The Best Audiobook Apps in 2026
We researched audiobook apps through official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. Products are ranked on their core job—discovering, accessing, managing and listening to audiobooks—along with value for money and verified features, so readers can compare the best audiobook apps.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Libby#1 of 329.4/10A free library-borrowing app with strong playback controls and broad device support.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
Hoopla#2 of 329.2/10A free library-card service with audiobooks, offline listening, and entertainment extras.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
Kobo Books#7 of 328.3/10A flexible choice for Kobo users who want purchases, offline listening, or subscriptions.
Free plan · 14-day trial
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 32 tools, best first
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Best forFree library borrowing with broad device support
A free library-borrowing app with strong playback controls and broad device support.
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Libby -
Best forFree library access with entertainment extras
A free library-card service with audiobooks, offline listening, and entertainment extras.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Hoopla -
Best forMainstream audiobook listeners
A broad audiobook service with flexible listening, credits, and cross-device support.
- Family sharing
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Audible -
Best forDRM-free audiobook ownership
A flexible audiobook service for DRM-free ownership, memberships, and offline listening.
- DRM-free downloads
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Libro.fm -
Best forFamilies wanting audiobooks and ebooks
A family-oriented audiobook and ebook subscription with offline listening and hour-based plans.
- Family sharing
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit BookBeat -
Best forUnlimited family audiobook streaming
A mobile subscription with unlimited listening, reading, offline access and family options.
- Family sharing
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Storytel -
Best forKobo users wanting purchases or subscriptions
A flexible choice for Kobo users who want purchases, offline listening, or subscriptions.
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Kobo Books -
Best forSubscription listeners wanting a large catalog
A subscription audiobook app with offline listening, unlocks, and an unlimited catalog.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Everand -
Best forLow-cost purchases with DRM-free options
A flexible audiobook store with low-cost club discounts and DRM-free downloads where available.
- DRM-free downloads
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit AudiobooksNow -
Best forFree borrowing from participating libraries
A free library-borrowing app for audiobooks, eBooks, magazines and newspapers.
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit BorrowBox -
Best forLibraries combining multiple digital vendors
A free mobile app that brings library ebooks and audiobooks from multiple vendors together.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Palace -
Best forStudents using school library collections
A free school-library app with offline audiobook listening and student reading tools.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Sora -
Best forPrivacy-focused library access
A privacy-focused library app with broad integrations, retired in August 2025.
7.7/10★★★★☆Learn about SimplyE -
Best forFlexible subscription with a free plan
A flexible book subscription with free access, offline listening, and family accounts.
- Family sharing
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Bookmate -
Best forCredit membership with detailed playback tools
A flexible audiobook retailer with strong playback controls and offline listening.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Downpour -
Best forBuying audiobooks without subscriptions
A focused audiobook retailer for listeners who prefer buying titles individually.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Chirp -
Best forFamily audiobook subscription and purchases
A broad family-friendly audiobook service with streaming, purchases, and offline listening.
- Family sharing
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Audiobooks.com -
Best forEuropean ebook and audiobook borrowing
A flexible European borrowing service, with audiobook access reserved for Kombi.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Skoobe -
Best forFamilies sharing audiobooks and ebooks
A family-friendly audiobook and ebook subscription with offline access and flexible usage limits.
- Family sharing
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Nextory -
Best forSelf-hosted personal audiobook libraries
A free, open-source choice for managing personal audiobook and podcast libraries.
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Audiobookshelf -
Best forFree public-domain audiobook downloads
A free, DRM-free library for public-domain audiobooks, with downloads and RSS.
- DRM-free downloads
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit LibriVox -
Best forFree public-domain listening on mobile
A free, mobile-friendly home for public-domain audiobooks and ebooks.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Loyal Books -
Best forMulti-platform public-domain streaming
A free, multi-platform audiobook app suited to public-domain listening and offline playback.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Playary -
Best forFree local files with server integration
A focused player for personal audiobook files, with server connections and device sync.
