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I’ve always been a big reader. I love keeping up with current literature, I love the old classics. I used to devour books! Unfortunately, with each kid I’ve had, I keep getting busier and busier. My time for reading has been cut down drastically over the years, which is why I’ve started getting into audiobooks!
Whether you’re driving kids to and from school (like me!), running, at the gym – basically any situation where you have time on your hands just no free hands for holding a book or eReader – an audiobook is a great way to pass the time!
And if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on audiobooks or sign up for a subscription, there are so many ways to find free audiobooks. Entertainment for free? Yes, please!
The ultimate list of websites that offer free audiobooks
These 19 websites offer free audiobooks just for your listening pleasure. Check out the pros and cons of each site below. Click the link to jump directly to that section of this post.
- LibriVox
- Lit2Go
- Internet Archive
- LoyalBooks
- Storynory
- Open Culture
- Digitalbook.io
- Light Up Your Brain
- Thought Audio
- Free Classic Audio Books
- Learn Out Loud
- hoopla
- Audiobook Sync
- New Fiction
- Project Gutenberg
- Miette’s Bedtime Story Podcast
- ejunto
- YouTube
FAQ About Free Audiobooks
- How do you get free audiobooks through your library?
- How do you listen to free audiobooks on your phone or tablet?
- What is the best free audiobook app?
- Do Amazon Prime members get access to free audiobooks?
- Are paid audiobook services like Audible worth the money?
LibriVox
You can find a lot of options on LibriVox. You can also download for iOS and Android to stream on your phone or tablet.
Pros
- Download chapter by chapter if you want
- Many ways to search for books
Cons
- Not many cons for this one!
Overdrive & Libby
You’ll find a huge selection from Overdrive, from bestsellers to classics. Just check out the audiobooks like you would a regular book from the library!
Pros
- You can borrow audiobooks free from your local library
- You can listen from a mobile app called Libby
Cons
- You have to have a library card from a supported library. If your library doesn’t have Overdrive, you’re out of luck!
Lit2Go
This is a more brainy way of downloading audiobooks! They’re organized by reading level, some come with a PDF of text to follow along and a worksheet!
Pros
- Books are categorized well
- You can download books by chapter
Cons
- It doesn’t let you download the whole book at once
Internet Archive
With over 17,000 audiobooks and poems to browse through, you can really find a lot on this website! The only problem is you’ll have to do some digging, since the categories are hard to search through.
Pros
- Thousands of free audiobooks
- Offers many audio format options for downloading
Cons
- Not well organized
LoyalBooks
The categories on this website are great! You can sort by genre or by top 100 then start streaming on your phone, tablet, or through the website.
Pros
- Finding the top 100 audiobooks is easy
- Thousands of free audiobooks
Cons
- Not many sorting options
Storynory
This is a great resource for kids! You can download fairy tales, original stories, educational books and even very short stories for very little ones!
Pros
- Great for kids
Cons
- Limited selection
Open Culture
Thousands of fiction, non-fiction and poetry audiobooks are at your fingertips at Open Culture! There are also free movies, online courses and ebooks.
Pros
- Hundreds of free audiobooks
Cons
- Some audiobooks aren’t streamable or downloadable
Digitalbook.io
You can find a selection of over 100,000 books at Digitialbook.io, but if you’re just looking for audiobooks, browse carefully because there are a ton of ebooks.
Pros
- Has many well-known titles for downloading
Cons
- More ebooks than audiobooks
Light Up Your Brain
This is a great resource for audiobooks, and free games, for kids. But if you’re looking for audiobooks geared toward adults, this is not the site for you!
Pros
- Great for kids
Cons
- Only for kids!
Thought Audio
This is a great website for classic literature and also philosophy books.
Pros
- Includes classic audiobooks
- You can stream directly from the website
Cons
- You have to download each chapter individually
Free Classic Audio Books
Like the name suggests, this is a great resource for classic books.
