress by feeding certain hormones in children’s brains. “During storytelling, something happens that we call “the transport of the narrative”, that is, through fantasy, the child can experience feelings and thoughts that momentarily transport him to another world, another place, […] away from aversive conditions […]” says Dr. Guilherme Brockington, author of the study, from the Instituto D’Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR) and ABC Federal University.
Since adults also need to escape from reality from time to time with a good book, we gave you a hands-free listening experience. StudyFinds reviewed ten expert websites and compiled a list of the five best audiobook apps based on their recommendations. If your favorite app is not listed, please let us know in the comments.

The List: By Best Audiobook Apps to Experts
1. Audible
The clear expert favorite is Audible, recommended by ten experts out of ten, and the app is at the top of most lists and the best of at least two reviewers. “This Amazon-owned service dominates the audiobook space — and for good reason,” he writes Discovery. “With an Audible subscription, you can get your hands on virtually any title you can think of, plus original and exclusive copies!”
Based on Opinion Geek“Audible is the king of audiobooks.” In addition to the app’s “massive” selection, “Audible’s book recommendation algorithm is fantastic. […] The more you listen to, sample, and rate audiobooks, the better you’ll be at giving them titles they’ll be interested in.”
Although this audiobook app is only available for a monthly or yearly fee, another big plus is that you can keep your audiobooks with Audible:When you select a title, Audible lets you keep your titles forever, while other apps can easily borrow them,” he writes ZDNET.
2. Kobo
Eight out of ten experts rate Kobo as one of the best audiobook apps. This app is a budget choice because “it’s currently the lowest priced of the major audiobook platforms, but offers more than six million ebooks and audiobooks despite the lower monthly cost” Mashable.
Kobo isn’t technically an audiobook app, but too an audiobook app: “Best known as an e-book retailer, Kobo Books also offers audiobooks on its platform. “The ‘Kobo Plus Listen’ plan is cheaper than Audible Premium Plus because you get unlimited access to over 100,000 audiobooks in their library for just $9.99,” he says. Discovery.
In addition to its low price, the app also includes some nice features such as “allows you to choose between day or night mode, font size and typing using the built-in dictionary. Kobo will also suggest new titles as you go, making personalized recommendations based on your reading history, he adds ZDNET.
3. Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com is a solid alternative to the first and second spots on our list. While this app “can’t keep up with Audible’s membership benefits,” it does include some nice extras: “Audiobook Clubs are an interesting and unique offering. They have fantastic sales and offers and a great selection of completely free audiobooks that are open to non-members as well,” he says. Lovely audio books.

Moreover, even though the Audiobooks app “same price as Audible Premium Plus membership – $14.95 – […] you get not one, but two audiobooks: one from Audiobooks.com’s entire library of over 300,000 titles, and the other […] from their “VIP” library which changes monthly. An Audiobooks.com membership also gives you access to an exclusive selection of audio news, audio magazines, audio digests, and sleep and meditation content in the apps. Mashable points out.
In terms of advanced technology features, this app includes variable playback speed, auto bookmark and sleep timer. Tom’s guide. “This app also features cross-device syncing, allowing listeners to easily switch from their smartphone, tablet or computer without losing their place in the audiobook.”
4. Scribd
With seven out of ten expert recommendations, Scribd has almost as much recognition as Audiobooks.com. However, at $11.99 after a 30-day free trial, Scribd is more affordable. And the application “it’s also bilingual, offering more than 60,000 titles in Spanish at launch,” he writes ZDNET.

“Scribd it has one of the largest digital libraries,” he claims He is speaking. “The service includes e-books, audiobooks, news articles, podcasts and even sheet music. While Scribd is not an exclusive audiobook service, it does include a variety of books for audiobook users.”
“If you want to combine your audiobook listening with e-books, podcasts, and news publications like The New York Times, Scribd might be the app for you.” Discovery. Their massive library includes a healthy balance of traditionally published books, TikTok bestsellers, and Scribd Originals. A unique advantage is Scribd’s publishing platform: “If you’re a writer, Scribd also has an open publishing platform that helps you self-publish your audiobook in minutes!”
5. Google Play Books
Slightly behind Scribd, this app is still recommended by half of the experts. Based on mentions, it barely surpassed its competitor, Libby. Both apps are free. But with Libby”you only have 14 days to finish [your books] before the application automatically returns them. Plus, you might have to queue for popular audiobooks,” he says Opinion Geek. That’s why Google Play Books made it to our list.

“You can browse available audiobooks and pay to download individual titles without paying a monthly subscription. For the iOS app, you have to purchase the books from the Google Play Books web store and they will be synced to your mobile device,” he explains. Mashable. “The apps are simple and make it easy to view downloaded titles. The audiobooks themselves sync across all devices, including the car with CarPlay.”
This app is also great for special interests: “If you like comics and manga, Google Play Books is the place to be,” it says ZDNET. And “personalized reading recommendations mean you’ll never run out of content.”
You may also be interested in:
Sources:
Note: This article was not paid for or sponsored. StudyFinds is not affiliated with or partnered with the brands mentioned and does not receive compensation for its referrals.