In today’s fast-paced world, multitasking has become essential, making finding time to read books is challenging. Fortunately, audiobooks have been developed to solve this issue. Now, even if you’re busy and can’t sit down with your favorite book, you can simply listen to it using an audiobook. It’s fascinating that we can enjoy the stories we love without reading them; instead, we can listen to them on the go. Additionally, numerous platforms are available now, offering a variety of genres and topics to choose from. This diversity ensures that whether you’re interested in fiction, non-fiction, self-help, or even educational content, there is something for everyone. This means that while you are working or engaged in other activities like driving, washing dishes, doing household chores, or doing some mundane task you can still immerse yourself in your favorite stories through audiobooks and by listening to audiobooks into your routine, you are not only enhance your knowledge and creativity but also invest in your personal growth. Below are some open-access platforms and premium apps for audiobooks:
OPEN-ACCESS AUDIOBOOKS
1. LibriVox – LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net for free. All our audio is in the public domain, so you may use it for whatever purpose you wish. https://librivox.org/
📖 What it offers: Thousands of free audiobooks read by volunteers, mostly classic works in the public domain.
🎧 Best for: Classic literature, historical texts, philosophy, and poetry.
💡 Example Books: Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), Moby-Dick (Herman Melville), The Art of War (Sun Tzu).
2. Project Gutenberg (Audiobook Section) – Is the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his legacy continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related content today
Link:https://www.gutenberg.org/
📖 What it offers: Human-read and computer-generated audiobooks from public domain books.
🎧 Best for: Classic novels, poetry, and philosophy.
💡 Example Books: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), The Time Machine (H.G. Wells).
3. Internet Archive – Audiobook Collection– Listen to free audio books and poetry recordings! This library of audio books and poetry features digital recordings and MP3’s from the Naropa Poetics Audio Archive, LibriVox, Project Gutenberg, Maria Lectrix, and Internet Archive users.
Link:https://archive.org/details/audio_bookspoetry
📖 What it offers: A massive collection of free audiobooks, including LibriVox recordings and other open-access books.
🎧 Best for: Rare and historical texts, folklore, and speeches.
💡 Example Books: Aesop’s Fables, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
4. Open Culture – Free Audiobooks– Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video. It’s all free. It’s all enriching. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high quality content whenever and wherever you want it.
Link: https://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks
📖 What it offers: Curated lists of free audiobooks from various sources.
🎧 Best for: Literature, philosophy, and academic texts.
💡 Example Books: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), Meditations (Marcus Aurelius).
5. Storynory (For Kids)—Since November 2005, they have been sharing free audio stories with the world. They operate a podcast and a website that offer audio streaming. Some months, they receive around a million downloads of their MP3 files, which are hosted on Libsyn. All of their content is free.
Link: https://www.storynory.com/
📖 What it offers: Free audiobooks for children, including fairy tales and educational stories.
🎧 Best for: Kids and young learners.
💡 Example Books: The Three Little Pigs, Greek Myths, Bible Stories for Kids.
PREMIUM AUDIOBOOKS
1. Audible –Is a subscription service from Amazon that offers a wide selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and audio originals, allowing users to purchase content individually or through a subscription model that includes credits and access to a curated
🔗 Android | iOS
💲 Price: $7.95–$14.95/month (includes free audiobooks + purchase options).
🎧 What It Offers: Huge selection, exclusive content, podcasts, and audiobooks.
💡 Best For: New releases, celebrity-narrated books.
📚 Examples: Atomic Habits, Harry Potter Series, Dune.
2. Google Play Books & Apple Books – Google Play Books & audiobooks allows you to buy and listen to audiobooks on your iPhone or iPad, while Apple Books offers a dedicated platform for reading and listening to books and audiobooks, including features like CarPlay, Apple Watch, and reading goals. Best for one time purchase.
🔗 Google Play Books | Apple Books
💲 Price: Pay per audiobook (no subscription).
🎧 What It Offers: Popular and best-selling audiobooks.
💡 Best For: Those who don’t want a monthly subscription.
📚 Examples: The Alchemist, The 48 Laws of Power.
3. Spotify Audiobooks – Best for Streaming Audiobooks
🔗 Spotify
💲 Price: Premium users get access to audiobooks (varies by region). Range from $5.99 to 19.99 per month.
🎧 What It Offers: Audiobooks included in music & podcast subscriptions.
💡 Best For: People who already use Spotify.
📚 Examples: The Psychology of Money, Becoming (Michelle Obama).
4. Scribd – Best for Unlimited Audiobooks & E-Books
🔗 Android | iOS
💲 Price: $11.99/month (unlimited access).
🎧 What It Offers: Audiobooks, e-books, and magazines in one subscription.
💡 Best For: Book lovers who want variety.
📚 Examples: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck*, Educated.
5. Kobo – Audiobooks are part of the digital content library provided by Rakuten Kobo, a Canadian company. You can access a wide selection of audiobooks through their website, the Kobo app, or by purchasing them directly or via subscription.
🔗 Android | iOS | Website
💲 Price: Subscription or pay-per-book Around $12.99/month (1 audiobook credit).
🎧 What It Offers: Provides unlimited access to a curated selection of audiobooks and ebooks: around 100,000 audiobooks and 1.3+ million ebooks (and growing)
💡 Best For: Subscribers who wish to own the audiobook permanently and value flexibility and more expansive catalog access.
📚 Examples: The Way of the Kings, Trading Zone, Iron Flame, Words Radiance and other highly popular audiobooks.
Benefits of Open-Access Audiobooks
✅ Free & Legal: No cost, no subscriptions.
✅ Accessible: Ideal for visually impaired users or those who prefer listening over reading.
✅ Educational: Great for students and lifelong learners.
Benefits of Subscribing to Audiobooks
While open-access audiobook apps provide a wide range of content, premium audiobook apps offer exclusive advantages, including access to the latest bestsellers, new releases, and titles not available on free platforms. These premium options enhance the overall listening experience. Regardless of your choice of platform, the benefits of learning through audiobooks are invaluable.
What genre or topic are you interested in? Here are some options to choose from:
📚 Classic Literature (e.g., Pride and Prejudice, Moby-Dick)
🔍 Mystery & Thriller (e.g., Sherlock Holmes, Dracula)
🛸 Science Fiction & Fantasy (e.g., The Time Machine, Alice in Wonderland)
💭 Philosophy & Self-Development (e.g., Meditations, The Art of War)
🧒 Children’s Stories (e.g., Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Aesop’s Fables)
📖 Historical & Biographical (e.g., Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass)
Let me know your preference, and I’ll recommend the best free audiobooks for you! 😊
Open Access Learning PH 