How to Get Free Audiobooks & E-books Right Now

Updated 4th April 2024

Welcome to a list of everywhere you can get free audiobooks and e-books right now.

Some of the below are general subscription services from big names such as Amazon, whereas others are more niche and indy. Some catalogs can be accessed via apps, others include free downloads.

All have at least a 30-day free trial available and a handful are free all the time.

Personally, I’ve used Everand for the past few years, but after researching this list I have my eye on the 3-month deal for Audible and perhaps the paid version of Libro.fm later, as profits support independent bookstores.

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Audible by Amazon (free trial)

Audible is Amazon’s audiobook service, which offers digital audiobooks, radio and TV programs, plus audio versions of magazines and newspapers. The wide range of audio products available with Audible make this service the world’s largest producer/provider of audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. You can listen to Audible products via the Audible app, or via a Kindle or other e-book device.

How to get Audible for free

Audible is a subscription service, so you need to sign up to Audible for a 30-day free trial. The trial only includes two audiobook and some Audible Originals. Alternatively, you can sign up for 3 months at the special price of USD0.99 per month.

Small print: You will need to input your credit card information, so remember to cancel before the 30 days are up if you don’t want to continue your membership and get charged. After the trial is up, you will get up to three Audible titles or credits a month for USD14.95, but you can cancel any time.

Audible with Amazon Prime

If you are a paying Prime Delivery member, you may already have access to Audible for free. Check your membership, as this only applies to those who pay annually.

Kindle Unlimited by Amazon (free trial)

Kindle Unlimited is also with Amazon, but it’s way, way better. This service allows subscribers unlimited reading and unlimited listening on any device. Yes, any device, even if you don’t have a kindle! There are over a million e-book and e-magazine titles to choose from, so it really kicks Audible’s ass, and it’s also cheaper at USD11.99/month.

How to get Kindle Unlimited for free

Sign up for a 30-day free trial. If you have a Kindle device, you can use the service straight away. If you would prefer to access audiobooks and e-books on your phone or tablet, then download the Kindle app to access all those delicious bookies. There also a 3-month “deal” where the first 3 months are cheaper.

Small print: You will need to input your credit card information, so remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to continue your membership and get charged. After the trial ends, Kindle Unlimited membership is billed at $11.99 USD/month + any applicable taxes until cancelled. Also, Kindle Unlimited is only available in select countries. This means you may struggle to access Kindle Unlimited if you’re traveling internationally or living overseas.

Everand (free trial)

Previously called Scribd, Everand is an audiobook and e-book subscription service with over a million titles, claiming to be “world’s largest digital library.” You can use Everand on any device to access unlimited books, magazines/news and audiobooks (which, despite the “unlimited listening” promise, Kindle Unlimited does not have). It’s the cheapest of the services so far at USD9.99/month, which makes it a real competitor for Amazon.

I used Everand for several years and loved it. I used the app on my phone and put on an audiobook when working at home or cleaning, or when I’m out for a walk or run in the evenings.

How to get Everand for free

Everand has a 30-day free trial. After the free trial ends, Everand is USD9.99/month, which is still very reasonable.

Small print: You will need to input your credit card information, so remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to continue your membership and get charged.

Spotify (always free)

Spotify isn’t just for music – it’s a great place for podcasts and audiobooks too. However, audiobooks don’t have their own genre on the platform, so it can be difficult to browse or find a book that takes your fancy.

The best way to see what audiobooks are available is to search “audiobooks” in the search bar, but ignore the “songs” that come up because these are a jumble of chapters. Instead, look at Artists, Albums and Playlists. Many of the titles are in the public domain, but there are some more modern books available too.

How to listen to audiobooks on Spotify for free

Spotify is free, but there is a paid version as well if you prefer not to be bothered with ads.

Small print: You’ll struggle to listen to full, chaptered audiobooks on the free version of Spotify on a mobile device because you can’t choose the order of audio files – only shuffle. However, you can listen in order on the web player, which could be a good option if you’re working and want an audiobook playing in the background. Or, you can upgrade your Spotify account to the paid version to listen on mobile.

Audiobooks.com (free trial)

Despite having the least creative name, Audiobooks.com has an impressive library of 150,000+ e-books, 8,000+ audiobooks and 700,000+ podcasts. These can be accessed via an app on mobile and tablet devices, much like other services on this list.

How to get Audiobooks.com for free

Sign up for a 30-day free trial to get three audiobooks for free (one regular book and two “VIP” books… whatever that means). To be honest, this sounds much less impressive after seeing the offers from other platforms, but could still be an option if you’re looking for an alternative.

Small print: Remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to continue your membership and get charged. After the trial ends, membership is USD14.95/month.

Kobo (free trial)

Kobo is very similar to other services out there except that it works with a credit system. So, with your monthly membership you get one credit each month to “grow” your library one audiobook at a time.

Some features I like are that you can adjust listening speed and set a sleep timer. I don’t known how many times I’ve settled down for some easy listening in the evening, only to wake up hours later and then I have to figure out how much I need to rewind the audiobook – so this is a great idea. The credits always get you one audiobook, no matter the retail price.

How to get Kobo for free

Sign up for a 30-day free trial and you’ll get one audiobook. Not as much as what is offered by other services, but if you’re a slow reader (and you easily fall asleep listening to books, like me), perhaps this option is for you.

