Are you a reader but finding it hard to find the time to read books due to your busy schedule? Or are you a beginner trying to imbibe the habit of reading? You are at the right place if you identify with the above questions. I am an avid reader, and for so long, I used to finish at least five books every month, sometimes even more than that. I would pick up a book today and finish it by the following day. This happened only when the book was super interesting.
Where To Get Free Audiobooks Online?
However, even though I love books, eventually, I found it challenging to include them in my daily routine. I would still read non-fiction books every morning, but I couldn’t read books at a stretch because I had to travel a lot to attend university classes. I started feeling sad because I missed reading, and books are an inseparable part of my life.
But then I discovered the magic of audiobooks!
I could listen to audio books while traveling in local trains swarmed with people. Audiobooks helped me stay in touch with books, even though I wasn’t technically reading. I loved how I could reach my overall reading goal as I could listen to more and more audiobooks. There are so many benefits of listening to audiobooks. As life gets faster every day, we have so much going on.
The best way to not compromise on reading because of your busy schedule is by listening to audiobooks. There are plenty of awesome audiobook apps with a free trial for a month or even more. You can make use of that to listen to your favorite audiobooks like Harry Potter, 1984, Stephen King books, or even The Holy Bible. In this list, you will find many remarkable websites and apps where you can find and download (or borrow) and listen to free audiobooks. You can get online audiobooks free here.
👉 Want To Read Books For Free Online? Here Are The Best Apps & Websites For That! 📚 🆓
✅ Note: This list contains all the popular and recommended audiobook services; some of them provide audiobooks for free, and some of them have free trials through which you can sign up and listen to your favorite audiobooks.
1. Audible
Audible is an audiobook and podcast platform by Amazon. As you may know, Amazon has a wide variety of books on its website. In the same way, when it comes to audiobooks, Audible is one of the best. Other than regular audiobooks and podcasts, you will also find Best Audible Originals, which are audiobooks exclusively created for the platform only. The best part is that some books have Audible Narration in Prime Reading.
If you have a Prime membership, then you can get free Kindle books and also the “Audible” version for free (if they are available) as well. Even though Audible is a paid audiobook platform, you can get a 30-day free trial (sometimes even more than that). We have a detailed Audible review covering all their features. You can cancel your subscription anytime, so no strings are attached. You can get Audible here! 🎧
2. Spotify
Spotify is one of my favorite smartphone applications. Many people use Spotify for its vast array of music, but I love listening to audiobooks on Spotify. Spotify is a unique online platform where you can listen to audiobooks for free. There are more than 3000 audiobooks on Spotify that you can listen to for free. Spotify is working hard to make its platform inclusive of different types of audio content.
It is now focusing on music and includes great audiobook titles and podcasts. The Spotify audiobook library is quite wholesome. Just type ‘audiobooks’ on the search bar, and you will get a whole list of audiobooks that you can access for free. One of my all-time favorite classic novels is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I recently listened to the Little Women audiobook on Spotify, which was terrific.
I highly recommend Spotify to everyone, especially school-going and college-going students with a limited monthly allowance. Even though Spotify is free, it does have a premium version. The premium version will remove all ads, and you can listen to your audiobooks without any disturbance. You can check this Audible or Spotify audiobook article to learn more about the difference.
3. Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com came into the market in 2012, and it’s now been a decade since they successfully combined technology with their love for books. They have a collection of more than 3,50,000 audiobooks, and all of these titles are premium. They also have other audio products like audio news, audio magazine, sleep & meditation music, etc. You can download the audiobooks.com app. It’s available for Android as well as iOS smartphones. The free trial will give you three audiobooks and free access to other audio entertainment products.
4. Storytel
I used to think Storytel was an Indian company for a long time because Storytel has managed to offer audiobooks in so many regional languages in India. But, to my surprise, Storytel is a Swedish company, and in many countries, Storytel is one of the most highly used audiobook platforms. And rightfully so! The way Storytel has understood the significance of regional content is commendable. I love Storytel’s audiobook collection. It’s wholesome, and they also have original content exclusively made just for the platform.
