With how busy everyone seems today, there has been an unprecedented increase in the use of audiobooks.
A time when I embarked on a search for some of the best audiobook apps for Android to beat my need to enjoy books amidst my busy schedule.
My search was fruitful, and over time, I’ve been able to listen to great books by utilizing some of these apps.
And in this article, I will share with you some of the audiobook apps that are great for Android devices.
Audiobooks are a great way to unwind after a tiring day and give your eyes the much-needed rest it yearns for.
The narrator’s voice delivers every emotion described in the audio format of books; you will laugh, cry and cherish the experience.
Having the right audiobook app is like having a map of your destination. The appropriate app helps you choose great titles.
Let’s look at some of these apps.
Best Audiobook Apps for Android
1. Overdrive
Among the best audiobook apps for Android is OverDrive. OverDrive is a digital app that allows you to borrow audiobooks and ebooks for free.
OverDrive works with Libraries around the country to allow users to borrow audiobooks and ebooks that it offers.
All the content from different libraries appears on a unified shelf, and one can play them within the app.
The app also enables cross-device syncing of titles and bookmarks, allowing users to listen to an audiobook while maintaining the flexibility and convenience of a digital app.
Because OverDrive allows users to borrow audiobooks from the library instead of using different apps for different libraries, users can register more than one library card on just one app and connect cards from several libraries.
Hence, you can access sample audiobooks and hold the books you want, ranging from newly released books to bestsellers and obscure titles. You can also stream the audiobooks online or download them for offline use.
To enjoy this app, you need a valid library card with participating libraries.
You can then sign up on the platform and access their library’s vast collection of audiobooks. Depending on the library you access, you could also have limited content.
2. Spotify
One of the popular music streaming apps across many platforms today is Spotify. It has an audiobook category too.
However, the audiobook collection of Spotify is relatively limited compared to other audiobook apps.
Here, users can create a playlist of their favorite audiobooks and stream them from anywhere in their home or car.
The user will require a free (or paid) account to access the audiobooks in this app.
But, if you don’t mind hearing a few ads now and then, you can stream (but not download) audiobooks for free.
3. Amazon Kindle
For audiobook fans, the Amazon Kindle app is among the best Android audiobook apps. The app doesn’t offer an audiobook player feature but offers native support for audiobooks.
This support is obtained through the whisper sync icon on Audible.
You can link your Amazon and Audible accounts so that when you download the ebook to your Kindle app, you can also buy and download the matching Audible audiobook at a fraction of the actual cost. Hence, you get one book in two formats.
Books with matching audiobooks usually feature a headphone icon in the top-most right corner of the book.
Here, you can tap on the headphone icon, which will prompt a tray display below the screen that will say “Audible Narration.”
You can tap on that display to download the audio version, or if already downloaded, then tap the play icon to begin listening to the audiobook.
With the aid of whisper sync, the two books will sync, allowing you to switch between reading and listening with a few taps, and as you let the audiobook play, it’ll mark the progress in the e-book.
It also lets users bookmark, highlight, jump, skim, and track pages while reading a book. It also features regular notifications and updates from your favorite authors.
Users can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited for unlimited access to audiobook titles for $9.99 monthly.
4. Hoopla Digital
Hoopla Digital, as the name infers, is a digital media service. It is also one of the best audiobook apps for Android, and it also houses other digital content apart from audiobooks, like, movies, ebooks, music, and more.
The audiobooks here are quite remarkable and include thousands of titles. The app has various public-domain audiobooks and hosts files compatible with users’ computers, tablets, or mobile phones.
It usually works by connecting users with their local public library through members’ cards to facilitate easy borrowing of audiobooks.
With hoopla digital, the audiobook can be easily streamed or downloaded for later listening offline whenever you need to relax.
Hoopla Digital also has features that allow users to add a bookmark or write a note while listening to the audiobook.
It also features an easy setup and search engine, facilitating hassle-free navigation and viewing.
Users can also adjust the playback speed and add a sleep time. The app integrates with the car system seamlessly.
Hence, users can switch to customized modes while driving to work or even during a road trip.
Although the app is free, it relies heavily on public library catalogs, and users will require a public library subscription to use the audiobooks.
