Jan 25, 2017 The best thing about this app is that you can search for audiobooks and stream or download the audiobook within the app. Besides from the free and public domain audiobooks, you can also listen to the newer audiobooks. However, since they are sold by their respective creators, you need to pay for them. Nov 20, 2019 There are over 700,000 titles available. Subscribe to your favorite podcasts and get notified when a new episode is out. Easily download or stream every new episode from any podcast. Add multiple podcast episodes to your playlist for interruption-free listening REMEMBER Audiobooks.com gives you access to 150,000+ amazing, high quality. Members get 30% off any additional titles they purchase. Free and easy exchanges, swap anytime. Keep your library of titles forever, even if you cancel. Listen anywhere, anytime when you download your audiobooks to listen offline in the Audible app, whether you’re commuting, shopping, working out,. Nov 18, 2019 Catalog of free audiobooks, that are available in the public domain. Find and listen to over 14k classic audiobooks. Audio book can be streamed over the internet any time anywhere. Genres books available for search in our application: romance, poem, mystery, sci-fi, children and more! This app is Chromecast ready. So you want to join the world of audiobooks, but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place. We have the best audiobook apps for Android and iPhone, free options, paid audiobook subscriptions, and a slew of sites for quick, bite-sized listens. Here’s the skinny: Reading with.
If you ask your friends and colleagues why don’t they read books daily, the most common would be — ‘I don’t get enough time’. And to some extent this is true. Life is busy.
And to deal with this, you can listen to the audiobooks instead of reading a physical book. In fact, Audiobooks are simply perfect for those who are at time constraint. This is because audiobooks enable you to enjoy your favorite books while you are doing other things like commuting, household chores, morning walks, gym sessions, etc.
If you are just getting started with Audiobooks, I suggest you watch this video to find out what exactly are audiobooks and where you can find them.
Depending on the audiobook format, you can play them using the regular music player. However, audiobooks require some special functionality like bigger control buttons, fast forward, resume from where you left and yes sleep timer etc.
And to help you with that, here are some of the best audiobook players for Android. Note: Some of them even provide audiobooks to listen to from within the app.
Related: How to Convert Ebooks into Audiobooks on Android
Best AudioBook Players for Android
1. Smart Audiobook Player
I use Smart Audiobook Player every day to listen to my favorite audiobooks. It has all the features that an audio book player should have like – auto rewind on a long pause, playback history, auto sleep, support for Android auto and Android wear, ability to boost volume, playback speed control, bookmarks, character list, support for tasker intents, etc.
Using Smart Audiobook Player is easy; simply open the app, specify the root folder of audiobooks and start listening. When you add a new audiobook to the root folder, tap on the refresh icon in the library page to list the new audiobook. One thing to keep in mind is that the Smart Audiobook Player is just a player. You need to have the audiobooks in your device in the supported format like MP3.
Pros: Smart Audiobook Player has all the features you will ever need from an audiobook player. Moreover, there are no ads to deal with even in the free version.
Cons: The interface looks a bit dated. The basic version lacks some advanced features like playback speed, bookmarking, volume boosting, character list, equalizer, the ability to download album cover from the internet, etc. However, the base version mostly suffices for regular usage. You can get the differences between base and pro version by navigating to “Menu > Help > Features.”
Is it free: The base version is free. With a $2 in-app purchase you can unlock the Pro version. Like me, if you listen to a lot of audiobooks then the purchase is well worth it.
Related: Pocket Cast v/s Podcast Addict | What to choose?
2. LibriVox
Love to read free and classic audiobooks? Look no further than LibriVox. Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers reading out-of-print and public domain books, you can stream, download, and listen to some of the best audiobooks for free. The audiobook player itself is simple and has all the necessary features. Some of those features include 30 seconds forward and rewind options, bookmarks, auto sleep, detailed audiobook description page, the ability to sync audiobooks and their playback position across devices using your Google account, etc.
The best thing about this app is that you can search for audiobooks and stream or download the audiobook within the app. Besides from the free and public domain audiobooks, you can also listen to the newer audiobooks. However, since they are sold by their respective creators, you need to pay for them. LibriVox is available for Desktop, Android, and iOS.
Pros: Over 24,000 free and public domain books to listen.
Cons: The app is ad-supported. To read newer audiobooks, you need to pay. Also, since most of the Audiobooks are read by volunteers, the quality is not that good compared to voice artist on Audible. But for starters, the app is worth it.
Is it free: Yes, the app is free. However, it is ad-supported.
3. Material Audiobook Player
As you can tell from the name itself, Material Audiobook Player prides itself for being designed with Material design standards. Unlike other audiobook players, this player is minimal and looks pretty modern due to its material design. The app is by no means as feature rich as Smart Audiobook Player but has important features like bookmarks, playback speed control, auto-sleep, etc.
