Where to Get Free Audiobooks
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I love Audiobooks. They really are such a great way to consume literature - you can listen to them while walking or doing the washing up, and a great voice actor can really bring a story to life. The only problem is that they can be quite pricy, and many of us can’t afford to pay for a monthly subscription service, myself included.
If you’re also one of those people, then I have the solutions for you. Here are five ways that you can bag yourself some free audiobooks, all without breaking the law. I am 100% against book piracy, but always after a good bargain.
Audible
The most well known way to land yourself a free audiobook is by taking out an Audible membership. Every sign up comes with a 30 day free trial for new members, where you will be entitled to one audiobook download that you can keep forever. This website has an extensive library, and as the market leader, Audible definitely has the best range out there.
Something that’s less well known, however, is that this particular free trial seems to reset on a yearly basis. So if I take out a trial and then cancel before the 30 days are up, in about a year’s time I’ll be able to sign up for another trial! It’s a long time to wait but worth remembering if you can’t afford to pay for the membership.
Sign up for the Audible free trial here.
Audiobooks.com
This is another, legal, website that you can use to purchase audiobooks. Like Audible, they also offer a 30 day free trial, but for two free audiobooks. The only downside is that they do tend to have less choice in their library, although I would still recommend signing up - just remember to cancel before the trial ends.
Scribd
This app may have been one of my best discoveries of 2019. Scribd is a fantastic service that you can use to stream audiobooks, like you would a TV series or a movie. Unlike the other websites on this list, you won’t be able to keep the audiobooks that you download forever but you will be able to listen to multiple in a month. I actually love Scribd so much that I used to be a paying subscriber! Again, their collection is not quite as extensive as Audible, but they do still have a great range.
Sign up to the 30 day free trial here and you’ll be able to listen to an unlimited amount of audiobooks free of charge.
Kobo
Here’s another less well known audiobook retailer that offers, you guessed it, a 30 day free trial! Operating on the same model as Audible, you’ll be able to download one free audiobook that you can then keep forever. Click here to sign up!
Borrowbox or Libby
Did you know that your local library is likely to have an extensive collection of audiobooks? If you’re a registered member then you’ll usually be required to download a free app such as Borrowbox or Libby, which you can then use to listen to *free* audiobooks. The only catch is that, as it’s a library, there will sometimes be a lengthy waiting list for popular books. The main perk is that this isn’t a free trial that you need to cancel before the month is up - you can continue to use it forever!
So that’s it, now you have the tools to download an audiobook, slide your headphones on, and listen to your heart’s content, regardless of your financial situation.
If you have any further suggestions of ways to download audiobooks, free and legally, then do let me know so that I can add them to the list. Happy listening!