The app is exceptionally user-friendly, and you will also find several helpful features. They also have audiobooks with text. Storytel also has ebooks, so you get audiobooks and ebooks on your mobile phone. Storytel keeps coming up with different free trial offers, wherein you can listen to unlimited audiobooks for a particular period, such as a 14-day free trail or a 30-day free trial. I have used Storytel for the longest, and I highly recommend it. You can check our Storytel review here.
5. BBC Sounds
Are you a fan of BBC content? Well, I am, and I know that there are a lot of people who love BBC news and its shows. If you are one of them and want to listen to BBC news and your favorite BBC shows on the go, downloading the BBC Sounds app is highly recommended. However, the BBC Sounds app also has an audiobook category, where you will find several free audiobooks in different genres.
6. Lit2Go
One of my favorite websites for free audiobooks is Lit2Go. Lit2Go has a collection of poems and stories in the form of mp3 audiobooks. Even though Lit2Go offers audiobooks in various genres, the primary focus remains on classic literature. You will find some rare classics in their collection. Mainly, when it comes to poems, I haven’t seen such a fantastic collection anywhere else. Each passage comes with the word count, citation, playing time, etc.
You can also download the passages in the form pdf and then get printed. This is especially great for students, as the printed passages may serve as reading material for their school or college. You will find five options on the menu bar – Authors, Books, Genres, Collections, and Readability. You can browse through these menus to find the perfect audiobook for yourself.
I particularly find the Readability option very unique and fascinating. So, you can choose a readability level according to your standard. It starts from the kindergarten level to the twelfth standard. When you pick a level, you will be served a list of audiobooks perfectly suitable for you. And the website is entirely free as well. Amazing. I highly recommend Lit2Go to everyone.
7. Storynory
Storynory is a fantastic website and app for kids. You will find several audiobooks for students starting from first grade to eighth grade. You will also discover fairytales, myths, classics, poems, and educational audiobooks. And all of this is for free. The Storynory website and app interface are also very user-friendly and quirky. It’s colorful and vibrant, making it perfect for kids. Listening to a beautiful audiobook with your kids will make for a fantastic family storytime session. It’s a great way to bond together as well. I highly recommend Storynory to parents trying to inculcate reading habits in their kids.
8. Hoopla
Another great website for downloading free audiobooks is Hoopla. Hoopla has a massive collection of books in various genres. However, you would need a library card from a supporting library. You can filter the audiobooks by language, ratings, release date, etc. There is also an option called Children’s titles only. If you switch to Children’s titles, you will find numerous audiobooks suitable for kids.
9. Loyal Books
Loyal Books is a free audiobook website with a massive collection of audiobooks, all in the public domain for free. I don’t know how it’s possible to share such an extensive collection of free audiobooks, but Loyal Books is making it happen, and my bookish soul is sending them blessings. There’s an overwhelming number of free audiobooks on this website. From comedy, historical fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, to poetry, and classic literature, you will find an extensive list of fantastic audiobook titles. There are plenty of books for kids as well. Overall, Loyal Books is the second name for free audiobooks, and every book lover must visit their website for free bookish madness.
10. Google Play Books
Google Play Books makes me incredibly nostalgic. It always walks me down memory lane. I was in my first year of college when I started reading books. During that phase, I used to read and listen to so many free books available on Google Play Books. And Google is the OG of providing the best resources ever. Now, you will find ebooks and audiobooks on Google Play Books that you can purchase.
Most audiobooks are priced very cheaply, starting from less than a rupee. But you will also find entirely free books. You don’t have to pay anything to download these audiobooks. Since Google Play Books has an overwhelming collection of audiobooks and ebooks, you won’t find it challenging to get a free audiobook of your taste and preference. And, since it’s a Google product, you don’t have to worry about anything.
11. Apple Books
If you are an iPhone or iPad user and love books, Apple Books is your one-stop destination for some bookish madness. Apple Books has a wide range of free ebooks and audiobooks for its users. You can create your digital library on the app and add books to your collections. This helps you reach out and grab the audiobook you want to listen to at a given time hassle-free. You will find the books that you have finished reading in the finished section of your library.
