So you know what Audible is, but what is Audible Plus? The terminology for different Audible plans can be a bit confusing to understand, especially ever since Audible added in the new Audible Plus plan as an option. So what is this new Audible plan? What is the Audible plus catalog? And most importantly, is Audible Plus worth it and how can you use it? Read on to learn everything you need to know about Audible Plus!
What is Audible Plus?
So what is Audible Plus membership? Audible Plus is an all-you-can-listen audiobook service that offers over 11,000+ audiobook titles (equaling over 68,000 hours of content!)
One of the best parts of this audiobook service is that it allows you to experiment with trying new genres, new writers, new audiobook narrators, new audiobook formats, etc. without having to commit to purchasing audiobooks. That’s because unlike other Audible plans, there’s no need to use a credit. Just pick a book from the Audible Plus catalog and start listening!
While there are around 11,000 books included in the Plus catalog, these books don’t always remain the same. In fact, new titles are added every week! With so many books to choose from across a range of genres including romance, comedy, documentaries, kids books, podcasts, and more, you’re sure to find plenty to keep you occupied.
We’ll talk more about Audible Plus vs regular Audible plans in a moment, but for now you should know that Audible Plus gives unlimited access to all the audiobooks in the Plus catalog. However, you don’t get to own these books or keep forever. You can listen to as many audiobooks as you want while you are subscribed to Plus, but once your subscription ends so does your access to these audiobooks.
So what are the benefits of Audible Plus? How does it work? Is it worth it? Let’s talk about all the pros and cons of this exciting new membership option!
How Does Audible Plus Work?
Wondering how to use Audible Plus? Luckily, it’s really simple! All you need to do is browse the Audible Plus catalog, find a book you’re interested in, and start listening!
But how do you know which books are included with Audible Plus for free? When browsing Audible or searching for specific books, look for the little orange tag that says “included.” When you see this tag, you know it’s fair game for borrowing for free.
Alternatively, if you want to know how to access Audible Plus catalog titles only, you can check out some of the newly included titles here. But if you want to see all the options available, you can also toggle the “Included in your membership” filter in the Audible app search bar or set the results to filter by ‘Plus Catalog’ on the Audible website to receive Plus-eligible results only.
Start your free 30-day trial of Audible Plus now!
What Does the Audible Plus Catalog Include?
So what does Audible Plus offer? This plan allows you to listen to as many audiobooks as you want that are included in the Plus catalog. Remember, this “catalog” is the Audible Plus library of 11,000+ books with more being added each week, and these titles include Audible originals, audiobooks, and podcasts (including exclusive series).
Curious what books are on Audible Plus? There’s a pretty wide range, which means there’s likely plenty you will enjoy! You can browse some of the newly-added titles in the Audible Plus catalog here to get an idea of what is available. However, you should be aware that many of these books are not the most popular best-sellers on the market. Those are generally reserved for buying with credits, although it doesn’t hurt to check if a specific book is free if you have one in mind.
The Plus Catalog has quite a few exciting new reads and plenty of classics too, though, so it’s a great plan if you want to discover and try new things!
Amazon Audible Plus vs Premium Plus: What’s the Difference?
Now, you may be wondering: how is Audible Plus different from a “regular” plan? Well, in the past, the regular plans had names like “Gold Monthly” or “Platinum Monthly” and gave you one or two credits to spend on audiobooks each month. However, that all changed with the introduction of Audible Plus and now the “regular” plan is called Audible Premium Plus (with options for one or two credits).
So what is Audible Premium Plus? This is the new standard or “regular” Audible plan, and it includes a credit each month to use on a book you get to keep forever as well as unlimited access to the Plus library. The cost for Premium Plus is still the same as it was when it was called “Gold Monthly” prior to Audible Plus…but instead of only getting one audiobook per month, you now also get access to thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals at no extra charge!
While Premium Plus membership currently costs $14.95 per month, Audible Plus membership is the cheapest subscription plan and costs $7.95 per month. So as you can see, the main difference between these two plans is the cost (it’s $7 cheaper for Plus) and the fact that you get a credit to spend on an audiobook you can keep forever (only with the Premium Plus plan). But Premium Plus also gives you access to exclusive audiobook sales and 30% discount on additional titles you want each month…so that’s also something to consider.
Is Audible Plus Worth It?
What it really comes down to in the end is whether Audible Plus is worth it or not. This is where it gets a little tricky, because whether it is worth it can depend on your specific situation.
