Audible: A Fair Investment?
Investing in audible is absolutely worth it if you love books and like experimenting with the new technologies. I have a very pleasant experience with listening to the quality audiobooks from audible but as a book lover, it's the best thing I could ask for!
If you love reading books and the thought of listening to an audiobook is daunting then let me tell you, you are wrong. An audiobook is as entertaining as reading the real book.
You might be wondering now – is Audible Worth it? Well, today my brutally honest review would help you decide that.
I am an avid reader and read books every day if I can, but when I took out the Free 30 day audible trial, my perspective completely changed.
Ever since I listened to my first free audiobook, I have been hooked. I have been listening to my favorite audiobooks for 6 to 7 hours every day.
- Audible: A Fair Investment?
- What is Audible?
- Starting with Audible
- Audible Pricing
- Audible Membership Gold Plans
- Audible Membership Platinum Plan
- Audible channel plans
- Amazon Prime membership
- Affordability
- Refund Policy of Audible
- Cancel Audible subscription anytime
- Perks of Using Audible
- The Remarkable Whispersync
- Leading Audible library
- Summing up – Audible Review
- Is Audible Worth it? – Verdict
What is Audible?
Audible is a platform that provides spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks. It is the largest producer of audiobooks. With millions of listeners, audible has developed the media category and entertainment platform for the customers who looked out for options.
Starting with Audible
The first step is taking a free trial of audible that comes with the free audiobook. The one audiobook could be any of the classics or audible originals.
They have a wide range of choices to pick from. Towards the end of the free trial, I am sure you will be tempted to buy the monthly subscription because I was truly convinced to invest.
The amount is absolutely worth the entertainment that it provides. If you have an Amazon account, you can sign up for the Audible Membership and if you don’t have an Amazon account, you should create one to get the monthly subscription of audible.
There is an interesting policy at audible; they award 1 credit point every month and you can use this credit to buy audiobooks from the wide categories available on audible.
There are a lot of interesting categories of audiobooks that you can choose from including social media, romance, suspense, technology, cryptocurrency, etc. I was amazed by the wide array of choices available on audible.
You can pay for every audiobook or you can also buy extra audible credits to pay for your purchases. They have a very convenient system of payment which is incredible as a user. I dont think there is still an ambiguty to your question – Is Audible Worth it or not?
Audible has made it easier for me to listen to my books wherever and whenever I want. You just need to have the application installed on your phone, Windows, Alexa device, or Mac computer and you can listen to your audiobooks in the car, at work, or even in a cafe.
When you buy an audible audiobook, they automatically download to your library and remained there even if you cancel your subscription. This is one of the fairest features of using audible that you can cancel your subscription anytime.
No long procedures or hassle and on top of that, you get to keep the audiobooks that you paid for! What else can you ask for?
The only drawback i can think of is slow narrator, but if you install the audible app, you can increase the speed.
Every first Friday of the month, audible allows the users to download 2-6 Audible Originals. You wouldn’t have to pay for them and you get to keep them even after canceling your subscription.
Audible Pricing
Before we talk about the pricing, we have to make sure ” is Audible worth it in terms of value and money? “
As stated earlier, you get 30 days free trial from audible along with the free one audiobook. And then you can start your Audible membership if you love the experience.
However, you have to add in your credit card details to avail of the free trial. It’s a simple process that allows you to use audible free for a month.
This process wouldn’t take long and it’s absolutely worth it. After you have availed the free one-month trial, you will have to pay only $14.95 per month. It is a very fair and convenient price for the load of entertainment that this wonderful platform provides.
The best thing is that you can cancel your subscription anytime if you are not satisfied with the service.
Audible Membership Gold Plans
If you are paying for the Gold Audible Membership monthly subscription fee, you will automatically get one credit every month.
You can use this credit to buy and keep any audiobook of your choice. The total annual price of the gold plan is $149.5
You get 12 credits every year if you opt for the gold annual plan! That is one credit per month. This plan is worth the investment and the most popular one among the users.
Audible Membership Platinum Plan
The cost of a platinum plan per month is $22.95. In this plan, you will get to credit every month that makes up 24 credits annually.
The yearly payment of this subscription is $229.50 which is slightly higher than the gold plan. As compared to the gold plan, the platinum plan comes with higher perks
Audible channel plans
This is the basic plan with a $4.95 monthly payment and no credits.
Amazon Prime membership
If you have a membership off Amazon Prime then audible will be free of cost for you. Yes, you will use audible for free, however, there is a limit to how many audiobooks you can get access to.
As an Amazon Prime member, you can download up to 50+ books. But even if you are not an Amazon Prime member you still can easily opt for an Audible membership and enjoy.
Affordability
Before deciding Is Audible worth it? We need to check for things like affordability and value. The best thing about audible is that it is affordable. It is convenient to buy the titles or you can opt to pay per month. Both options are available for the users.
The most convenient thing to do is buying membership credits. It is easier to use the credits to buy any audiobook of your choice rather than going the other way.
It should also be noted that audible regularly offers attractive deals and promotional discounts for the members. You can buy the classics in less than $1 but this facility is only available for the members who are paying a recurring membership fee.
It is highly recommended to get a membership of audible to truly enjoy the amazing listening treats that they offer. By now you might be convinced and would be chanting Yes Yes on the question “Is Audible Worth it or not?”
Refund Policy of Audible
Sometimes you may not like the audiobooks and you would wonder if you could return them so the good news is that you can.
Audible has a very flexible refunding policy where you can return the audiobook if you don’t like it over the 365 days of the purchase and you will be refunded.
