Audiobooks.com is a legitimate audiobook store, owned by the Swedish company Storytel, that works almost exactly like Audible: $14.95 a month buys one credit, a credit buys any audiobook, and the books you buy stay yours after you cancel. Its terms of use, checked October 17, 2026, name the operator as Storytel Audiobooks USA LLC. The difference most reviews miss is the clock: monthly credits expire three months after they are issued, where Audible gives you twelve. If you spend a credit every month or two, Audiobooks.com is a fair Audible alternative; if you let credits pile up, it will quietly take some back.
How does Audiobooks.com work?
It is a credit subscription with a store attached. The current sign-up page says the plan "delivers 1 audiobook credit into your account plus 1 bonus book from our VIP selection every month for $14.95 per month." One credit buys any title in the catalog, whatever its list price. The site says that catalog holds "over 700,000 titles," which is more than the 450,000 to 500,000 quoted in the reviews that rank today.
The FAQ lists the rest:
- More credits: top-up credits on the website, InstaCredit inside the app (only when your balance is zero, at the price of a monthly charge), or a 2- or 3-credit monthly plan.
- Prepaid plans: 3, 6 or 12 months, chosen under My Account on the website.
- Buying without a subscription: possible, but only on the website.
- Free audiobooks: "over 10,000," available in the app.
- Family Plan: up to two household members on your account, each with their own bookmarks and notes.
Sign-up runs through email, Apple, Google or Amazon, and you can pay by card or PayPal. On the day this was checked, new members were offered "2 months for $1," then $14.95 a month. The standard offer is a 30-day free trial with one book plus a VIP book.
Is Audiobooks.com legit and safe?
Yes. The service has run since the early 2010s (its copyright line starts in 2011, its about page says "since 2012"), and its terms identify Storytel Audiobooks USA LLC as the company you contract with. The books are licensed from publishers and play in the official iOS and Android apps or on the website.
One thing makes new users think something is wrong. The terms say new customers "may see a pre-authorization charge for $14.95" on their card or PayPal at sign-up. It checks that the payment method works and is voided at once, but your bank can take two to six business days to show it as cancelled. If you see $14.95 on day one of a free trial, that is this hold, not a charge.
The second thing to know before you sign up is that the free trial counts its first day: sign up on July 1 and you are billed on July 31. Cancel during the trial and you lose the trial book and the VIP book.
Do Audiobooks.com credits expire?
Yes, after three months. This is the rule worth reading twice, and none of the top reviews mention it. The terms say members can roll over unused credits, "however, monthly subscription credits will expire 3 months after they have been issued," and top-up credits also expire three months after purchase. The exception: "Credits purchased through Apple and Google payment systems will not expire."
Audible's help center, checked the same day, says its credits "expire 12 months after they are issued, or upon membership cancellation," with the same App Store and Google Play exception. So the two services share the loophole but not the default. On the website plan, Audiobooks.com gives you a quarter of the time Audible does.
In practice: if you know you will use a credit each month, it makes no difference. If you subscribe "to build a stash" for a long trip, Audiobooks.com is the wrong place to do it, unless you subscribe through the App Store or Google Play.
Can you return a book on Audiobooks.com?
Yes, more generously than the reviews suggest, but not by yourself. The terms describe a return option that gives members "their credit back on a title they are dissatisfied with" and also covers titles bought by mistake. You need an active membership and must be "within 365 days of purchase date," and you start a return by contacting customer service. There is no return button in the app, and the company "reserves the right to limit the number of returns."
Subscription fees themselves are not refundable. The terms say so plainly: "We do not offer refunds on any subscription charges."
What happens when you cancel?
Purchased books stay. According to the terms, "all purchased content will remain in your My Books," including books bought with credits. Three things do not survive:
- VIP books are removed. You keep them only "as long as you remain an active subscriber."
- Family members lose the shared books if you are the primary account holder.
- Trial books go if you cancel inside the free trial.
The terms do not say what happens to credits you have not spent, so spend them before you leave. You cancel on the website under My Account, not in the app, unless you subscribed through Apple or Google, in which case you cancel in their subscription settings.
Are the VIP books worth anything?
That depends on what you read. Every member picks one VIP book per calendar month, on top of the credit, and an unused pick "does not carry over." The VIP selection on the day this was checked held 20 titles, and all 20 were novels: thrillers, romance, fantasy and historical fiction. For a fiction listener that is a real second book each month. For someone who mostly listens to nonfiction, the VIP benefit was worth nothing that month, and the honest price comparison is one credit for $14.95.
