Audiobook Downloads and Rentals
| Services: | Our Ratings: | Bottom Line: |
 |
 |
Membership plan saves frequent readers money on the biggest download library in the audiobook business |
 |
|
Fast, free shipping with the biggest rental library makes this a great service for frequent listeners |
 |
 |
Cheapest plans and good selection, though it may lack some high-profile titles; audio quality is not top-notch. |
 |
|
There are two plans to choose from, but the rental service is by far the best bargain |
 |
|
Better for casual listeners; not as cheap as subscription services; must use iTunes/iPod/iPhone |
 |
 |
Good selection, often cheaper than iTunes, but checkout, download, and audio are disappointing |
NextAdvisor Audiobook Downloads and Rentals Blog Headlines
What MP3 Player Works With Barnes and Noble Audiobooks?
Q: Which MP3 player should I buy to download audible books from Barnes and Noble? I have Windows Vista. A: We've addressed this question in general before on the blog, but I can offer a few specific pieces of advice for working with Barnes and Noble files. Users almost always download audiobooks through their computers. [...]
Download "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Audiobook for Cheap
Want to read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" before the movie comes out, but don't have the time to read it all? Take advantage of some great NextAdvisor deals and get the audiobook! The serial killer thriller is one of the best selling novels in the world and part of the highly-addictive Millennium series [...]
Want the New "Steve Jobs" Audiobook? Get a Deal with These Services
With the death of Steve Jobs, the technology world lost an icon. In his new book, "Steve Jobs," Walter Isaacson offers an inside look at the genius, including everything from Jobs? difficult personality to his visionary thinking. The book covers everything in Jobs' life from his beginnings at Atari to his rise to one of [...]
Download "Moneyball" Audiobook for Free or Cheap
Want a more in-depth look at Brad Pitt?s new movie ?Moneyball?? Then check out the original book by Michael Lewis. Lewis? book gets in to the details behind the Sabermetric analytics that Oakland A?s general manager Billy Beane used to create a winning team with small revenue. These tactics are used by many MLB teams [...]
Does Audible work with the ANDROID operating system (Motorola DROID smartphon...
Q: Does Audible work with the ANDROID operating system (Motorola DROID smartphones)? A: Yes, it does. Audible has a free app for the Android that allows you to listen to books on your smartphone. For that matter, they also have free apps for iPhone and Blackberry….and of course, you can always download the audiobook and [...]
Is there a list of audiobooks available? What type of equipment do you recomm...
The following is an actual user-submitted question: Q. Is there a list of audiobooks available? What type of equipment do you recommend where you can have portability and not have to use headphones? A. For the first part of your question, you can browse most audiobook sites by genre, bestsellers, and so forth. Check out Audible, [...]
Barnes & Noble coupon: $5 off your order!
Start your summer reading the easy way: with audiobooks! Barnes & Noble is offering $5 off your order of audiobooks totaling $25 or more through June 27. Just follow any Barnes & Noble link from NextAdvisor, and enter coupon code T8N9D3C at checkout. Happy listening!
Hit kid lit "Go the F*** to Sleep" read by celebrity available on Audible!
Go the F*** to Sleep, a new children's book by Adam Mansbach that's done surprisingly well appropriating a sentiment as old as time, is reaching the audiobook market. Audible now offers the audiobook, read by Samuel L. Jackson, for free with registration. Hailed as "hilarious," "total genius," and "the most honest children's book ever written," Go the [...]
Download "The Lincoln Lawyer" audiobook free or cheap
The Lincoln Lawyer was Michael Connelly's 16th novel and his first thriller starring L.A. defense attorney Mickey Haller. It came out in 2005, but since its film adaptation starring Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei was released last month, interest is resurging in the story of Haller's difficult battle with his own ethics and ultimate decision [...]
I go through about two audiobooks a week. If I rent, what would my cost be?
The following is an actual user-submitted question: Q. I go through about two audiobooks a week. If I rent, what would my cost be? A. If you listen to a large number of audiobooks, a subscription plan is far more cost-effective than purchasing them one at a time. The best plan for you is through [...]
What is the best mp3 player for downloading audiobooks?
The following is an user-submitted question: Q: What is the best mp3 player for downloading audiobooks? A: Good question, but first a little clarification: generally you do the actual downloading on your computer. Once you download it on to your computer, you transfer it to your MP3 player so you can listen to your audiobook [...]
Yes, you can use the Kindle to download from Audible.com
According to the people at Amazon and Kindle, you can now shop for Audible audiobooks directly from the Kindle itself, provided you have the most recent wi-fi version of the reader. In the old days, i.e. yesterday, you had to log into your Audible account on your computer, download the audiobook, and then transfer it [...]
When sign up for Audible.com, I get one audiobook per month? The audio book t...
The following is an actual user-submitted question: Q: When sign up for Audible.com, I get one audiobook per month? The audio book then will basically cost me $7.49? A: Yes, when you sign up for Audible.com the first three months will cost you only $7.49. With this membership plan you will get one credit each [...]
Can you use a Kindle to download books on booksfree or other audiobook services?
The following is an actual user-submitted question: Q: Can you use a Kindle to download books on booksfree or other audiobook services? A: Currently the Kindle does not support direct downloading from any of the audiobook subscription sites we've reviewed. You can put audiobooks that you've downloaded onto your PC on the Kindle using wi-fi [...]
Download "Tick Tock" audiobook free or cheap
Tick Tock is the newest suspense novel by the prolific James Patterson, whose previous books have included Along Came a Spider, 1st to Die, and Don't Blink. In this Michael Bennet mystery, Patteron's detective must confront three serial killers at the same time: the Son of Sam, the Werewolf of Wisteria, and the Mad Bomber. [...]
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.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Popular Services Reviewed:
Credit Monitoring Services |
Find Us On:
Copyright© 2006 - 2012 NextAdvisor.com - All rights reserved.
Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.