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit BookPlayer -
Best forApple users with Plex or Audiobookshelf libraries
A capable Apple-focused player for listeners with their own Plex or Audiobookshelf libraries.
- Family sharing
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Prologue -
Best foriPhone users with self-hosted servers
A focused iOS player for personal Jellyfin, Emby, and AudioBookShelf libraries.
- Family sharing
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit plappa -
Best forAudiobooks plus original audio and podcasts
A mobile audio app combining audiobooks, originals, podcasts and creator tools.
- Family sharing
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Kuku FM -
Best forListeners focused on narrated Bible content
A focused Bible-listening app with broad audio, family, and offline features.
- Family sharing
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Dwell -
Best forMixed audio and reading entertainment
A broad audio-and-reading subscription with offline access and a free plan.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit Ubook -
Best forApple Books publishers using digital narration
A focused, rights-retaining narration program for Apple Books publishers.
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Apple Books -
Best forAuthors creating auto-narrated audiobooks
A free web tool for creating, reviewing, publishing, and exporting auto-narrated audiobooks.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forMobile listeners exploring classic audiobooks
A mobile app for classic audiobooks with synchronized text, audio, and offline listening.
5.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Fabuly
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Offline listening | Access model | Mobile platforms | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libby | Yes | Free | Yes | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 9.4 |
| 2 | Hoopla | Yes | Free | Yes | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 9.2 |
| 3 | Audible | No | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 9.0 | |
| 4 | Libro.fm | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 8.8 | ||
| 5 | BookBeat | No | €9.99/mo | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 8.5 |
| 6 | Storytel | No | €9.99/user/mo | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 8.4 |
| 7 | Kobo Books | Yes | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 8.3 | |
| 8 | Everand | No | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 8.2 | |
| 9 | AudiobooksNow | No | $35.99/yr | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 8.1 |
| 10 | BorrowBox | Yes | Free | Yes | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 8.0 |
| 11 | The Palace Project | Yes | Free | Yes | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 7.9 |
| 12 | Sora | Yes | Free | Yes | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 7.8 |
| 13 | SimplyE | Yes | Free | Library borrowing | Ios and android | 7.7 | |
| 14 | Bookmate | Yes | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 7.6 | |
| 15 | Downpour | No | $12.99/mo | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 7.5 |
| 16 | Chirp | No | Yes | Pay per book | Ios and android | 7.4 | |
| 17 | Audiobooks.com | No | $14.95/mo | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 7.3 |
| 18 | Skoobe | No | €143.88/yr | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 7.2 |
| 19 | Nextory | No | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 7.1 | |
| 20 | Audiobookshelf | Free | Yes | Ios and android | 7.0 | ||
| 21 | LibriVox | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.9 | ||
| 22 | Loyal Books | Yes | Free | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 6.8 |
| 23 | Playary | Yes | Free | Yes | Ios and android | 6.7 | |
| 24 | BookPlayer | Yes | Yes | Ios and android | 6.6 | ||
| 25 | Prologue | Yes | Yes | Ios only | 6.5 | ||
| 26 | plappa | Yes | Yes | Ios only | 6.4 | ||
| 27 | Kuku FM | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 6.3 | ||
| 28 | Dwell | $59.99/yr | Yes | Subscription | Ios and android | 6.2 | |
| 29 | Ubook | Yes | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 6.0 | |
| 30 | Apple Books Digital Narration | Yes | Free | 5.9 | |||
| 31 | Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks | Free | 5.8 | ||||
| 32 | Fabuly | Yes | Yes | Mixed | Ios and android | 5.6 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Libby vs Hoopla
- Libby vs Audible
- Libby vs Libro.fm
- Libby vs BookBeat
- Libby vs Storytel
- Libby vs Kobo Books
- Libby vs Everand
- Hoopla vs Audible
- Hoopla vs Libro.fm
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How we rank audiobook apps
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update