So you've heard of Audible, you want to know how it works, how much it costs, is it a good value for money, what happens if you change your mind can you cancel, is Audible included for Prime members and where can you get a free trial? All the answers are right here!
What is Audible? What is the Audible app?
Audible is essentially a gigantic library of audiobooks (over 200’000) and podcasts (over 100’000). For me, an audiobook pulls me into a story; the emotion in the narrator’s voice, the pauses for suspense in just the right places. I’m a competent reader, yet I find listening to an audiobook so much more engaging.
The Audible app itself is a media player for the books and podcasts, so you can play, pause, scrub and jump to chapters and sections as you please.
The Audible UK app is part of the furniture on my iPhone’s home bar (as well as Peloton and Spotify), for quick access whenever I need or want some headspace, to focus on something other than work, or to learn something new.
I’ll listen to books in the shower, while I’m getting ready for work and when commuting’. I don’t listen, as others do, to Audible titles before bed as I prefer to switch to my Kindle Paperweight, reading a chapter or two of thrillers before my eyes naturally fall downcast and eventually close.
How does audible work (UK)?
Audible can be enjoyed pay-as-you-go or as a subscription. If you choose a subscription, you’ll be granted book credits into your account each month or year dependant on your subscription choice. You can then browse the Audible website or app for your desired audiobook and click ‘Buy with 1 Credit’, the book will show up in seconds in your library, it’s that simple.
If you choose not to get yourself a subscription, you simply select the option to ‘Buy now for £X.XX’ and again, the book will appear momentarily in your library.
The bonus about having a subscription with Audible is you get unlimited free access to all Audible Original Podcast shows too, just find one you fancy and click ‘Add series to library’. I recently listened to Derren Brown’s – Boot Camp For The Brain an Audible Original Podcast. It features fascinating mind experiments and informative insights from experts about our behaviours orchestrated by our system 1 and system 2 brain, (you’re going to have to listen for yourself to find out what the systems are!). It was only 8 episodes and well worth the 4 hours of listening time.
There’s no time limit for how long a book lasts, once a book is brought with physical money or credits, it’s yours for life. You can choose to ‘remove from device’, if a book is taking up storage space on your iPhone for example, but this doesn’t delete the purchase, it simply removes the physical file from your device.
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How much does an Audible membership cost (UK)?
A subscription to Audible ranges from £7.99 per month to £109.99 per year (see below for all subscription options).
If you’re not sure whether to try Audible there’s good news! You can get a 30-day free trial with 1 book credit and if it’s not for you, simply cancel it before the 30 days is up.
Audible membership options:
1 Book a month membership: £7.99 per month (equates to £7.99 per book)
12 Books a year membership: £69.99 per year (equates to £5.83 per book)
2 Books a month membership: £14.99 per month (equates to £7.50 per book)
24 Books a year membership: £109.99 per year (equates to £4.58 per book)
(Prices correct as of 8th July 2021)
Firstly, to be a subscriber on any plan is a much more cost-effective way to listen to audiobooks than pay as you go, buying titles ad-hoc. The most popular titles are between £10 and £25 to buy singularly with physical money.
As a subscriber, let’s say you’re on the 1 book a month plan and you wanted to add additional books, you can do so in 2 ways:
1. Buy a bundle of 3 additional credits for £18 (£6 per audiobook)
2. Buy an individual title at the member's price – which is either the original price or a discounted price-thousands of titles have discounts of up to 80% for subscribers.
I started with a 1 book per month subscription, but I found myself finishing the book halfway through the month and purchasing an additional book or additional credits every month. In the end, I switched to the 24 books a year subscription and still have enough book credits left for the year if I complete 1 book every 2 to 3 weeks. # Winning.
Is Audible free with Prime?
Prime and Audible are both services from Amazon, yet they are billed separately as they are essentially two very different offerings. However, if you are a Prime member you may get offered discounts on some audiobook titles, although the discounts are far greater as an Audible member than a Prime member.
BONUS TIP: If you get a free trial with Audible as a Prime member, you'll get 2 free audiobooks instead of 1!
How to cancel Audible (UK):
Hopefully, you’ll enjoy Audible as much as I do and you’ll find a subscription to fit your listening speed and available listening time, yet if you change your mind at any point, it’s super easy to cancel; simply log in to your account on the Audible website, click on your Account details and select ‘cancel membership’. BONUS TIP: Use your credits before you cancel the subscription!
So in conclusion, is Audible worth it (UK)?
In my opinion, 100% yes! Why?
For me, audiobooks are much more engaging than paper books
Audiobooks are accessible for situations where I can’t physically hold a book: shower, car (please listen/drive safely), on the train, whilst cooking etc
Audible Original Podcasts are not available on other platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, for that reason, I feel I’m getting bonus content
The app has great features, such as allowing you to clip 30-second snippets. This is great for note-taking when I’m learning something from an audiobook
Audiobooks can be expensive on their own, with an Audible subscription I can get a lot more value for money.
I hope this post has helped you understand a little more about how Audible works, how to use the Audible app and information on how much Audible costs. If you have any further questions, feel free to get in touch.
Whilst you’re here, feel free to check out some of my other reviews, top lists and how to's. Always honest and valuable information here at Tried and Loved.
Author – Jenny Bater-Sinclair
Audible is an audiobook service offering a wide selection of titles, including bestsellers, classics, and exclusive content. In the UK, it works through a membership that provides credits for audiobooks each month, with options to buy additional credits. The membership cost varies, but it's typically affordable for avid listeners. And if you're feeling overwhelmed by your academic work, you can always reach out and ask, "Write my dissertation proposal" to get the support you need.