Kindle Unlimited vs Audible: Everything You Need to Know

Wondering about Kindle Unlimited vs Audible? Curious about these two programs and which one is better? If so, then you’re in the right place. Today we’re going to talk all about Kindle Unlimited and Audible to help you decide which subscription is best for you!

What’s the Difference Between Kindle Unlimited and Audible?

While both Kindle Unlimited and Audible are Amazon subscriptions, there are a few key differences between these two programs. To start, Kindle Unlimited is primarily an ebook service with audiobooks as a bonus…while Audible is strictly an audiobook service.

While this is a pretty big difference on the surface, these two programs are actually more similar than you might think. So if you’re in it for the audiobooks, don’t write Kindle Unlimited off yet!

One of the best parts of Kindle Unlimited is that you can borrow audiobooks that are actually the exact same Audible narration you would get when purchasing through Audible (it works kind of similar to the Audible Plus catalog, where you can borrow a book but you don’t get to keep it forever).

However, a key difference is that with Audible you get to keep one book a month as yours forever (if you’re on the Premium Plus plan). This means you can build your audiobook library and listen to these books in the future, even after canceling your Audible subscription. With Kindle Unlimited, you don’t have the luxury of listening to audiobooks after your subscription ends.

While this is a quick overview of some of the most salient points, we’re now going to look into the specific details of what you get with each subscription service so you can compare them side by side and decide which is best for you!

Kindle Unlimited Features

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that allows you to read an unlimited number of ebooks each month from the Kindle Unlimited library of over one million titles. Within these titles, Kindle Unlimited gives you access to over 2,000 free audiobooks!

To download audiobooks through Kindle Unlimited, you’ll first need to download the ebook version and then the Audible narration will automatically be borrowed at the same time. Books with narration included will have a button that reads “Read and Listen for Free,” so clicking this will borrow both versions for you. Since these ebook/audiobook combos are Whispersync for Voice-ready, you can switch seamlessly between reading the Kindle ebook and listening to the audiobook on any of your devices.

You can learn more about how Kindle Unlimited works here, but for the purpose of comparison today we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of KU.

Pros

• There are over one million titles available to read for free
• There are over 2,000 audiobooks you can borrow for free (find all KU ebooks with Audible narration here)
• There are around 5,000 more audiobooks that you can purchase at a discounted rate (learn how to get the discounted rate here)
• Kindle Unlimited allows you to read/listen to as many books as you want each month
• No wait lists or due dates
• Can access Kindle Unlimited ebooks/audiobooks from any device

Cons

• Both ebooks and audiobooks are only borrowed—not yours to keep forever
• A large number of the titles available are self-published (and/or not very well known)
• Can only borrow 10 titles at a time
• What if you want to listen to an audiobook that isn’t one of the 2,000 free or 5,000 discounted?

Ready to try out Kindle Unlimited? Get your free 30 day trial here!

Audible Features

Audible, meanwhile, is an exclusively audiobook-focused service and is one of the largest audiobook subscription services in the world. It offers an audiobook library containing over 470,000 titles, all available at a discounted rate from what you would pay if you bought the audiobooks without a subscription.

A newer feature of Audible, however, makes it more similar to Kindle Unlimited. This feature is called Audible Plus, and allows members of Audible to borrow an unlimited number of audiobooks from the Plus catalog each month. While the Premium Audible plans still offer credits to exchange for audiobooks you can keep forever, you can now in addition listen to and borrow 11,000+ audiobooks for free!

You can learn more about how Audible works here (or find out if I think Audible is worth paying for), but for now let’s compare the pros and cons of Audible.

Pros

• Access to 470,000 titles (which you can get at a discounted rate by purchasing or exchanging credits for audiobooks)
• Unlimited borrowing of audiobooks through Audible Plus (11,000+ audiobooks)
• Access to Daily Deals for amazing audiobook deals
• No wait lists or due dates
• Can return/exchange audiobooks if you don’t like the ones you choose
• Can access audiobooks from any device
• Can share purchased (with credits or money) audiobooks with your Amazon Household
• Always keep access to the audiobooks you buy (with credits or money) even if you cancel your Audible subscription

Cons

• Access to Plus catalog ends after canceling subscription—Plus books are only borrowed
• Credits expire when you cancel your membership (so be sure to use them all to get audiobooks before you cancel!)
• Cannot share Audible Plus audiobooks with your Amazon Household

Ready to try out Audible? Get a free 30-day trial here + 1 credit to exchange for a book you can keep forever!

