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Audiobooks in the US

Audible plans, credits and price

Audible starts at $8.99 a month in the US (Audible Standard). Audible has two monthly plans. Standard lets you pick one audiobook a month from the whole collection and listen while you’re a member. Premium gives you one credit a month for any title you keep — even if you cancel — plus the Plus Catalog of included titles and member discounts. Both start with a 30-day free trial.

Compare audiobook servicesHow to cancel

Tomas StankevičiusChecked 2026-11-11Facts from the Audible website and help center, with dates

What it costs

  • Audible Standard$8.99/mo
  • Audible Premium$14.95/mo
All plans and termsCheck on the official website
Price per month
$8.99–$14.95
Per year from
$107.88
Free trial
up to 30 days
Shortest term
monthly
  • Books you keep. On Premium, every title bought with a credit is yours.
  • Plus Catalog. Thousands of included Originals, audiobooks and podcasts on Premium.
  • Credits roll over. Unused Premium credits carry over until they expire.
  • 30-day trial. With an email reminder before it ends.
  • No cancellation fees. Audible says there are no commitments.

Most important before you pay

Premium credits expire 12 months after they’re issued, and any unused credits are lost when you cancel. Standard selections don’t roll over and lock again after you cancel.

At a glance

Plans
Standard, Premium
Each month
1 audiobook (Standard) or 1 credit (Premium)
Keep the books
Premium credits — yes
Free trial
30 days
Credits expire
12 months after issue, or on canceling
Contract
None

Plans and offers change — check the provider’s own page before you pay.

Prices in charts

Figures from the same checked prices as the plan table.

Show plan in charts:

Audible Standard: $8.99 per month, $107.88 per year.

Fig. 1

Plan steps: what each price step adds

Audible Standard$8.99
Audible Premium$14.95

Column height shows the monthly price. Between the columns: what the pricier plan adds over the cheaper one.

Audible Standard
$8.99/mo

Plus sales tax where applicable

Source · Checked

Today you pay $0.00

Free trial: 30 days — then the price above is charged.

Choose a plan

Billed monthly.

Prices with dates

Every price has a source and the date it was checked.

From the Audible website

Plans, credits and cancellation rules as audible.com and help.audible.com show them from the US.

Affiliate links are labeled

If a link is an affiliate link, we say so right next to it.

Short summary

Audible Premium is the plan for building a library: a credit a month for any title you keep, plus the Plus Catalog while you’re a member. Standard is cheaper for one book a month if you don’t mind losing access when you cancel. Use credits before they expire.

You keep what you buy

Credit purchases stay in your Library after canceling.

Expiring credits

Unused credits go after 12 months, or when you cancel.

Our top pick:
Regular listeners who want to own their audiobooks.
With caveats:
Occasional listeners — credits can pile up and expire.

Who Audible is for, and who it isn’t

The keep-your-books audiobook service.

A good choice

  • If you finish a book a month

    Either plan covers one title a month.

  • If you want to keep titles

    Premium credits buy books you own.

  • If you use Alexa or a Kindle

    Audible works across Amazon devices and Sonos.

A weaker choice

  • If you listen rarely

    Credits expire after 12 months.

  • If you want unlimited listening

    Both plans are built around one title a month.

  • If you mostly read ebooks

    Kindle+ is built for reading.

Two plans

Prices are in the block above.

Two plans
Audible StandardWhat it means in practicePick 1 audiobook a month from the entire collection and listen as long as you’re a member; unused picks don’t roll over. Extra audiobooks at full price.
Audible PremiumWhat it means in practice1 credit a month for any title, yours to keep; credits roll over until they expire. Plus Catalog of included titles, member-only sales and discounted extra credits.

One book a month and no need to keep it → Standard; building a library → Premium.

Content

What you actually get to watch: catalog, languages, sports and events.

What Audible is, and what it isn’t

Audible sells audiobooks, podcasts and exclusive Originals. A membership gives you monthly titles; the Plus Catalog adds included titles on Premium.

  • Audiobooks

    The entire Audible collection for monthly picks and credits.

  • Plus Catalog

    Thousands of select Originals, audiobooks and podcasts on Premium.

  • Purchases

    Buy more titles; Premium members get discounts.

Plus Catalog titles stay in your Library only while your membership is active and the title remains in the catalog.

How Audible rates on the US App Store

On October 24, 2026, the Audible app had 4.9 out of 5 stars from about 5.6 million ratings on the US App Store.

What the number covers

The iPhone and iPad app over its lifetime, not the membership terms.

How to use it

Use the 30-day trial to check the books you want are in the collection.

A very strong app rating; the credit rules matter more.

Quality and devices

What picture and sound depend on, and where it works.

Where you can listen

Where you can listen
Apps and devicesExamplesThe Audible app on iOS and Android, Alexa-enabled devices, compatible Fire tablets, Kindles, SonosCaveatYour Library syncs across devices with the same account.

App ratings in the stores

These are ratings from store users. They rate how the app works; they say nothing about whether the subscription price is fair.

App Store

iOS and iPadOS
4,9out of 5

5,615,840 ratings

Source

Ratings change constantly and often drop after price increases or removed features. We show the value from the check date together with the number of reviews, because 4.8 from two hundred and 4.5 from two million ratings aren’t the same thing.

Account and household

Profiles, downloads, sharing and how to cancel.

Credits and your Library

  • Premium: 1 credit a month; every audiobook costs 1 credit, whatever its length or price.
  • Credits roll over, but expire 12 months after they’re issued or when you cancel.
  • Titles bought with credits or a card stay in your Library after canceling.

Standard picks are different

Standard selections lock after you cancel and unlock again if you rejoin.

