Scribd vs Audible: All-around Comparison

1. Overview

Audible was founded in 1995. After Amazon acquired the company in 2008, it grew to become the world's largest provider of audiobooks. There are now over 200,000 audiobooks on Audible. You can use Audible for free for 30 days. After that, you can choose to subscribe to Audible Plus or Audible Premium Plus. Alternatively, you can listen to Audible audiobooks without a subscription. All books downloaded from Audible can be kept.

Launched in 2007, Scribd has grown rapidly and expanded into many areas, including audiobooks. But it's not limited to audio and eBooks. You can read magazines, documents, journal articles, sheet music, and research papers. You can also listen to original content only available to Scribd subscribers. For a flat fee of $8.99 per month, you get access to a huge library of eBooks and audiobooks. However, Scribd only allows you to borrow books, you have no rights to keep them.

2. Pricing

If you're new to Audible, you can get Audible Plus or Premium Plus for free for 30 days. After that, you can subscribe to Audible or choose to use Audible for free.

Audible Plus costs $7.95 per month and gives you unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks and podcasts. These include a curated selection of original works, audiobooks, podcasts, meditation shows and sleep tracks.

Audible Premium Plus costs $14.95 per month. You can enjoy everything Audible Plus has to offer, plus a monthly curated selection of bestsellers and new audiobooks.

Audible Premium Plus for 2 credits cost $22.95 per month. You can get two credits per month. And you are allowed to keep them in your library forever.

Similar to Audible, Scribd also has a 30-day free trial. However, Scribd doesn't offer a free service. After the free trial ends, you can only continue to use it by subscribing.

Scribd's membership is cheaper than Audible's. For $11.99 per month, you get access to a million eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and sheet music. Also, unlike Audible, you don't actually own the audiobooks. You can only get them if you have an active subscription.

👍Winner: Scribd

3. Library

With over 470,000 titles, Audible's library is the largest audiobook library in the world. The collection includes popular audiobooks, bestsellers and exclusive content. In addition to audiobooks, you'll find podcasts, news shows, exclusive audio shows, and comedy shows.

Speaking of Scribd, it has over 300,000 titles. Once you become a member, you get unlimited access to its full library. In addition to traditional audiobooks, you can also access magazines, sheet music, podcasts, PDF files, research papers, and screenshots or snapshots. Therefore, it is a better choice for students, researchers, and anyone looking for something other than books.

👍Winner: Draw. Audible has more audiobooks, and Scribd has more genres.

4. Audio Quality

Audible's default (standard) quality is 32 kbps, and the high quality setting is 64 kbps. However, Scribd's audiobooks are capped at 32 kbps. There's no denying Audible's sound quality is better.

In order to store higher bitrate audiobooks, you will definitely need more storage space. The standard format for digital music is 32kbps, so the quality provided by Scribd is not bad.

You'll only notice a difference in sound quality when playing the audiobook on high-end speakers or headphones. So if you already own high-end speakers, Audible is for you. However, if your device has limited storage space, then choose Scribd.

👍Winner: Audible

5. Compatibility

Both Audible and Scribd are available on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices. The Scribd app can also be installed on Apple Watch and Kindle devices. However, access to Scribd is restricted, allowing access to its content on only three devices within a 24-hour period. Check Scribd compatible devices.

Audible is compatible with more devices, including Windows phones, Kindle devices, Sandisk MP3 players, and more. Additionally, Audible has no limit on the number of devices that can be used with an Audible account.

However, Audible audiobooks are protected by digital rights management. Even if you download an Audible book, it cannot be played with any player other than Audible. To solve this problem, you can use DRmare Audible Converter, which allows you to remove protection and convert Audible books to MP3, etc. Then you can listen to Audible anytime, anywhere without limitations.

👍Winner: Audible

6. Key Features

Audible Key Features:

(1) Free credits
The basic plan offers members points that they can exchange for audiobooks. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can enjoy some additional benefits. You get exclusive free content on Prime video every time you buy an audiobook.

(2) Easy return policy
The Audible app allows users to download audiobooks and switch between audiobooks and eBooks. You can also return Audible audiobooks within 365 days of purchase, no questions asked. Buy an audiobook with credits, read it, then return it for credits and buy a new one.

(3) Easy exit plan
Some audiobooks only allow you to borrow books, but Audible offers something different. Audible downloads are all yours, and you can keep them forever. This means that even if you choose to cancel your Audible membership, you can still access your downloaded audiobooks through the app.

(4) Responsive customer service
If you are having problems with audible, you can ask them about it because they have 24-hour customer service support. If there is some problem on their side then those audiobooks will be removed from your library. Even the returns will be dropped from your audiobook library and they will restore your credit.

Scribd Key Features:

(1) Overall interface
The overall interface of Scribd is quite good. It also has a separate section to browse summaries, reviews, recommendations, etc. These can help you find the most appropriate and popular reads. In addition, each audiobook comes with a five-minute audio clip so that members can make an informed decision.

(2) Wishlist Corner
It allows you to save your favorite audiobooks to a wish list and read them once you have completed your current book.

(3) There are monthly memberships available
There is a monthly membership option on Scribd. By becoming a member of the platform, users can access its website as well as its mobile app. You also have the option to easily and seamlessly switch between eBooks or audiobooks through the app.

👍Winner: Audible

7. Apps

When it comes to the Scribd and Audible audiobook apps, both have similar features such as adjustable speed and sleep timers. But the Scribd app can't set bookmarks from the tray. Every time you want to set a bookmark, you have to open the player.

The Audible app is very user-friendly. With the search function, you can easily find the book you are looking for. You can search the library by name, genre or catalog. And you can easily control playback. In addition, the application is generally easy to navigate. In listening mode, you can adjust Audible narration speed (0.50x - 3.50x) and chapters. You can also set Audible sleep timers (5-60 minutes or custom) and bookmarks.

With the Scribd app, you can scroll through different categories and suggestions. You can do the same with many of the controls while in listening mode. You can set sleep timers, make bookmarks, adjust playback speed, and more. You can jump to any chapter, but the chapters are named only by numbers.

You can also download from Scribd. The Scribd app makes it very clear whether you're listening or downloading a song. It's easy to switch to a downloadable version that can be listened to offline. However, download speeds are a bit slower than Audible.

Overall, Scribd's application is rather cluttered and can be difficult to navigate at times. However, the application works smoothly and is easy to use for most features.

👍Winner: Audible