No Time To Read? Listen To Audiobooks Using These Paid and Free Apps

 

Audiobook apps are the best thing since sliced bread. The age of making excuses that you don’t have time to read are over. With audiobook apps, you can now listen on your commute to and from work, at lunch, and even at the gym.

There are quite a few audiobook apps to choose from. They range from how you pay for the book, to apps that host specific genres. Where should you begin to look for these apps? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out which audiobook app suits your fancy so you can get more reading in this summer.

Audible

Amazon’s Audible is one of the more popular and favored audiobook apps among readers. After a free 30-day trial, you can pick a subscription level that works for you. If you blast through your credits in one month, you can purchase more audiobooks at their listed price. Audible has a vast library of best sellers and emerging authors, the problem is, who to read next!

Libro.fm

Another paid subscription audiobook app, Libro.fm differs from the rest because they partner up with independent bookstores. The books you purchase off the app goes to support the community and local economy. Choose to listen to an emerging author or NY Times bestseller and support your locally owned bookstore with Libro.fm.

Scribl

Support indie authors by listening to their newly published pieces on Scribl. The price of the audiobook depends on the title’s popularity within its genre. For readers, this means you can get books for free or almost free.

Downpour

A paid service, Downpour gives you one credit a month and allows you to rent a book for 60 days. This audiobook app model keeps phone storage freed up, but it also means you lose the book from your library after the 60 days are up.

Mind Webs

If you’re a huge sci-fi fan, then you’ll want to download Mind Webs. Here, you can find well-known authors like Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Kurt Vonnegut. Another free app to explore even if you are exploring science fiction for the first time.

Audiobooks.com

The same price as Audible, Audiobooks.com differs by offering fun collections. They have titles like, “The Buzziest Books of the Season” and “From Page to Screen in 2019” that makes finding your next favorite read a breeze.

Open Culture

Open Culture is a free audiobook collection site. They have hundreds of titles, mostly classics, available to download for free. Here you’ll find works from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, HG Wells, and Jane Austen.

Hoopla

Never again wait for someone at your library to return an audiobook by downloading Hoopla. With Hoopla, you can use your library membership to listen to audiobooks. Some libraries have a limit to the number of checkouts per month, yet it is still a free place to listen to the most popular books available now.

Project Gutenberg 

Project Gutenberg is an online directory where you can download audiobooks from classic works. There is no app to download; all of their titles are available to listen to on their site. It’s a bit chaotic at first glance, but you’re sure to navigate through it and find a good read.

Text to Speech Apps

You’ve heard of speech to text, but text to speech? There is such a thing, and it can benefit you greatly. Download the app, upload your document, and press play. With text to speech apps, you now can review a report from work on the go. Articulu, TTS Reader, and ReadOut are a few apps out there to try out. The voices sound a little robotic, but it does the trick.

This summer lie by the pool, close your eyes and enjoy listening to an audiobook. Have you discovered an audiobook app you like that you don’t see here? Let us know in the comments!