Each book comes with a brief description and rating, making it easy to pick the right audiobook of your choice. You can quickly add the book to your want or read list, so you don’t lose it. You can also create a reading goal on the Apple Books app. Once you achieve your goals – for example, listening to a certain number of audiobooks, reading daily, or a new streak in listening to the most number of pages in a day – you can share your achievements and celebrate them. This helps you stay motivated in your reading journey. Overall, Apple Books is a sophisticated app for all book lovers.
12. Bookmate
Bookmate is a great platform where you can find lots of free audiobooks. They have an extensive collection of books. You will find classics, new releases, biographies, crime thrillers, and many more genres on Bookmate. There are books available in English, Spanish, and fifteen other languages. Bookmate is a pretty famous website and app. There are more than a million Bookmate users across the globe.
Other than audiobooks, you will also find ebooks. You can change the page brightness, background screen color, font, etc. The best feature is that you can save the audiobooks on your device and listen to them offline while traveling or even when you don’t have an internet connection. Bookmate is also a community for readers. You can see what your friends are reading, share the books you are reading, and share quotations and extracts that you find lovely.
There are three plans on Bookmate – Free, Standard, and Premium. When you upgrade to the standard and premium tiers, you will get access to more and more book titles. However, if you don’t want to spend money and listen to audiobooks for free, then you can stick to Bookmate’s free plan. There are amazing audiobooks listed in their free plan too.
13. Kobo Audiobooks
Kobo Audiobooks is another excellent audiobook platform. They have a wonderful collection of audiobooks, and their app has some fantastic features too. Although Rakuten Kobo is a paid platform, they have a 30-day free trial. So, you can listen to free audiobooks for thirty days. Also, the audiobooks you have added to your library will stay there forever, even if you don’t subscribe or extend your subscription. Isn’t that amazing? Kobo Audiobooks is a must-try for every book lover.
14. Libby by OverDrive
Libby is a library reading app by Overdrive. There are more than a million people who have installed the Libby app. You will find ebooks and audiobooks both on Libby. Libby is entirely free to install. You don’t need to make any payment for the app, but you will need a library card. The app has a bunch of unique features. Your reading progress will be synced throughout all the devices.
You can also change the font, brightness level, background color, and font size on the app if you read an ebook. You can highlight paragraphs and make your notes on the app. You can download your audiobook and listen to it offline as well. There is an array of genres available on Libby, so you need not worry about the collection you will find on the app. Libby is a fantastic app for all book lovers, and I highly recommend it.
15. LibriVox
LibriVox is one of the most beautiful websites I have come across for free audiobooks. Volunteers from across the world record audiobooks, and they are listed on the LibriVox website. It’s an entirely free audiobook platform. The narrators are free to choose whichever book they want to record. So, the collection depends on the choice of the volunteers. You will find some very old audiobooks, so their quality may not be as crisp. But overall, LibriVox is the outcome of a fantastic initiative to provide free audiobooks online.
16. Internet Archive
Internet Archive was founded way back in 1996. And ever since then, it’s been a goldmine of resources. Internet Archive is a digital library with the ultimate goal of making knowledge universally accessible. People have free access to a comprehensive collection of digitalized versions of books, magazines, photographs, music, etc. Internet Archive also advocates for an open and free internet. So, if you are a book lover, you will find many free audiobooks on the Internet Archive.
17. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a charitable initiative towards providing free ebooks and audiobooks globally. There are more than sixty thousand books available on Project Gutenberg’s website. The focus of Project Gutenberg is primarily on old classic literature books, as the U.S. copyright on those books has expired.
Stephen King said, “Books are uniquely portable magic,” and audiobooks have taken this statement to another level. You must try the above websites and apps if you also want to listen to some fantastic audiobooks. They have audiobooks for kids and adults (young adults too). Let us know in the comments which website or app you loved the most!