Pros
- Perfect place for classic audiobooks
- You can download chapters, or the whole book
Cons
- While this is similar to other free audiobook options, they don’t have as many audiobooks
Learn Out Loud
Exercise your brain by downloading free educational titles here, as well as audiobooks, documentaries and speeches.
Pros
- Thousands of free audiobooks
- You can also listen to documentaries, speeches and more
Cons
- You need to sign up for a free account, but some audiobooks are only free during a trial period
hoopla
hoopla is great for downloading free audiobooks, but you do need a library card and a participating library. The streaming options are great, including being able to stream through Chromecast, Roku and Fire TV, as well as smartphones, tablets and computers.
Pros
- Lots of genres to choose from
Cons
- You need a library card
Audiobook Sync
This is a great website to encourage kids to read during the summer. It’s geared for ages 13 and older, but you are limited in your downloads per week.
Pros
- Great for kids
Cons
- But audiobooks are only available in the summer and you can only download two per week
New Fiction
These audiobooks are certainly unique, and described as “modern-day radio dramas.” This is a great site to check out if you’re looking for something different, but the selection is definitely limited.
Pros
- Unique audiobooks
Cons
- Not a great selection
Project Gutenberg
You can search the top 100 page for some great selections for free.
Pros
- So many free downloads to choose from!
Cons
- Some audiobooks are read by a computer instead of a person
Miette’s Bedtime Story Podcast
These little mini stories are perfect if you’re bedding down for the night and need a bedtime story. Adults like bedtime stories, too!
Pros
- Shorter books
- 100 free audiobook downloads
Cons
- Must download whole book
- Only available in MP3 format
ejunto
This is a great site if you’re looking for audiobooks on philosophy, autobiographies, American history and the like.
Pros
- You can listen on iTunes! Or download as an MP3
Cons
- The selection is limited
YouTube
YouTube’s search engine isn’t geared toward audiobooks, but if you’re willing to dig, you can find some great selections. Try searching the book title followed by audiobook (example: Jane Eyre audiobook) to help cut through the videos and music.
Pros
- Any audiobook listed as free can be streamed
Cons
- It can be a challenge to find audiobooks
How to listen to audiobooks through your library
You may have noticed that a couple of these options are through your library.
The easiest way to find out which app or website your library has partnered with is to go to your library’s website and see if they partner with Hoopla or Overdrive. Or both!
You should be able to figure out from your library’s website how to access the audiobooks with your library card. Each library is a little different.
Still not sure how to use your library to listen to free audiobooks? Go to the library in person and ask your librarian. They are always so helpful!
The only con to listening to audiobooks through your library is that sometimes there is a long waiting list. If you want to listen to new releases right away, this option may not be the best for you.
How to download audiobooks to your phone
Each website for free audiobooks is a little different. Some have apps and some don’t. Some allow for downloads directly to your phone.
We think it’s best to download audiobooks directly through apps instead of the website, just for convenience.
These are the best sites that offer apps for easy free audiobook downloads:
What is the best free audiobook app?
All four of these apps are great:
My personal favorite is Hoopla, but that is only available to certain libraries. If your library doesn’t participate, try another one of the free apps.
Do Amazon Prime members get free audiobooks?
Yes! However, it’s tricky to find the ones that are free.
As an Amazon Prime member you get access to thousands of free books. Some of those books also have a free Audible version.
Click here to see the complete list of books with Audible narration in Prime reading.
Is Audible worth the money?
In my opinion, yes! Audible is totally worth the money.
That is because I love to listen to new releases. If you are only listening to older books, spending money on Audible probably isn’t worth it.
I always check the free library sources for a book first, then if I can’t find it, I use my monthly Audible credit to get an audio book. Audible starts at $14.95 a month for one audiobook, or $22.95 for 2 audiobooks a month.
I like it because it connects to all my Amazon devices, even Alexa at home. I can easily listen to a book at any time, anywhere.
Get your 4 FREE audiobooks here: Free Audible Trial
What is your favorite way to listen to audiobooks?
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