Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts

What it is

Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts is published by Audible, Inc. and listed under Books & Reference. The app is free to install and rated Teen. It first appeared in August 2010 and was last updated on 2026-10-28. The listing frames it as a catalogue that mixes audiobooks, podcasts and Original productions, with a player built for hands-free listening.

What it does well

Playback features are detailed. Titles can be downloaded for offline listening, and Car Mode is meant for the road. Narration speed can be changed up to 3.5x. A sleep timer, bookmarks and notes are included. You can switch between reading on a Kindle and listening on a phone, tablet or Wear OS device, and connect to Bluetooth or Alexa-enabled devices. The listing also mentions personalised playlists and browse collections such as Goodreads members picks. Kids Profiles let you share children audiobooks, podcasts and Originals with a child from the app.

What the ratings show

Audible holds 4.58 across 1,768,322 ratings and 100,000,000+ installs. Five-star ratings are 80.8% and four-star 9.3%. One-star ratings are 5.6%, two-star 1.9% and three-star 2.4%. It is a healthy spread, a little less glowing than the very top apps but well above average for a media service.

Where it falls short

The money side is the main gap. The listing describes a membership that unlocks a catalogue of more than a million audiobooks, plus exclusive titles and podcasts, with a 30-day free trial for new members and extra benefits for Amazon Prime members. It does not give a price. It also notes that Originals and bestsellers can be purchased, which suggests some content costs extra. Without a membership, the listing does not say how much of the library you can use.

People who commute, exercise or do chores while listening will find the offline and Car Mode features useful. Check the membership terms before the trial ends.

The overall reading is positive. The player features are thorough, the ratings are strong for a service with this many users, and the main caveat is cost clarity. A listener who already knows they want a monthly audio habit will likely be pleased, while a casual browser should check the trial terms first.