On the whole, the Plus plan is pretty cheap and has a surprisingly good selection of audiobooks to enjoy. However, it does have the downside that you are paying for a subscription and don’t actually get to keep the books if you cancel (kind of like Netflix). So I’d say that Audible Plus would be best for you if you:
- Want to listen to a lot of Audiobooks each month
- Like to try new authors, genres, audiobook readers, etc.
- Don’t want to own audiobooks, only listen to them
However, Audible Plus might not be worth it for you if you:
- Want to keep your audiobooks forever
- Love to listen to new and bestselling books
- Aren’t interested in trying new audiobooks or genres just for fun
Regardless of which camp you fall into, though, I would highly suggest you consider going with Audible Premium Plus instead of just Audible Plus. Why is that? Well, remember the Plus plan gets you access to “included” books but you can’t keep them forever. This plan costs $7.95 and is already an automatic perk included with the Premium Plus plan.
Meanwhile, the Premium Plus plan costs $14.95 and gives you one credit you can use on any audiobook. So if you do the math, that’s only a difference of $7 between the two plans…which means if you’re already considering the Plus plan, then you’d only be paying $7 to upgrade and get an audiobook each month that you can keep forever. That’s a fantastic and practically unheard of price to pay for an audiobook!
So if you think you’d like to be adventurous and try new audiobooks with the Plus catalog, but know that you also want to listen to bestsellers or own a few audiobooks too, then the Premium Plus plan gets you the best of both worlds at a pretty great price. But don’t just take my word for it, you can try out Audible Premium Plus for 30 days to see for yourself how you like the Plus catalog plus get 1-2 credits for audiobooks completely free!
Still wondering whether Audible Premium Plus is worth it? Check out my full Audible review to learn all the pros and cons!
FAQ About Audible Plus
Still have questions about Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus? Here are a few answers to some of the most commonly asked questions, but feel free to leave additional questions in the comments as well!
1. Is Audible Plus free?
If you want access to just the Audible Plus catalog, then no it isn’t free. However, if you already subscribe to the “regular” (previously called “Gold Monthly”, now called “Premium Plus”) plan, then essentially Audible Plus is free because it is included as a perk and there was no increase in cost when Plus was added as a benefit. So Plus comes free as an extra for Premium Plus members, or you can purchase it on its own!
2. How much does Audible Plus cost?
If you want access to just the Audible Plus plan, it costs $7.95 per month. But you can try it free for the first 30 days!
3. Are Audible Plus audiobooks free with an Audible membership?
Yes, Audible Plus audiobooks are included for free with an Audible membership (now called Premium Plus). You can try Audible Premium Plus for free for 30 days to get access to the Plus catalog as well as 1-2 free audiobook credits!
4. Where can I browse only the titles that are in the Plus Catalog?
It’s not always the easiest to see Plus titles only, but there are a few workarounds. If you just want to get an idea of some titles in the Plus Catalog, you can see newly-added titles here. However, you’ll likely have the most success using the “Included in your membership” filter on the Audible app, or setting the filter on the website to “Plus Catalog”. This should show you only titles that are included in Plus!
5. How do I know whether a title is included with Plus or whether I need to use a credit?
Audible makes it really simple to see which titles are Plus eligible and which are not. All you have to do is look for the orange “Included” tag when browsing through audiobooks, and if you see the word “Included” then you know it is part of the Plus catalog.
If you don’t see this tag, then it isn’t included in Plus. For titles not included, when you go to the title it will say “Add to Library (1 credit)”. So as you can see, it’s pretty clear when a title is or is not included with Plus!
6. Can I keep the Audible Plus books I listen to?
While you are an active Audible member, you can definitely keep the Audible Plus books to listen to whenever you want. However, if you cancel your membership, then you will no longer have access to these audiobooks once your membership period has ended.
This is one of the reasons I prefer the Premium Plus plan instead of just Plus, because any audiobooks you’ve purchased with credits are yours to keep forever no matter whether you cancel your subscription or not!
7. Can you download Audible Plus books?
Yes, you can download Audible Plus books for listening offline. You can also save titles to your library if you would like. However, you cannot download Plus audiobooks to keep forever because (as mentioned above) you will lose access when you cancel your membership.
8. Can you share Audible Plus with family?
Unfortunately, since Audible Plus is an extra subscription service (aka not included with Amazon Prime benefits), you cannot share Audible Plus with family through the Amazon Household program. You can, however, share audiobooks that you’ve purchased with credits since you actually own those audiobooks…so if you have specific audiobooks you’d like to share with a spouse or children, I recommend going with the Premium Plus plan and using credits so you can share these audiobooks with members of your family.
Still have questions and want to talk with a live Amazon representative? Here’s your step-by-step guide to getting in touch with Amazon customer service!