Audible vs Scribd: Which Audiobook Service Should You Use?

Audiobooks can save you a lot of time. You can listen to all the books, even quickly, without turning a single page. This means you can be busy with other tasks while listening to your favorite authors. Two of the biggest names in the world of audiobook services are Audible and Scribd. While it owns Amazon Audible, it certainly has a great selection of custom audiobooks. Scribd, on the other hand, is pretty popular for things other than audiobooks. That leaves me wondering which one they should subscribe to.

Both services have their pros and cons, and choosing one over the other can be difficult. We have used both audiobook platforms and can share information based on our experience. Here’s everything we learned about using Audible and Scribd you need to know before subscribing.

Let’s start.

1. Content Diversity

Scribd offers a variety of content to locate it that sets it apart from Audible. Audible is an audiobook platform, and you’ll mostly find audio versions of books. Scribd offers content in a variety of formats. You’ll find eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, magazines, and even documents and slides. The latter is a recent addition, thanks to LinkedIn’s acquisition of SlideShare.

You’ll find all kinds of documents on SlideShare, such as templates, academic articles, and even court files. Then there are the Notes. Ever wanted to play that popular song on your guitar or piano? Sheet Music puts the vocals and sheet music from some of the world’s greatest artists at your fingertips.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to Snapshots. A concept popularized by Blinkist, Scribd’s in-house team will read/listen to the book for you and create a summary. A quick way to get trivial information. Still, nothing is better than reading a book, and this smell of paper is a different experience.

Scribd has all the content in every format imaginable for you to consume. There’s something for everyone, and I like to have options, even if it’s overwhelming. I love Snapshots as they give an idea of ​​what to expect from the book, save time and increase retention. It’s also a great way to reread the same book.

2. Availability of Content

Scribd may lead the race for variety of content, but when it comes to popular book titles, Audible takes the lead. Audible does one thing and excels at it. Audiobooks. They have a larger library than Scribd and some of the titles available on Audible you won’t find on Scribd or anywhere else.

For example, The Outsiders by William Thorndike is not available on Scribd.

That doesn’t mean Scribd’s collection is any less. Only Amazon offers a larger database thanks to contributions from the Kindle platform. Amazon has built an ecosystem for writers and readers alike, with products such as Kindle eReaders tablets and apps and services like Kindle Direct Publishing.

You’ll find the most popular titles on Audible and Scribd. Some indie authors only publish their content on the Kindle platform, but that’s a different story. There is a similar program for Audible called Audible Originals. These titles are not available on any other platform.

Here’s a personal preference test you can take – search for a book or author whose work you’d like to enjoy. Based on the results, you will get an idea of ​​where each audiobook platform stands for your usage and habits.

3. Interface

Let’s start with the smartphone interface because most people listen to audiobooks. The idea behind audiobooks is that they allow you to be productive and do other things while listening to books.

Audible’s interface is good. It’s nothing fancy, but it works just fine. I guess the UI doesn’t really matter because once you select an audiobook you won’t be looking at the screen anyway.

The options are pretty self explanatory. Wish List for audiobooks you want to read in the future and categories to find new titles based on interests. The News tab will take you to Audible’s social media profiles. Settings are important. You can check the download method and quality, notifications and how to play episodes here.

Scribd takes a slightly different approach and I like the UI better. Clean. There is a top bar where you can choose the type of content you want to consume. The bottom bar is how to sort the selected content type. Categories can be found under the Search tab.

One small but notable difference is the ability to create lists in Scribd. Audible has a single list of all audiobooks. Scribd not only lets you create different lists, but also has Notebook sections where all notes, bookmarks, comments, and highlighted sections are stored. On the other hand, you cannot control the download method and quality, and we will understand why in the next point.

If it matters, Audible comes with a widget, but Scribd doesn’t.

4. Sound Quality

You probably already understood this, but for those who don’t, Audio content clearly has better audio quality. Audible’s default (Standard) quality is 32 kbps and High quality is set to 64 kbps.

The reason why Scribd doesn’t offer any way to customize downloads is because there is only one quality and it’s 32 kbps. In Scribd’s defense, this is acceptable because that’s not the music we listen to. The voice/sound should be clear and audible. Thanks to Audible, it doesn’t meet our expectations.

5. Pricing and Platform

Both Audible and Scribd are available on the web and have mobile apps for Android and iOS. Audible also works with Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa.

When it comes to cost, Audible is expensive. It comes with a $14.95 monthly plan that gets you a credit. Each credit can be used once for an audiobook. You get the Two-Voice Original, but they’re not very good at the moment. The Platinum plan costs $22.95 and offers two credits. After that, each additional credit will cost you $14.

Scribd has only one plan that will cost you $8.99 per month. Under this plan, you get one audiobook and unlimited eBooks and other formats (starred) content every month, which isn’t bad. Note that if you are a prolific reader, Scribd may, at its sole discretion, restrict you from consuming more or certain content (read point 3 for more details). Basically, you pay less and read more, causing Scribd to lose money, and they won’t have it for obvious reasons.

Note that you are buying and not renting books on Audible, meaning you own the books even after unsubscribing. Scribd works like Spotify, you can listen to the songs as long as you subscribe, but you don’t own them.

Can you hear me

Audible definitely has a better collection, and it will make a difference for productive audiobook listeners. I know some people who subscribe to both services. It all depends on how many audiobooks you listen to each month and whether you are interested in other content formats. If you are, Scribd is a solid option because it’s cheaper and offers a lot more options. If not, you’ll find Audible’s collection satisfying.

Next: Want to try Audible? Click the link below to learn all about Audible in our complete guide.