Audiobooks.com vs Audible: what is the difference?
On price, nothing at the standard tier. Audible's help center, checked October 17, 2026, lists Audible Premium at $14.95 a month for one credit or $22.95 for two, annual plans at $149.50 for 12 credits and $229.50 for 24, and a cheaper Audible Standard at $8.99. New members have not been able to join Audible Plus since March 3, 2026.
| Audiobooks.com | Audible | |
|---|---|---|
| One credit a month | $14.95 | $14.95 |
| Credit expiry (web sign-up) | 3 months | 12 months, or on cancellation |
| Owner | Storytel | Amazon |
Audible wins on credit expiry and on its exclusives and Audible Originals, which no other store sells. Audiobooks.com wins on the monthly VIP book if you read fiction, the Family Plan, and on not being Amazon, which for some listeners is the whole point. Neither lets the audio leave its own apps.
Can you download Audiobooks.com books as files?
No. The FAQ says downloads go to iOS and Android devices only, and asked whether you can download a book without the app, answers "No. We only offer listening via our website, and/or within our app." There are no CDs and no MP3s, and the license in the terms is "non-transferable." This is the same arrangement as Audible and most stores. If you want a file you can keep and move, Libro.fm vs Audible covers the store that sells DRM-free audiobooks. For other credit models and their rollover rules, see Audible vs Kobo and Everand vs Audible, and if you would rather buy per title with no subscription at all, our Chirp review.
Is the app good for nonfiction?
It is a solid basic player with two quirks. Speed runs from 0.5x to 2x, there is a sleep timer and offline listening, and bookmarks can carry notes, which you find again under My Notes. Some titles ship bonus PDFs, viewable on the website. The quirks: the FAQ explains that publishers' chapters "are converted to tracks" that do not always line up with the book's chapters, and some older titles have no tracks at all. And 2x is the ceiling, which heavy podcast listeners may find slow.
Notes on a bookmark are more than many stores offer. The FAQ says nothing about exporting them, though, so they stay inside the app, and a list of flagged moments does not by itself help you recall the book later. What does help is putting an idea into your own words while it is fresh and testing yourself on it a few days on, which is what how to remember what you listen to walks through.
Graspd is our companion for that: it talks through what you have heard so far without spoiling the rest, and turns the moments you mark into recaps and quizzes. It cannot import Audiobooks.com titles, because the audio does not leave their app, and the same is true of Audible. It works with podcasts that publish a public feed and with audio files you own outright.
Who should use Audiobooks.com?
It suits you if:
- You listen to about one audiobook a month and spend each credit within a few weeks.
- You read fiction and will use the VIP pick every month.
- You want a credit store that is not Amazon, or want to share books with your household.
Audible suits you better if you let credits accumulate, or want Audible Originals and exclusives. If you mostly listen to nonfiction, compare the two on catalog and credit expiry alone, because the VIP book will rarely be for you.
FAQ
Is Audiobooks.com legit?
Yes. It is run by Storytel Audiobooks USA LLC, part of the Swedish audiobook company Storytel, and has operated since the early 2010s. The books are licensed from publishers and play in its official apps and on its website. A $14.95 pre-authorization at sign-up is a temporary check that is voided, not a charge.
How much is Audiobooks.com per month?
$14.95 a month for one credit plus one VIP book, checked October 17, 2026. There are also 2- and 3-credit plans and prepaid plans of 3, 6 or 12 months. New members were offered their first two months for $1 in total.
Do Audiobooks.com credits roll over?
Yes, but only for three months. The terms say unused monthly credits roll over and expire three months after they are issued, and extra credits you buy expire three months after purchase. Credits bought through Apple or Google payments do not expire. Audible's credits last 12 months.
Can you return audiobooks on Audiobooks.com?
Yes, through customer service. Members with an active subscription can return a title within 365 days of purchase and get the credit back, including books bought by mistake. The company can limit the number of returns, and subscription fees are not refunded.
Do you keep your books if you cancel Audiobooks.com?
You keep everything you bought, with credits or with money. You lose your VIP books, family members lose access to the shared library, and books from a free trial are removed if you cancel during the trial. Spend unused credits before cancelling.
Is Audiobooks.com better than Audible?
It costs the same for one credit a month. Audiobooks.com adds a monthly VIP book, which was all fiction when checked, and is not owned by Amazon. Audible has its exclusives and credits that last 12 months instead of three. For nonfiction listeners who use credits slowly, Audible is the safer choice.
