Many websites are home to some of the most fascinating audiobooks available. You don’t have to pay for all of them, but this doesn’t mean you should download a pirated version either. There’s a legitimate way to obtain Moby Dick and other titles. This article will show you how.
Which Audiobooks can you Download for Free?
You can get free audiobooks in two situations: titles fall into the public domain, or audiobook retailers offering special deals. The U.S. Copyright Law recognizes many categories of free audiobooks. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Unpublished audiobooks from writers who passed away before 1953
- Unpublished pseudonymous and anonymous audiobooks and books made for corporate authorship before 1903
- Unpublished books when the death date of the writer isn’t known but it’s before 1903
- Books in the public domain due to non-compliance with required formalities or copyright expiration
You can find many books for free in the public domain, including the following classic literature titles:
- The Art of War
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- Moby Dick
- Aesop’s Fables
- Pride and Prejudice
- Peter Pan
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Dracula
- Jane Eyre
- Frankenstein
- Great Expectations
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Wuthering Heights
- Crime and Punishment
- The Great Gatsby
- The Call of the Wild
Where to Get Audiobooks of Classics for Free
You can get audiobooks of classics for free on several platforms:
Speechify Audiobooks
Speechify Audiobooks is a highly polished app with a vast library that includes more than 100,000 titles. There are many free titles you can explore without a subscription. The platform also runs a simple credit system to avoid overwhelming you with unnecessary information. Another great feature of Speechify is that you can use it on any device, including iOS tablets, Apple iPhones, and Android smartphones. There’s even a dedicated service for businesses called Speechify for Businesses, with 60,000-plus titles for entrepreneurs.
LibriVox
LibriVox is a collection of free public-domain audiobooks. The narrators are volunteers, and you can download around 16,000 titles, including fascinating fairy tales. The app lets you browse the library by author, subject, or title in several languages. Once you find the desired book, you can listen to it chapter by chapter online or download the work in a convenient zip file.
Scribl
Scribl might not be one of the best websites for downloading free audiobooks because you need to pay for most of them. The main reason it’s on its list, however, is that it offers a host of podcasts you can stream and download for free. However, you need to set up an account.
Digitalbook.io
Digitalbook.io used to be called Librophile. This is another directory where you can easily find and download free audiobooks in the public domain. The platform also lets you play them using iTunes. There are more than 100,000 titles at ditigalbook.io, one of the best sites for free audiobook listening. Most of them are audiobooks, but there’s also a large collection of eBooks.
Learnoutloud.com
Learn Out Loud features 50,000-plus inspirational and educational audiobooks, videos, and podcasts in MP3 format. You can search the titles by categories, such as biography, literature, arts and entertainment, and philosophy.
Lit2Go
This is another high-quality platform with public-domain audiobooks. It’s mainly designed for educational purposes, as it rates its titles using the Flesch-Kincaid scoring system. The method allows you to browse and filter titles by grade level.
OverDrive
Many local libraries have subscriptions to OverDrive. Those with this option can use the platform to download thousands of free eBooks and audiobooks, including some of the most well-known bestsellers. You can check out most entries the same way you would check out standard library books. The platform requires you to return your titles once your loan period is over. This feature is available from the Android or iOS Libby app through the Library Card model.
Free Classic Audiobooks
The name says it all. You can find numerous free classic audiobooks on this platform in various formats. The platform lets you navigate the library by the most popular titles and author’s last name. The only problem is that not every title is compatible with online streaming. Those that are will have a media icon next to them. You can download separate chapters and whole playlists in zip files.
ThoughtAudio
ThoughtAudio appeals to specific types of readers. The catalog focuses on two particular genres: philosophy and classic literature. There are approximately 100 titles, and you can download some books. Others have embedded audio on the website, and may also come with PDF transcripts.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg features human-read audiobooks and those that have computer-generated voices. They’re in the public domain, allowing you to download them for free. The simplest way to find the desired title is to search for it by subject, language, author, or title. You can download the books in several formats and save them to your device or online storage, such as Dropbox.
Open Culture
Open Culture isn’t a conventional audiobook download page. It’s more similar to audiobook archive platforms. This solution gives you access to more than 100 free non-fiction, fiction, and poetry audiobooks with links to a range of resources, like Audible, Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, and iTunes. There are also MP3 zip files and MP3 streams. Exploring the catalog is straightforward. You need only scroll down the list or use the Ctrl+F shortcut to find an interesting title.
StoryNory
If you have children who enjoy audiobooks, StoryNory might be a good platform for you. It targets younger audiences with a vast collection of classic tales and short stories from Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, and other authors. The library also contains educational stories, legends, and myths from all over the world.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive can be a great choice for downloading free audiobooks. It has user-friendly filtering methods. For instance, it can categorize your titles by view count. Some of the most popular books include Jane Eyre, Dracula, and The Swiss Family Robinson. Sign up with Speechify to access great public domain audiobooks Many apps and websites unlock access to public-domain audiobooks. If you need a platform that combines exceptional user experience and a large library, Speechify Audiobooks is the way to go. Explore the catalog and immerse yourself in top-notch narration.
FAQ
Can I get unlimited audiobooks for free?
Not all audiobooks are available for free. Titles are free because their author passed away some time ago, their copyright protection has expired, or for many other reasons.
Are there any newer free audiobooks?
You’ll hardly find new free audiobooks due to copyright protection.
