16 Platforms for Free Audio Books
| Platform for Free Audio Books | Features |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Priceless and greatest audiobooks |
| Free Classic Audiobooks | Classics |
| Digital Book | Repository for other sites |
| Librivox | iOS and Android app |
| Learn Outloud | Free learning materials |
| Lit2Go | Ideal for students and teachers |
| Loyal Books | Stream or download to your PC |
| OpenCulture | Repository |
| Mind Webs | Sci Fi and Fantasy |
| Scribd | Crowd pricing |
| OverDrive | Free ebooks and audiobooks |
| Spotify | Music, podcasts and free audiobooks |
| Thought Audio | Intellectually stimulating content |
| Sync | Free young adult content |
| Hoopla Digital | Works with local libraries |
| Internet Archive | Massive repository |
YouTube
If you’ve ever asked yourself the question “How can I listen to audiobooks for free?” it may seem counterintuitive to suggest a video sharing site like YouTube. But, YouTube is actually filled with a wide variety of audiobooks and they are easy to find if you have a specific title.
You can even find the same audiobooks with different narrators to get the exact listening experience you like. There are many YouTube channels dedicated to audiobooks, including:
- Priceless Audiobooks,
- Greatest Audiobooks,
- Audiobooks
- And many more.
In fact, LibriVox (more on this option later) even have their own audiobook feed on YouTube where you can find many new and older titles.
Free Classic Audiobooks
If you’re interested in free stuff and are looking for free audiobooks online, it’s likely that a simple eBook and an app to read them isn’t going to meet your current needs. The audiobook format is an ideal way to enjoy new and older books when you are on the go.
This is the goal of Free Classic Audiobooks, they have a wide range of classic titles in MP3 and M4B formats. You can even request your favorite books if they are not already available on this site.
Digital Book
Digital Book has some of the best free audiobooks, podcasts, and e-books to download. This site doesn’t have an app to use, but you can find your favorite media easily on the site.
Search for the title on the homepage, browse by genre or look at the trending titles that other users are downloading. You can search the genre, on the left of the screen you can click the filters for the sub-genres, authors, formats, and more.
To listen to your book simply click the image and the streaming begins. If you prefer, download the audiobooks by clicking on the “Free Audiobook” located on the right of the screen. You will notice that certain titles are provided by third party sources such as LibriVox, Gutenberg, and others. These platforms are simply repositories for further audiobook titles and a redirect is nothing to worry about.
Librivox
One of the best audiobook app options is provided by LibriVox which I briefly mentioned earlier in this article. The iOS and Android platforms are supported and many genres of audiobooks are supported on the site.
The app is free to download on both Google Play and the App Store and it has an impressive average rating of 4.7. This is a great site to download poems, short stories, public domain texts, and more.
You can download the titles and listen to them on your computer if you prefer and the collection is curated by a dedicated team of volunteers.
As you would expect from a great free audiobook app, it’s easy to filter the titles with parameters, such as:
- Author,
- Genre,
- Subject,
- Title,
- Language.
It’s easy to browse the LibriVox site with your computer and you can opt for a listening or reading experience. All sound files are in an MP3 format, downloading is fast with a good internet connection and they are ready to play immediately.
Learn Out Loud
One of the best ways to get free audiobooks, MP3s and other educational materials is the Learn Out Loud site. You can download and stream the media on your computer and there is no dedicated app to use.
The main focus of this platform is learning with audio and video tools but only some of the content is free. You can find podcasts, full courses, documentaries, audiobooks, and much more to absorb.
The website is very easy to navigate, you can narrow your search by clicking the “Free Audiobooks” tab and add other filters. At this time, there are more than 3,500 free audiobooks on the site and you can click each title to learn more about it. At the bottom of the page, you can read the ratings and reviews from other Learn Out Loud users that have downloaded that title.
Lit2Go
It’s hard to get free Audible books legally but you won’t mind if you start to use the Lit2Go platform. This offers more than most audiobook platforms and you can get a very wide range of audiobooks, poems, plays, study guides, and much more, which are ideal if you’re considering homeschool programs. Every download comes with a free PDF to read and the wealth of supplementary material is ideal for students and educators.
Loyal Books
If you’re looking for a free audiobooks app for Android and iOS you may want to look at Loyal Books. This platform is a fantastic resource if you’re a fan of fiction, fantasy stories, mysteries, kids’ titles, and much more.
The app has a rating of 4.5 on Google Play and 4.4 on the Apple App Store. If you prefer to use your computer, it’s easy to stream or download media directly from the site. The website is easy to use, click on the left of the screen to browse by genre, and don’t forget to check out the “Top 100 List”.
When you find your title, it’s possible to click on it and find more information with text summaries and additional links.