Which is Better: Kindle Unlimited or Audible?

So now that we know all the features of Amazon Kindle Unlimited vs Audible…which one is better? Kindle Unlimited or Audible? Let’s compare the two to find out!

Cost-wise, Kindle Unlimited beats Audible Premium plans. A subscription to Kindle Unlimited costs $9.99 per month, while an Audible Premium Plus subscription costs $14.95 per month. However, if you decide to go with access to only the 11,000+ Audible borrowing library, then you’ll pay only $7.95 per month for Audible Plus (which is better than the Kindle Unlimited cost).

But cost isn’t the only factor you should consider. Instead, you should also ask yourself whether you are interested in Audible or Kindle Unlimited solely because of audiobooks or if you actually enjoy reading ebooks too. Considering Kindle Unlimited audiobooks vs Audible is a good thing to do if you love audiobooks more than ebooks!

If you’re solely in it for the audiobooks, then Audible Plus/Audible Premium Plus might be a better way to go. Why? Well, remember Kindle Unlimited only gives you access to around 2,000 audiobooks for free. Meanwhile, the Audible Plus catalog grants you access to 11,000+ audiobooks.

Both KU and Audible Plus offer rotating selections of books (with new titles added to these catalogs every week), so you’ll always have a somewhat fresh selection of audiobook titles to choose from. But if you’re in it for the audiobooks, it’s pretty clear that the 11,000+ of Audible is better than the 2,000+ of Kindle Unlimited (and by extension, Audible is more likely to have plenty of titles you’re interested in).

But if you’re interested in ebooks more than (or equal to) audiobooks, then Kindle Unlimited could be a good choice. Remember that you can purchase Kindle Unlimited Audible books at a discounted rate (generally anywhere from $0.99-7.49 per audiobook). So if audiobooks are more of a bonus for you but you’d really love to be able to read a lot of ebooks, then Kindle Unlimited could definitely be the way to go!

As you can see, which service is better really depends on your own reading style, what books you’re interested in, and what you’re hoping to get out of the subscription service you choose. When considering Kindle Unlimited vs Audible membership, my best tip is to actually give them both a try and see what you like—and you can do that cost-free by starting a free 30-day trial of Audible Premium Plus and a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited!

Trying out both services for yourself will help you make a first-hand, informed decision of what works best for you. You may be surprised to find you like one way better than the other, or you may discover that you use them both enough that you want subscriptions to both of these services! But whatever you find, trying them out for yourself is the best way to figure out what you like best.

Get your free Audible subscription and your free Kindle Unlimited subscription now!

Audible vs Kindle Unlimited FAQ

Still have questions about the difference between Audible and Kindle Unlimited? Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions about Kindle Unlimited vs Audible subscriptions! And if you still have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

1. Is Kindle Unlimited or Audible better?

This question doesn’t really have a “correct” answer. The better question would be if Kindle Unlimited or Audible is better for you. After all, it definitely depends on your reading preferences! Some people love one better than the other, some people love both, and still others like neither of them.

But if you’re still curious about which is best for you after reading the information in the article above, you might want to check out this explanation of how Audible works or this one about how Kindle Unlimited works. Hopefully getting an idea about these two subscription programs will help you decide which is best for you!

2. Which costs more: Kindle Unlimited or Audible?

Audible costs more than Kindle Unlimited, unless you decide to go with the borrowing-only subscription of Audible Plus. So the cost order for these subscriptions is: Audible Plus ($7.95), Kindle Unlimited ($9.99), and Audible Premium Plus ($14.95).

3. Do you get free audiobooks with Kindle Unlimited?

Yes, you do get free audiobooks! Kindle Unlimited Books with Free Narration are an exciting bonus with the Kindle Unlimited subscription.

4. How many free audiobooks are included with Kindle Unlimited?

Amazon offers around 2,000+ free audiobooks with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

5. How many free audiobooks are included with Audible Plus?

The Audible Plus borrowing catalog contains around 11,000+ audiobooks that you can listen to for free with an Audible Plus or Premium Plus membership.

6. Does Kindle Unlimited include Audible?

Kindle Unlimited does not include a full Audible subscription. However, you can still get access to free Audible audiobooks with your Kindle Unlimited membership. Learn more about Kindle Unlimited’s inclusion of Audible audiobooks here!

Still have questions about Kindle Unlimited or Audible and want to talk with a live Amazon representative? Here’s your step-by-step guide to getting in touch with Amazon customer service!