Audiobooks
Even most of those who really never have time to read a book usually have more than enough time to listen to one.
—Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Audible
A subscription-based audiobook retailer with hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from. Plans start at £7.99 for one credit (audiobook) per month, with other plans available if you’d like more. There’s a free 30-day trial where you can get an audiobook of your choosing – even if you decide to cancel your trial, you get to keep the book.
Scribd
One of the first innovators in the digital books/audiobooks sphere. Unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of eBooks and audiobooks (as well as magazines) for €9.99 per month, with a free 30-day trial to get you started.
Chirp
Time-limited deals on selected audiobooks. Playback is through their app for iOs/Android, as well as through your browser. Purchases are yours to keep and there is no subscription or fee for using Chirp.
Blinkist
Blinkist distills key insights from 4,500+ bestselling non-fiction books & podcasts across 25+ categories into 15-minute text and audio summaries.
Get started with a free 7-day trial and get 25% off an annual subscription via the link below.
Downpour
Downpour offer a subscription service in the vein of Audible, et al, for $12.99 per month. You can also purchase audiobooks at competitive prices, as well as renting titles for 30/60 day periods, and even purchase CD versions! Something for every audiobook affecionado.
BookBeat
A digital subscription service, BookBeat charges £12.90 per month, which gives you unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks – stream as much as you like. There is a free two-week trial if you’re interested in signing up.
Audiobooks.com
Another subscription-based audiobook provider. Download the app and enjoy one audiobook every month for US$14.95. If you would like more audiobooks, you can buy additional credits to use toward them.
eStories
Credit plans with eStories start at €9.49 per month for a single audiobook, with additional plans if you like to consume more. They tempt you in with half price for the first 3 months. You can also save on your chosen plan by opting to pay annually rather than monthly.
BorrowBox
As a library member, you get free access to BorrowBox, an app which allows you to borrow and listen to audiobooks on your phone or other device – anytime, anywhere. You can borrow up to five audiobooks at a time, for a loan period of three weeks per item.
Not a member? Join online here.
AudiobooksNow
AudiobooksNow offer deep discounts on audiobooks titles, with further savings to be had under their Club Plan ($4.99 per month). If you like to just pay for an audiobooks instead of dealing with credits, etc. these might be worth a look.
Kobo
Large online bookseller, with a good range of titles at attractive discounts. Optimised for use with Kobo apps for phone/tablet/computer.
Your Local Library
Your local library will stock a range of audiobooks which you can borrow for free as a member. It has access to a shared national catalogue, so your librarian can request titles from other libraries across Ireland if they don’t have them on the shelf.
All You Can Books
A service offering access to over 40,000 eBook and audiobooks titles for $19.99 per month. There’s a 30-day free trial if you want to try it out (and you get to keep whatever you download during the trial).
Google Play Books
Excellent range of audiobooks at very attractive prices. Browse, buy and listen through the Play Books app or website on your device of choice. Titles can also be exported for playback on other devices.
Digitalbook.io
Online catalogue of free audiobooks and eBooks. Searches and shows results from several online sources, including Librivox, Gutenberg, Google Books, Open Library and Amazon.