Open Culture
Open Culture is a computer based audiobook platform that has a great selection of fiction, classic literature, and poetry. This platform is more like a repository that curates and archives many of the media sources from other sites on our list.
So, when you find a title you like you may be directed to another site such as Loyal Books, LibriVox, and others. The files are free to download or stream and there are more than 1,000 titles available at this time.
When you visit the Open Culture website for the first time, you will be asked to turn off your ad blocker, and if you refuse this request is repeated on every page. Despite this small annoyance, the site is easy to use, you can search a wide variety of genres and this is an excellent search tool for other sites too.
Simply click the “Find” tool in the browser to search the entire contents of each page quickly. You can use filters and specific keywords to find the title you want in next to no time.
Mind Webs
Mind Webs isn’t a very active site, you won’t find many new titles, but if you enjoy classic fantasy and sci-fi you may want to check out the archive. Many masters of these genres are represented and many of the audiobooks are very atmospheric.
Scribd
Approximately 50% of the content on Scribd is free and they have a wide range of audiobooks and ebooks available. The paid titles use a model referred to as “Crowd Pricing” which adjusts the price based on the popularity. This means that Scribi community members can list together at a fairer price point for each audiobook.
Overdrive
If you’ve ever asked yourself “What is the best free audiobook app?” you may want to check out OverDrive. The app is available for iOS and Android users or you can stream and download it to your computer.
This platform is a great option for free e-books and audiobooks and you can use your library card number to access public media materials, Signing in with your library card allows you to check out the borrowing privileges for titles that you are interested in.
The Overdrive app has a rating of 4.6 on the App Store and Google Play or you can use the Libby app which is produced by the same company. When you find an interesting title, click it to get additional information and you can see the location of the nearest print copy at the library.
If an audiobook version is available, this will be clear to understand and you can click the link to get that version. If you cannot find the title, you can inform OverDrive and it will be placed on a waiting list.
Spotify
Spotify is probably best known for music, but there is an extensive selection of other media including plays, short stories, classic literature, and more. A dedicated iOS and Android app with an average 4.6 rating is available or you can stream directly to your computer.
Even a free Spotify account gives you access to an impressive collection of audiobooks, some prime examples include Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and many more.
In fact, you can find some amazing Spotify playlists that only have free content. At the moment, you cannot download content but streaming to your computer is smooth if you have a good internet connection.
Thought Audio
Thought Audio is focused primarily on intellectually stimulating content for students, tutors, and others interested in learning. You can find some fantastic versions of philosophy and classic literature recorded as high quality audiobooks.
SYNC
Sync is a free program for listeners that want to experience Young Adult content during the spring and summer months. All the content is presented in an audiobook format and some great titles are included. The program tends to start at the end of April annually and it is well worth a visit to the site.
Hoopla Digital
Midwest Tape is an entertainment provider for many public libraries in North America and Hoopla Digital is their digital service. An app is available for iOS with a rating of 4.8 on the App Store and Android with a rating of 4.7 on Google Play.
If you prefer to use a laptop, you can stream from the website or download the media for later listening if you prefer. In many ways, Hoopla works like your local library, you can borrow the free audiobooks using a library card at any time.
It’s easy to create a free Hoopla account and when you log in it’s easy to search the 58,000 plus audiobooks. You can search with the usual filters, languages, user rating, available formats, and more. Under the cover image for the audiobook, you can see the “Borrow” button and this is where you click if you want to stream or download the media file.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a well regarded repository of a wide range of audiobooks, e-books, and other media that can be hard to find elsewhere. There is no app to use, every file must be streamed or downloaded and accessed with your media player of choice.
You don’t need an account to download a file and there are more than 20,000 audio titles available. The website has many filters located at the left of the screen and you can find the streaming player at the top of your screen.
If you look at the right of the screen and scroll down you can see all the available formats for downloading. Finally, right at the bottom of the page, you can read all the reviews and comments of other users that have accessed the audiobook.
Internet Archive is a well regarded repository of a wide range of audiobooks, e-books, and other media that can be hard to find elsewhere. There is no app to use, every file must be streamed or downloaded and accessed with your media player of choice.
You don’t need an account to download a file and there are more than 20,000 audio titles available. The website has many filters located at the left of the screen and you can find the streaming player at the top of your screen.
If you look at the right of the screen and scroll down you can see all the available formats for downloading. Finally, right at the bottom of the page, you can read all the reviews and comments of other users that have accessed the audiobook.
Do Amazon Prime Members Get Free Audiobooks?
A frequently asked question is “Do Amazon Prime members get free audiobooks?” and the answer is yes! In fact, you can get unlimited access to many free audiobooks each and every month if you are an Amazon Prime member.
If you use a Fire Tablet you can get the content directly in the Audible menu section when you click the “Prime Benefits” tab. If you prefer to read your books Prime membership also entitles you to Kindle ebooks that are eligible that month.
