Audiobook Downloads and Rentals
From subscription services that give you a set number of audiobooks each month to pay-as-you-go sites and CD rental services, we've tested all the best sources for audiobooks so you can get the best deals on the books you want. Whether you listen to audiobooks on your MP3 player, your computer or your car stereo, these sites can give you access to an enormous library of books, from Jane Austen and Herman Melville to JK Rowling and Stieg Larsson.
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Membership plan saves frequent readers money on the biggest download library in the audiobook business |
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Fast, free shipping with the biggest rental library makes this a great service for frequent listeners |
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Cheapest plans and good selection, though it may lack some high-profile titles; audio quality is not top-notch |
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There are two plans to choose from, but the rental service is by far the best bargain |
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Better for casual listeners; not as cheap as subscription services; must use iTunes/iPod/iPhone |
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Same pricing as Audible, but for streaming books; you lose access to your books if you cancel your plan |
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Good selection, often cheaper than iTunes, but checkout, download, and audio are disappointing |
NextAdvisor Audiobook Downloads and Rentals Blog Headlines
Booksfree Adds 4,800 Titles to Their Catalog
Jun 12, 2013
- Booksfree.com has added 4,800 new titles to their already immense library of books and audio books. Books free is already known for having one of the biggest rental libraries available and now, with the addition of these extra titles, it has become
Get 'World War Z' Audiobook for Cheap on Audible Before Seeing the Movie
May 20, 2013
- For all you zombie fanatics out there, the hit book and soon to be movie World War Z is now an audiobook through Audible.com. The book, written by Max Brooks who is a zombie enthusiast and son of the legendary film
Get 60% Off with Booksfree.com
Apr 30, 2013
- Booksfree is a great service for any book lover. The service is very similar to how Netflix works with its dvd rentals via mail, except for Booksfree you are receiving books and/or audio book CDs. This service is one of
Get The Great Gatsby Audiobook for Cheap Before it Hits Theaters in May
Apr 10, 2013
- This summer, The Great Gatsby will be coming to a theatre near you. The new movie staring Leonardo DiCaprio is poised to be a blockbuster sensation, so why not listen to it on audiobook before it's released in theaters. The Great Gatsby is
Listen to Audiobooks for Free With Audible's 30-Day Free Trial
Mar 28, 2013
- Have you been interested in trying out audiobooks? With Audible.com, you can now try it out free for 30 days when you sign up for their gold plan. Out of all the the audiobook services, we found that Audible.com offers
The Audiobook Advantage
Audiobooks are an increasingly popular way for very busy people to keep up with their reading. At one time audiobooks were known as "books on tape," but with tape sales only representing 3% of the market, most people are listening with their CD players or digital media players. Buying or renting audiobooks online is a convenient way to get the titles you want, when you want them. While iTunes and Audible seem to dominate the category, there are actually a number of services for customers to choose from, offering differences in price, delivery, selection and audio format. Many of the less well-known services offer advantages over their more famous competition. We set out to help readers find the service that's best for them.
Audiobook prices and plans
Are you a voracious reader? Do you read or listen to a book a month? Maybe two? If so, an audiobook subscription service is probably for you. With a subscription plan you get a certain number of credits per month, with most titles having a cost of a single credit (though a few titles cost more). You can find one-credit-per-month subscription plans starting as low as $9.95, a vast savings over the price of a non-subscription download which can be $30.00 or more. If you just buy the occasional book for summer listening, you'll probably want to go with single downloads from Audible or iTunes.
Audiobook formats
How will you listen to your audiobooks? Different services offer different audio formats. Rent-by-mail services offer their audiobooks as traditional CDs, which provide great sound and are playable on CD players and CD-ROM drives, but the audiobook is not yours to keep. Audiobook download services use a variety of different formats, so you'll need to make sure the service you choose is compatible with your computer or digital audio player. You should also take into account sound quality. Not all audiobook files are created equally. We spent time listening carefully to audiobooks from each service so that even the most discerning listener will be able to find a service that suits their taste.
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