Listening offline

Listening offline
DownloadHow it worksIn the Audible app
Plus CatalogHow it worksWhile you’re a member
Purchased titlesHow it worksYours to keep
Plus Catalog titles can leave the catalog.

Canceling

Audible has no contract or cancellation fee. Cancel on the Audible website under Membership details; memberships billed through Apple or Google are canceled in the App Store or Google Play.

Monthly, no contract

Unused Premium credits and member benefits end with your final billing cycle.

App Store or Google Play

Cancel in the store that bills you.

Deleting the app isn’t canceling

Audible says deleting the app doesn’t cancel a membership.

Separate page: how to cancel this subscription →

What we don’t claim

Common claims about Audible, next to what Audible says.

  • Audible credits never expire.

    They expire 12 months after they’re issued, or when you cancel.

  • You lose all your books when you cancel.

    Titles bought with credits or a card stay yours; Plus Catalog titles and Standard picks lock.

  • Audible Standard includes credits.

    Standard gives one monthly pick to listen to while you’re a member; credits are a Premium feature.

This list isn’t an accusation against the service. If you find something on our page that doesn’t match the official source, write to us.

When Audible is a good choice

  • Building a library

    Premium credits buy books you keep.

    Compromise: Credits expire after 12 months.

  • One book a month

    Standard covers a monthly pick.

    Compromise: Access ends if you cancel.

  • Amazon devices

    Alexa, Fire tablets and Kindles.

    Compromise: Ebooks need a separate service.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Books you keep

    With Premium credits.

  • 30-day trial

    With a reminder email.

  • No cancellation fees

    Per Audible.

Cons

  • Credits expire

    12 months, or on canceling.

  • One title a month

    More costs extra.

  • Standard access ends

    When you cancel.

Per year: Audible and alternatives

Price of the cheapest paid plan for 12 months as the provider lists it; below it, with VAT where VAT is not included. Bar length is the price with VAT.

ServicePrice
Audiblethis page$107.88
Kindle+$143.88
Everand$143.88
Libro.fm$169.99

Audible compared with Kindle+ and Spotify Premium

Three ways to get audiobooks in the US.

Audible compared with Kindle+ and Spotify Premium
ModelAudible1 title a monthKindle+Borrow up to 20 at a timeSpotify Premium15 hours a month
Keep the booksAudiblePremium credits — yesKindle+NoSpotify PremiumNo
Free trialAudible30 daysKindle+30 daysSpotify Premium1 month (Individual, if new to Premium)
MostlyAudibleAudiobooksKindle+EbooksSpotify PremiumMusic

If you want to own audiobooks — Audible

A credit a month on Premium.

If you mostly read — Kindle+

Millions of ebooks, thousands with narration.

If you already pay for it — Spotify Premium

Audiobook hours are included.

Final verdict

Audible is still the default for people who listen to a book a month and want to keep them. Choose Premium to own titles, Standard for a cheaper monthly pick, and spend credits before they expire.

Choose it if

You finish a book a month and want to keep your audiobooks.

Think twice if

You listen rarely — credits expire after 12 months.

Skip it if

You mostly read ebooks — Kindle+ fits better.

Kindle+ is built for ebooks with some narration; Spotify Premium includes audiobook hours with music.

Audible prices

Two monthly plans as the Audible plans page lists them.

Offers

Both plans start with 30 days free and then renew monthly. Audible also sells Premium for a year up front and runs offers for new and Prime members; extra Premium credits are sold at a discount.

How to cancel

Audible deals and discounts

We have no confirmed deals or promo codes for Audible right now. When the provider publishes one and we have checked it, the dates and terms will appear here — we never list made-up promo codes.

Track price and deals

Audible free trial

Free trial according to the provider:

  • Audible Standard: 30 days
  • Audible Premium: 30 days

All free trials

How to pay less for Audible

There is no cheaper option we can confirm right now: among the confirmed Audible plans there is no cheaper annual version of the same plan and no family or student plan.

Compare the price with alternatives: Kindle+ price · Everand price · Libro.fm price

We only show the provider’s official options — no shared accounts and no region switching.

FAQ

It’s worth it if you finish a book a month and want to keep your audiobooks. Think twice if you listen rarely — credits expire after 12 months. Skip it if you mostly read ebooks.

Standard lets you pick one audiobook a month to listen to while you’re a member. Premium gives one credit a month for a title you keep, plus the Plus Catalog and member discounts.

Yes — 12 months after they’re issued, or when you cancel.

Yes, 30 days. Audible emails a reminder before the trial ends, and canceling before then costs nothing.

Thousands of select Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts included with Premium, available while you’re a member and the title stays in the catalog.

Yes. If you subscribed on the website, Audible’s customer care switches plans; if you subscribed in the app, check your app store subscription settings.

Audible’s US membership page doesn’t list one.

It depends on who charges you: Apple, Google, your carrier or TV provider, or the service itself. The guide walks through each channel step by step. How to cancel a subscription

How we work

This page is a comparison, and for every claim we say where it comes from.

The provider’s sources

The facts come from the Audible plans page (audible.com) and the Audible help center (help.audible.com).

We keep prices out of the text

Prices are in the price block, in the currency of the provider’s price list, with a source and a date.

How we check the data

If anything on this page has gone out of date, write to us — we’ll fix it and note the date.

The order in the comparison is decided by the type of service; commission size doesn’t affect it.

Some links to providers are affiliate links: if you subscribe through them, we may earn a commission. It affects neither the price nor the placement in the comparison. Affiliate links are always labeled next to the link itself.

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We’ll let you know when the price of Audible drops to the amount you set or lower.

We compare the regular monthly price after promotions and free trials.

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