Audible vs. Storytel: What you need to know

Streaming services have evolved beyond the standard Netflix offerings. These days you can stream almost anything, including podcasts and audiobooks from your favorite creators. Right now, the trending brands in the streaming industry are Audible and Storytel.

Although operating in the same space, the two platforms offer different services. But how can you tell which one to choose or what alternatives you should consider? Settling the Audible vs. Storytel debate might give you enough information to make the best decision with your time and money.

Audible

Audible is a world-renowned audiobook service with a massive collection covering various genres. Almost every book you can find on Amazon in an eBook or hardback format is available on the Audible platform.

The service lets users exchange credits for books to which they retain full ownership. Users can buy up to four books monthly, depending on the subscription plan.

Pros of Audible

Despite its pricing, Audible offers a quality service. Some of the pros of Audible include:

• People can listen to their audiobooks even after canceling the subscription.

• The platform has a one-year, no-questions-asked return policy on audiobooks.

• Audible offers email, chat, and phone customer support 24/7.

• The library has over 200,000 titles.

• Audible prioritizes new books and bestsellers from the top publishers in the industry.

• Users can stream audiobooks at a 64 kbps bit rate.

• Audible offers audiobook discounts to members.

• It’s available on almost any Apple, Android, and Windows device.

Cons of Audible

Let’s discuss the drawbacks, because no audiobook app or service is perfect:

• People who want to listen to more than what Audible gives them in a month must buy new audiobooks.

• Audible doesn’t have eBooks, music, and other written content. It’s strictly for audiobooks.

Storytel

Storytel is a European-based subscription audiobook service that offers eBooks on the side. It has excellent multilingual support covering over 150 languages, including English, Dutch, Swedish, Hindi, German, Korean, and many more.

While similar to Audible, Storytel differentiates itself through two major categories:

• Content variety

• Unlimited access

Any subscription plan allows Storytel members to read how many eBooks they want on the platform. Listening to audiobooks in any genre is also unrestricted. These perks make the Audible vs. Storytel debate lean heavily in the latter’s favor.

Pros of Storytel

Several standout features make Storytel a reputable Audible competitor:

• The platform allows unlimited reading and streaming with any subscription plan.

• It’s much cheaper than Audible when considering the amount of unlocked content.

• It has a great collection of Hindi and other foreign materials.

Cons of Storytel

• The Storytel collection is still smaller than Audible’s library.

• Users need to keep paying the subscription to access their audiobooks and ebooks.

• It’s only available on Android and iOS mobile devices.

• It doesn’t support Windows and Mac devices.

• Storytel is not available for users in many English-speaking countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.