There is a limit on the audiobooks one can listen to because some public libraries limit how many books users can check out in a month.
5. Kobo Books
Kobo also offers a rich library of audiobooks in its online marketplace on Android devices. Audiobooks were added to the e-bookstore of this app in September 2017.
It has an extensive collection of ebooks and audiobooks in various languages, including English, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Spanish, and Italian.
Kobo’s app audiobooks simplify audio listening and make personalized recommendations depending on your reading history and progress made.
It is nicely designed and features player functionality like a timeline scrubber bar, time skip buttons, chapter navigation, playing speed configuration, and a snooze timer that can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
The app allows users to add notes, bookmarks and even look up unknown words.
It also allows users to convert e-books to audiobooks using the one-tap toggle option easily. Here, one can also add notes and bookmarks.
This app also encourages cross-platform syncing. You can switch seamlessly between devices and preview books before getting them.
Kobo has a monthly subscription fee of $9.99, with one free audiobook, while new users can earn a $5 discount on their first ebook purchase.
6. Downpour
Downpour is also among the best audiobook for Android. It is an independent audiobook store with a remarkable library of DRM-free audiobooks for sale.
This means you can access raw audio files, usually in MP3 format, without the restrictions of Digital Rights Management.
The app features well-designed playback functionality and controls. It also has a track advance that allows additional tracks to download in the background while listening to your audiobook as soon as the first track is downloaded.
Downpour app also has features like bookmarking and a sleep timer. It also allows users to track-list view and time elapsed with the on-screen track scrub bar functionality.
It allows users to pick up right where they left off without having to remember where they were.
The app syncs with Android devices seamlessly. Here, there is no need for difficult and time-consuming transfers/syncing of files between your computer and your Android device.
7. Anyplay
With over 300,000 titles in its library, Anyplay is one of the best audiobook apps for Android. Downloading the app is free and automatically comes with audiobook samples.
As the name infers, the audiobook offers full access to an extensive collection of audiobooks in diverse genres, from fiction to non-fiction.
The app has a minimal monthly subscription, giving users full access to one of the greatest collections of high-quality audiobooks, podcasts, and audio programs.
Users can also stream and enjoy audiobooks online. Nevertheless, it is best to download and listen offline to avoid paying data roaming fees.
The app has features that make it appealing to users. For one, it allows users to adjust the narration pace, skip ahead or listen again, and use a sleep timer to limit listening before bed.
It will also allow users to create bookmarks that sync with many devices.
8. Google Play Books
Google Play Books app is also one of the best audiobook apps for Android. The app introduced audiobooks in 2018, with 4.5 stars on the App Store, among the best audiobook apps for Android.
Google Play Books is from Google LLC and is a nice choice, especially for lovers of Google’s services.
The app has an immense collection of free audiobooks and eBooks of different niches and categories, giving you larger scope to choose your favorite book.
More so, the app also has updates on top sellers, recommendations, and book reviews.
An appealing feature of this app is that no subscription or monthly membership is needed. Instead, you can purchase audiobooks separately.
Before purchase, it also has a preview feature that gives you the choice of whether to continue with the purchase of the audio file or not.
Audiobooks on this app can easily be synced between connected devices and are compatible with browsers.
Hence, you can start listening to an audiobook in a browser on your laptop and pick it up from the last location in your Play Books app on your iPhone.
Google Playbook has features that allow users to control the playback of audiobooks as they desire.
It also lets listeners pick up where they left off on their Android devices. It also features CarPlay support that lets you control audiobooks directly via CarPlay.
9. Realm.fm
Realm.fm is also among the best audiobook app. It was formerly known as Serial Box and is a great choice for individuals that loves a good story while relaxing—the stories here cut across various genres: drama, sci-fi, and fantasy.
The unique feature of Realm.fm that makes it distinct from others is that it offers short, episodic parts of big novels, i.e., bite-sized chunks of novels that make a great read while commuting, traveling, or resting.
Users can access these audiobooks via their Android devices for free. There’s also the option of an unlimited membership subscription that costs $2.49 per month.
Going for this plan removes ads, enables listening or reading, and unlocks exclusive deals.
