Scribd review: Is this online library service worth it?

People have many choices these days to access their favorite written, audio, and video content. Scribd is one of those choices that enjoys massive popularity among professional and casual readers. However, there might be more than meets the eye. Scribd might surprise you, depending on your online content needs and preferences.

What is Scribd?

Scribd is an online library subscription service with a vast collection of audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, and sheet music. Often called the Netflix of books, Scribd partners with hundreds of publishing houses to offer its monthly subscribers’ new books. It’s an all-in-one platform with tons of materials available on Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Amazon Fire, and Kindle devices.

Scribd, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible—What’s the difference?

Scribd, Amazon Kindle Unlimited, and Audible are some of the biggest names in the online content library industry, yet not one of these platforms is the same as the other.

For example, Audible lets members buy up to four books per month, two using credits based on the subscription tier, and two with the subscription money. It also has podcasts and other audio content.

Scribd, on the other hand, only rents audiobooks and ebooks. Members don’t get lifetime ownership of the materials as they do from Audible. However, the Scribd library has its fair share of bestsellers to read in any given month.

Kindle Unlimited has the largest ebook collection. That said, it doesn’t offer audiobooks, which is why many prefer Scribd or Audible. In addition, the Kindle Unlimited doesn’t hold more than 10 books at a time, whereas Scribd doesn’t have restrictions.

Because of this, Scribd is a well-balanced platform with good content variety and unlimited audiobook and ebook rentals per month.

Cool additional features of Scribd

Once enrolled, members can access various cool features besides reading or listening to their favorite audiobooks on demand. All additional features are available in the Scribd Perks section.

Blinkist

Not everyone has time to go through long novels, cover to cover, even in an audiobook format. Scribd takes this opportunity to introduce a summaries feature called Blinkist.

The feature highlights lessons, insights, and important plot moments, so users can get all the information they need without going through the entire material. It’s a time-saving feature, especially for non-fiction books.

Farfaria

Farfaria integration makes Scribd a preferred online library for kids. The Farfaria streaming service uses automatic page turning and audio narration to read aloud tiles or entire pages.

It can help kids become more immersed in the story or help them read faster.

MUBI

Scribd also offers MUBI integration, a streaming service for top studio productions. If the audio narrations get dull, users can catch a few shows instead.

AUDM

Every day people spend precious hours reading journalism articles from all over the world to keep up with current events. Scribd wants to help its members multitask and offers long-form journalism in an audio format.

AUDM is a Scribd Perk that can narrate news articles. Think of it as turning a newspaper into an audiobook.

Pocket

Pocket is another Scribd Perk designed for the busiest members and frequent travelers. This feature allows users to save online articles into an offline format they can read or listen to at another time.

While bookmarking something in your browser does the same thing, Pocket quickly saves online content on your local storage device. Therefore, not having an internet connection won’t stop you from accessing the content you want.

Scribd Perks access

Not all Scribd Perks come with the platform subscription. For instance, MUBI is a standalone platform that partners with Scribd. Members of the online library service can get codes for one year of free access to MUBI. But once the year is up, they may have to subscribe to MUBI separately.

Furthermore, not all Scribd Perks work great with every Scribd app.

Uploading your documents to Scribd

Scribd is more interactive than some people believe. The platform has a document-sharing feature that enables users to share their content with other members.

However, this isn’t a publishing platform like Amazon, Kobo, etc. Yet, it enables the community to exchange interesting content, educational materials, and other files. The platform has an upload limit of 100 MB per file.

But it’s essential to consider Scribd’s file conversion, which can add a few MG to the file size. PDFs, epubs, Docx, and other files are accepted.

Scribd review: Pros and cons

Scribd has some standout features and a couple of drawbacks.

Pros of Scribd

• Downloadable ebooks

• Sleep timer feature

• Bookmarking and highlighting progress-tracking features

• Partnerships with popular magazines like Fortune and The New York Times

Cons of Scribd

• It uses throttling on specific titles and new releases

• Poor account management features on smartphones and mobile devices

• Canceling the subscription can prove problematic

Scribd reviews: Is it worth it?

People with enough time to read more than four books per month can probably benefit a lot from a Scribd subscription due to the unlimited access to the entire collection.

Multitaskers, audiobook enthusiasts, and people trying to keep up with world events on the go may also find Scribd a unique platform. No one forces users into a year-long commitment, rather the option of a recurring monthly fee. However, the technical issues regarding throttling, account management, and subscription management can be deal-breakers.

Reviews found on the web

Scribd offers a solid service for its subscription cost regarding content. However, management and customer service don’t receive high praise. The platform’s consumer rating is relatively low, with many current and past members complaining about their overall experience on social media.

Our review

Scribd has good content variety, and its unlimited access and Scribd Perks provide substantial membership benefits. The platform has a great mix of written and audio content at a reasonable price compared to similar online libraries. It’s a decent solution for readers who want an audiobook subscription service and simply want to casually listen to whatever new titles or most popular books Scribd picks up from time to time.

At the same time, Scribd still has its limitations, especially for readers whose priority is accessibility due to conditions such as reading disabilities or visual impairments.