Most of all, Material Audiobook Player is completely free, open-source, and has no ads to hinder your experience. So, if you looking for modern looking, free, and open-source audiobook player then Material Audiobook Player is for you.
Pros: The app is free, open-source, and uses material design.
Cons: The app is missing on some advanced features like volume boosting, automatic switching to next audiobook, tasker intents, etc.
Is it free: Yes, it is completely free.
4. Audiobook Player
If you are looking for a truly minimal audiobook player both in terms of user interface and features then this app is for you. When you first install and launch the app, it asks whether to scan for audiobooks or would you like to set a root folder for all your audiobooks. Once you are done with that and start playing the audiobook, all the chapters are neatly hidden at the bottom. If you want to move between chapters, all you have to do is slide up and choose the chapter.
As I said before, the app is pretty minimal and you won’t get many customization options. However, you will have the necessary features like playback speed control, auto-rewind, bookmarks, lock-screen widget, and auto-sleep.
Pros: The app is minimal, light-weight and free with no ads.
Cons: Compared to other apps, the app has no advanced options for customization.
Is it free: Yes, it is free and has no ads.
5. MortPlayer
Just like Smart Audiobook Player, MortPlayer is one of the most popular audiobook apps with all the necessary and advanced features you will ever need. Some of the features include but not limited to support for playlist, folder based navigation, swipe gestures, selectable layouts, flexible play, shuffle, and repeat modes, etc.
However, the user interface looks old. In fact, compared to other players on the list, the old icons and the layout make it very confusing to use. This is especially true if you are new to audiobooks. That being said, the sheer number of options let you configure the app to meet your needs. So, if you don’t mind the dated user interface for free advanced features then this app is for you.
Pros: Audiobook Player has all the advanced features you’ll ever need. Moreover, the app is completely free.
Cons: The user interface is very dated and some icons are confusing.
Is it free: Yes, Audiobook Player is free.
6. Audible
If you are a regular audiobook listener, then you probably know Audible. In case you don’t know, Audible is an Amazon own company that produces and sells the audiobooks. In fact, they have some of the best collection of audiobooks voiced by some of the best voice artists.
The good thing about Audible is that it has over 200 thousand titles. However, you need to purchase the individual audiobook or be a paid member to access and listen to the Audible titles. When it comes the Audible Player, it has all the required features like chapter navigation, download audiobook for offline listening, ability to create clips of your favorite parts, bookmarking, auto-speed, playback speed control, etc.
Pros: Audible has a huge catalog of professionally narrated audiobooks. The player is also pretty minimal and easy to use. Once you buy a book, you can keep it forever, even after you cancel your Amazon subscription.
Cons: Even though the player is free, you need to pay to listen to the audiobooks. You can only listen to the Audible audiobooks in Audible Player. Moreover, you cannot directly listen to Audible books in any other audiobook player, though, you can download the mp3 from the Audible website and then listen to it on 3rd party player.
Is it free: You can either pay for individual audiobooks or you can pay for the monthly subscription of $14.95. The monthly subscribers get one free audio book every month and 30% off on any purchase.
Hope that helps and if you think I missed any of your favorite audiobook players then do comment below sharing them.
ProTip: You can convert any article on the Internet to an audiobook using TTS, and listen to it while traveling for before going to bed. We also use this technique to proof read articles before publishing it. Read more here – Make your Devices Read Out Text, With Text to Speech
If you love a good read but can’t find the time to settle down with a regular book, here’s a solution. Load some audiobooks onto your Android smartphone or tablet and listen while jogging, working out, or commuting to the office. In fact, even if conditions are perfect to enjoy a regular book, audiobooks make a fine alternative.
The Wonderful World of Audiobooks
Audiobooks, as the name suggests are simply spoken versions of a book. They come in either complete or abridged format, and are narrated by the author or a professional speaker. And to enjoy them, all you need is the right app.
You might wonder why you need a special app. After all, audiobooks are just audio files. So why not just use a regular music player?
It’s true that most audiobooks will play just fine on audio players such as the GooglePlay app that comes bundled with Android. But audiobooks tend to be long and complex with lots of chapters. That’s why you really need a dedicated app that:
- Resumes playing from where you left off.
- Lets you set bookmarks so you can go back and review.
- Organises your books neatly and logically.
- Lets you navigate intuitively around your library.
- Show you the chapter and page of whatever book you’re listening to.
- Displays cover art, reviews and ratings.
- Allows you to speed up to get through the book faster or slow down if you really want to concentrate.
Choosing an Android Audiobook App for your Lifestyle
When it comest to finding the ideal audiobook app for your Android device, you have two main choices.