I bought an audiobook and it was not something that I was looking for so I contacted the representative at audible, he very kindly walked me through the refunding policy and I did not have to fill up any forms or make calls, the process was easy and efficient.
Cancel Audible subscription anytime
A few months back, I was lagging on the finances so I canceled the audible subscription until I was able to manage the monthly payment again. When I had to cancel my subscription, I contacted the representative again and the process was as easy as the refunding one.
The representative listen to my situation and told me that I could pause the subscription for several months and restart anytime I am ready to pay.
Moreover, I had over 10 audiobooks downloaded on my phone. I used to listen to over 15 books per month when I canceled the subscription but the representative told me that the audiobooks were mine and I could listen to them even after the cancellation of the subscription.
It was a wonderful gesture and as a user, I was forced to return to audible. Other than the amazing stuff that they offer, their policies are very user-friendly which draws me to continue my subscription for a long time.
Perks of Using Audible
Anything that comes free is always welcomed. Audible awards you a free audiobook on your first-month free trial. Isn’t that amazing?
Ever since I listen to that first free audiobook, there was no looking back and I was drawn to subscribe for a monthly plan. I recommend using Audible app that is more intuitive and easy to use.
It is always recommended to go through the reviews and by the audiobook that is worth your money and I did the same. I got The Zahir by Paulo Coelho. Trust me, it was an incredible experience listening to this incredible book for the next 30 days.
Contrary to the popular belief, this does not take away the pleasure of reading books rather it enhances the experience. An awesome feature of audible is that you can listen to the top authors narrating their top sellers.
Isn’t that exciting?
There are about 200 000 audiobooks [audible Originals] including the classics or best sellers. Listening to the author narrate their own stories is an experience of a lifetime.
Sometimes while reading the books, you wonder how the author might have read it or how he/she intended it to sound like in our minds. Audible is an amazing platform that fulfills this dream of book readers like me.
When you listen to the author reading their books, you somehow connect with the story even more and the experience is worth the cost. In some cases, popular actor or actress narrates popular books.
One such example is Heart of Darkness; this popular book is narrated by Kenneth Branagh. This outstanding book written by Joseph Conrad has gained popularity among the readers but Branagh’s narration added a lot of spice in the story.
You somehow engage in the story and stay on the edge of your seat until the narration is completed. Audible provides many popular books narrated by popular people!
The Remarkable Whispersync
One of the most outstanding features on audible is Whispersync for voice rocks. I had no clue about this feature until I started using audible.
It is a smart technology that connects your Kindle Fire with Audible. If you are reading a book on Kindle Fire, this technology will automatically sync with Audible.
When you stop reading the book on Kindle Fire, this technology will allow you to listen to the audiobook of the same book the next time you open audible.
It digitally bookmarks the place where you stop reading and allows you to listen to the audiobook right from where you left off reading. It is mainly a simple feature but very convenient for book lovers like me. However, you have to remember a few things.
You must purchase both versions to use Whispersync (Kindle Fire and audible). Audible offers some amazing discounts and deals for the audio versions of your favorite Kindle Books.
It is also important that your region must be the same on both the Amazon and Audible account. You won’t be able to use Whispersync if your Amazon account is from India and the audible account is from the US.
Leading Audible library
Audible offers a large range of books. There are millions of books from around the world. There is rarely a book that is not available on audible and with more than 425000 audiobooks, audible is one of the largest platforms for listening entertainment.
Almost all the books available on Amazon have an audiobook version on audible so if you are looking for a new, old or popular audiobook, you will find it on audible for sure.
Who doesn’t like options?
I was swayed by the wide array of audiobooks available on audible. It’s one of the most impressive features that makes audible standout.
Also, you can purchase the audiobook summaries for the popular books out there. If you are tight on budget and time, audible offers summaries of the audiobooks as well.
It’s just like skimming through a book to understand the basic concept and main points but only in the audio format.
These summarized versions of the books are usually low-priced. Well, to be honest, there is no debate on is audible worth it as indeed it is.
Summing up – Audible Review
To sum up our Review – Is Audible worth it?
Audible is worth every penny that you pay for. If you love books and reading, audible will be a brilliant innovation in your passion for books.
You get to pay a monthly membership fee and listen to your favorite audiobooks on the go! I use Audible on my iPhone and I have been using it for several years.
With the immense quality and quantity of audiobooks that this platform offers, I have listened to more than 50 audiobooks up till now and I intend to listen more!
Indeed, it does not give you the real essence of reading the book but listening to the narration gives you a pleasurable time.
The best thing is that you can listen to the audiobooks wherever and whenever you want. For example, I listen to most of my audiobooks during the commute. I can get on a bus and listen to my favorite audiobook while I get to my workplace.
Is Audible Worth it? – Verdict
This platform has helped me gain a lot of knowledge without the hassle of actually taking out time in sitting down to read the book.
Furthermore, I got to listen to my favorites fiction novels that were in my pipeline for a very long time but I never got a chance to read them due to the lack of time.
Audible is compatible with many devices including Amazon Kindle, Android smartphones, max computers and Windows, MP3 players, and Amazon Alexa and make use of Audible app – It’s extremely helpful. Their refunding policy is very lenient in case you do not like the product.
You can cancel or pause your membership anytime! If you are unsure about it, they will assist you through the process of cancellation and pausing the membership. It cannot be neglected that there is a very good quality of audio available for the users on audible.
Some popular names that recorded audiobooks on audible include Mel Robbins and Michelle Obama. I would highly recommend buying subscription of Audible if you are a fan of audiobooks. It would prove to be a great investment worth every penny spent.
If you liked my thoughts on the Audible Review – Is Audible worth it. Please do share it with your friends and if you have anything in mind, let me know in the comments.