Small print: You will need to input your credit card information, so remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to continue your membership and get charged. After the trial ends, membership is USD9.99/month.

Librivox (always free)

Librivox is a collection of free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers from all over the world. If you’ve always meant to get round to reading the literary classics, or you’re looking for some obscure 100-year-old-plus works, then this could be the right choice for you.

Browse through Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Ulysses, Little Women, Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Les Misérables… to name but a few recognizable titles available. You can also volunteer to be a reader and switch between editions if you prefer a different voice.

How to get Librivox for free

It’s always free, you guys. Listen on your computer, mobile device, or burn onto a CD (remember those?).

Small print: Librivox is based in the US and the titles available are based on texts that are in the public domain in the United States. If you reside outside the States, you’re supposed to check whether the text is in the public domain in the country you’re based in, as you could be violating copyright laws, but you can still download it regardless.

Loyal Books (always free)

Similar to Librivox, Loyal Books is a collection of downloadable public domain audiobooks and e-books, and boasts a collection of 7,000+ titles. Take a look at texts by Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, the Brontes, Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Shakespeare, plus plenty more. There are also paid options for more modern books.

How to get Loyal Books for free

Always free!

Hoopla (always free)

Hoopla is a digital service for North American public libraries (United States and Canada), with an online collection of movies, music, audiobooks, e-books and more, available for free.

How to get Hoopla for free

You will need a library card from a participating public library. Then, you can register and access Hoopla’s stores via a web browser, mobile, or tablet. If your local library doesn’t currently partner with Hoopla, you can express interest by asking your library about the service.

Overdrive (always free)

Similar to Hoopla, Overdrive is a free online service associated with public libraries in North America. However, the difference here is that the collection is based on what is available at your local library, so the titles are limited. Libraries may only hold a certain number of licenses for books, so you may have to wait for an e-book, like you would for a hard copy on loan. You also have to “return” the e-book for the next person to use.

How to get Overdrive for free

It’s already free, so ask your local public library if they offer this service. There’s also a free summer audiobook program for teens called SYNC, which is run through Overdrive.

Libro.fm (free trial)

Now, you may be crying out: “This is all well and good, but I want to support my local indy bookstore!” Well, there’s a place for that too. Libro.fm partners with local bookstores and when you use its audiobook subscription service, the profits are split between the company and your chosen bookstore, which is a great way to support small bookshops.

When you sign up, you can select which bookstore you’d like to support (mostly US and Canada, but there are a handful of participating bookstores in other countries too – see the full list here), then enjoy the collection of 150,000+ audiobooks as part of the USD14.99 subscription service – happy in the knowledge that some of the proceeds are going to an independent booky place.

How to get Libro.fm for free

Libro.fm costs USD14.99/month, which includes one audiobook credit and 30% off individual audiobook purchases. When you start a new membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, you get two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Mind Webs (always free)

If you’re a fan of Philip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut, you may be searching for something a little more alternative. Well, Mind Webs was once a radio dramatization series of sci-fi short stories, but now it’s a permanent online collection with over 150 titles and completely free to listen to.

How to get Mind Webs for free

Simply access the archive via this link and start listening.

Scribl (partly free)

Scribl is ideal for the reader looking for undiscovered talent, indy titles and self-published works read by the authors themselves. It’s a great way to support self-published authors too.

The way it works is this: the newest books are free, then later they’re crowdpriced based on how popular they are within their genre and how high they’re rated by readers. 75%-85% of the price goes directly to the authors within 48 hours of purchase.

How to get Scribl for free

Sign up to join Scribl, then look for new titles for free audiobooks. You can also use the app and listen on your mobile or tablet device.

Storynory (always free)

Storynory is a free online audiobook service for kids and perfect if your children need a little entertaining during this time. Some of the audiobooks have pictures and sound effects too. The books are categorised by school year (1st Grade to 8th Grade… not that I know what that means, being British) and include classic titles, poems, music and original works by Storynory too.

How to get Storynory for free

It’s always free!

eStories (partly free)

eStories has an extensive library of 100,000 audiobook titles and a USD11.99/month subscription service to access them, but unfortunately no free trial. However, you can search for audiobooks by price and some are available for free. The downside (or upside) is that the free audiobooks are mostly erotica.

How to get eStories for free

Go to the eStories website, click on “Discover Audiobooks” then filter by “Free Audiobooks.” You’ll find subtle and romantic titles such as Dominated by the Hotel Maid, Punishing Miss Primrose Part 1, and Fingering Her Lesbian Boss. I mean, we have to pass the time in self-isolation somehow, right?

Project Guteneurg (always free)

Project Gutenberg has a wide collection of public domain audiobooks in an impressive amount of languages, including Ancient Greek, Afrikaans, Navajo and Welsh. Some are “human read” whereas others are “computer read.”

How to get Project Gutenberg for free

It’s already free, so you can download the audio files you want and play them however you wish.

Open Culture (always free)

Open Culture is a platform that shows you free audiobooks, online courses, movies, e-books, certifications, language lessons and educational resources available on the internet – and tells you where and how access to them. There are around 1,000 audiobooks and 800 e-books listed. This could save you some searching if you’re looking for a particular book and want to know where it’s available for free before signing up to anything.

How to get Open Culture for free

Always free!

Other places you can get audiobooks and e-books for free

I’ve found listening to audiobooks as I work, cook and do things about the house very relaxing. If you know other free trials or services providing audiobooks and e-books, add suggestions in the comments below.