The first is to go with an app bundled with a service. That way you buy, download and play your audiobooks within the app. This has the obvious benefits of simplicity and a seamless fit. It does, however, tie you into the ecosystem of the provider. Here are three popular services and their apps.
Audible (Get Two Audiobooks for Free)
For many users, the name Audible is virtually synonymous with audiobooks. That’s due in no small part to the clout it derives from being part of amazon.
Audible currently boasts a massive library of over 200000 titles and the quality is uniformly high with readings by luminaries such as David Suchet and Jeremy Irons.
They operate on a subscription basis. You pay a monthly fee of $9.99 for which you get one audiobook along with discounts on others. One nice touch is that they offer a 30-day free trial so you can see if the service is for you.
After signing up, just download the Android player from the Google Store, sign in to your account, and choose your audiobooks. You can listen by either streaming or downloading your media.
The Audible audiobook player is a breeze to use. It features My Library, Recommendations, along with the player interface itself. At the top it shows you the current chapter and a time bar showing the time elapsed. At the bottom are regular play, rewind and fast forward controls. Other buttons let you set bookmarks and speed up or slow down the speed of the audio.
Audible offers one of the easiest ways to get started with enjoying audiobooks. However you are tied to the amazon subscription model. Moreover, some of your products might by protected by DRM (digital rights management). This means they can only be played on a limited number of devices. Plus, while Audible does have an extensive range of books, there is a chance they won’t have the book you want.
OverDrive
If your local library is well-stocked with audio books, you can use the free Android OverDrive app to borrow them for up to 21 days.
Just download the app from Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore. You can also get it directly from the OverDrive site and sideload it. Then, punch in your library card details to browse what’s available.
The actual selection of media will depend on what your local library has made available. Audiobooks are only loaned to one member at a time, so your book of choice may be out. However you can place a hold and they’ll send you an email when it’s back. And no worries about late fees as the book is ‘returned’ automatically when your time’s up.
The number of books you can have out at any one time depends on the policy of your library. But you can return a book early to free up a slot.
Librivox
If you have a hankering to revisit Alice in Wonderland or get stuck into the Art of War, Librivox could well be for you. This service offers over 15000 free public domain audiobooks including classic novels, poetry, biographies and non-fiction. Being the work of volunteers from around the world, the quality is variable, and you won’t find many new releases here. But you can’t beat the price.
After downloading the app from Google Playstore, you can search the Librivox site by title, author, genre or keyword. It also alerts you to new releases. You can then stream or download your chosen items to your Android device.
The player app is richly featured offering reviews, ratings, sleeve art, contents and description, along with a full set of controls including a sleep timer. Another option is to download the audiobooks as mp3s in a zip file and play them on any device.
Free Audiobook App Download For Android 4 2 2 Free
DIY Audiobooks
The second way to enjoy audiobooks is is to download a player and find the media yourself. You can find audiobooks at various place on-line or you can rip them from CDs. Just drag and drop into your phone or tablet and point the app to the storage location.
This method you firmly in the driving seat but the downside is that you may have to fiddle with formats. Plus, unlike services such as Audible with its vast catalog all in one place, you may have to do a bit of searching to find the books you’re after.
If this is the way for you, here are a few of the best audiobook apps for Android.
Listen Audiobook Player (former Akimbo)
The Swiss army knife of audiobook apps, Akimbo blends simplicity of use with comprehensiveness of features. And best of all, it’s completely free.
Akimbo can automatically identify chapters and covers, remember how far you’ve read and your chosen volume. It also features a go-to dialog that whisks you to a chosen chapter or position on a page.
It also handles all the major audio formats including Apple’s M4A and M4B, WMA, FLAC, and ogg vorbis along with MP3.
Long considered the best free audiobook app for Android, Akimbo is no longer being supported. For this reason, many users are switching to a newer option, the Listen Audiobook Player for Android.
While not free (you’ll have to shell out a whopping $2), it’s a solid investment. Controls are basic but deliver all you need for an engrossing audiobook experience. Variable playback speed support is offered for mp3 files, and you can just tap anywhere on the background to play or pause.
Smart Audiobook Player App
Another perennial favourite is the Smart AudioBook Player app. The basic version is free but lacks many useful features. The full version costs a modest two bucks. Try the full program free for 30 days. Then you can register or let it revert to the basic version.
As a dedicated audiobook app it does everything you need including downloading covers, classifying your reading into new, started and finished. Plus it comes with playback speed control and history. It can also sync across all your devices via the cloud.
Google Play Store App Download
A Bright Future
The audiobook industry is booming with new apps and services appearing all the time. Please let us know your own favourite in the comments below.