Is Audible or Spotify better?

Neither clearly leads. Audible starts at $7.95/month and Spotify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Audible or Spotify?

Spotify has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $7.95/month for Audible and Free for Spotify.

Does Audible or Spotify run on more platforms?

Audible runs on Ios, Android, Desktop, Kindle. Spotify runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers.

Can I use Spotify for free?

Yes. Spotify has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Audible starts at $7.95/month.

What is Audible best used for?

Audible is most often used for audiobook listening, podcast consumption. Of those, audiobook listening is not what Spotify is typically brought in for.

What can Audible do that Spotify cannot?

Audible covers Audiobooks, Podcasts, Originals, Offline listening. Spotify covers Music streaming, Podcast streaming, Playlist creation, Music discovery.

Software · head to head

Audible vs Spotify

Audible

Software

Audiobooks as you've never experienced them

From: $7.95/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Spotify

Software

Music for everyone

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Spotify has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Audible auto renews monthly and must be cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current membership period, per the App Store listing; Spotify ad-free listening, offline downloads, lossless audio and unlimited skipping all require Premium at $12.99 a month
They diverge on capability: Audible covers Audiobooks, Spotify covers Music streaming.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Audible and Spotify actually diverge.

Attributes where Audible and Spotify differ
Attribute	Audible	Spotify
Starting price	$7.95/month	Free
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Ios, Android, Desktop, Kindle	Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers
Founded	1995	2006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Audible

Audiobooks
Podcasts
Originals
Offline listening
Amazon Echo
Kindle
Apple Watch
Family library

Only in Spotify

Music streaming
Podcast streaming
Playlist creation
Music discovery
Social sharing
Offline downloads
Cross-device sync
Audio quality options

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Audible

Audiobook listeningnot Spotify
Podcast consumption

Spotify

Music listeningnot Audible
Podcast consumption
Playlist sharingnot Audible
Music discoverynot Audible
Background musicnot Audible

Both are used for podcast consumption, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Audible

Auto renews monthly and must be cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current membership period, per the App Store listing
Renewal is charged at the rate of the selected plan within 24 hours before the end of each membership period, per the App Store listing

Spotify

Ad-free listening, offline downloads, lossless audio and unlimited skipping all require Premium at $12.99 a month
Lossless streaming tops out at 24-bit/44.1 kHz
The Duo plan at $18.99 a month covers two people and the Family plan at $21.99 covers a household, with no per-seat option between them

Pricing, plan by plan

Audible

$7.95/month

Plus$7.95/month
- Plus catalog
- Podcasts
Premium Plus$14.95/month
- 1 credit/month
- Plus catalog

Spotify

Free

FreeFree
- Ad-supported music
- Shuffle play
- Limited skips
Premium$9.99/month
- Ad-free music
- Play any song
- Unlimited skips
Family$15.99/month
- 6 Premium accounts
- Individual profiles
- Parental controls

Which should you pick?

Choose Audible if

You need audiobooks.
You work on Ios, Android, Desktop, Kindle.
You also want podcasts.

Audible review

Choose Spotify if

You need music streaming.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers.
You also want podcast streaming.

Spotify review

Questions people ask

Is Audible or Spotify better?: Neither clearly leads. Audible starts at $7.95/month and Spotify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Audible or Spotify?: Spotify has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $7.95/month for Audible and Free for Spotify.
Does Audible or Spotify run on more platforms?: Audible runs on Ios, Android, Desktop, Kindle. Spotify runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Smart-speakers.
Can I use Spotify for free?: Yes. Spotify has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Audible starts at $7.95/month.
What is Audible best used for?: Audible is most often used for audiobook listening, podcast consumption. Of those, audiobook listening is not what Spotify is typically brought in for.
What can Audible do that Spotify cannot?: Audible covers Audiobooks, Podcasts, Originals, Offline listening. Spotify covers Music streaming, Podcast streaming, Playlist creation, Music discovery.

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Audible vs Spotify

Audible

Spotify

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Audible

Only in Spotify

What people use each for

Audible

Spotify

Where each one falls short

Audible

Spotify

Pricing, plan by plan

Audible

Spotify

Which should you pick?

Choose Audible if

Choose Spotify if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Audible

More on Spotify

Keep looking

Other head to heads