Is Storytel or Wattpad better?

Neither clearly leads. Storytel starts at $14.99/month and Wattpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Storytel or Wattpad?

Wattpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $14.99/month for Storytel and Free for Wattpad.

Does Storytel or Wattpad run on more platforms?

Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Wattpad for free?

Yes. Wattpad has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Storytel starts at $14.99/month.

What is Storytel best used for?

Storytel is most often used for a commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensive, a reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the catalogue, a family wanting a shared subscription with separate kids profiles for audio content, someone in a storytel-strong market such as sweden, poland or brazil where the catalogue depth is greatest. Of those, a commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensive and a reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the catalogue are not what Wattpad is typically brought in for.

What can Storytel do that Wattpad cannot?

Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Offline downloads, Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue, Kids profiles. Wattpad covers Free serialised fiction library, Wattpad Premium subscription, Wattpad Coins, Paid Stories programme.

Publishing · head to head

Storytel vs Wattpad

Storytel

Publishing

Unlimited audiobook and ebook subscription, strong in Europe and Latin America, no library card needed

From: $14.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Wattpad

Publishing

User-generated fiction publishing and reading app, owned by Naver alongside Webtoon

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Wattpad has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Storytel catalogue depth and specific title availability vary significantly by country, so the experience in a core Nordic market is not the same as in newer markets.; Wattpad only a small, selected group of authors participate in the Paid Stories revenue-share programme, so the large majority of writers publishing on the platform earn nothing directly from their work being read.
They diverge on capability: Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Wattpad covers Free serialised fiction library.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Storytel and Wattpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Storytel and Wattpad differ
Attribute	Storytel	Wattpad
Starting price	$14.99/month	Free
Pricing model	Per user per month, unlimited	Free with ads; paid ad-free subscription and optional in-app coin purchases
Free tier	No	Yes

Identical on both: platforms (iOS, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).

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 Storytel

Unlimited streaming
Offline downloads
Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue
Kids profiles
Personalised recommendations
Multi-device sync

Only in Wattpad

Free serialised fiction library
Wattpad Premium subscription
Wattpad Coins
Paid Stories programme
Writing and publishing tools
Wattpad Studios

What people use each for

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

Storytel

A commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensivenot Wattpad
A reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the cataloguenot Wattpad
A family wanting a shared subscription with separate kids profiles for audio contentnot Wattpad
Someone in a Storytel-strong market such as Sweden, Poland or Brazil where the catalogue depth is greatestnot Wattpad

Wattpad

A reader wanting free access to a large catalogue of ongoing, chapter-by-chapter serialised fictionnot Storytel
An amateur writer wanting to publish work chapter by chapter and build a following before seeking traditional publicationnot Storytel
A frequent reader wanting an ad-free, offline-capable experience through Wattpad Premiumnot Storytel
A fan wanting to tip a favourite author or unlock select paid stories through the Wattpad Coins systemnot Storytel

Where each one falls short

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

Storytel

Catalogue depth and specific title availability vary significantly by country, so the experience in a core Nordic market is not the same as in newer markets.
Access stops the moment you cancel, so a lapsed subscriber loses the ability to continue books they were partway through, unlike owned audiobook purchases elsewhere.
Its ebook catalogue is meaningfully smaller than dedicated ebook services, so heavy ebook readers may find it thinner than expected.
It competes on unlimited access, so heavy listeners get better value than light users, who may find a credit-based service like Libro.fm or Audible cheaper per book.
Pricing and plan structure have changed by market over time, so the number of concurrent profiles and exact price should be checked for your specific country.

Wattpad

Only a small, selected group of authors participate in the Paid Stories revenue-share programme, so the large majority of writers publishing on the platform earn nothing directly from their work being read.
The free tier is ad-supported with ads appearing between chapters, which interrupts reading flow in a way competitors with a purely subscription model do not.
Content moderation across a huge volume of user-submitted fiction has been an ongoing challenge, and mature or borderline content has periodically drawn scrutiny given the platform's substantial teenage user base.
Since the 2021 Naver acquisition and merger with Webtoon, product direction is set within a larger Korean media conglomerate strategy rather than independently, which has meant slower, less predictable feature development for the original Wattpad product.
Story completion and update frequency depend entirely on individual amateur authors, so readers following an ongoing story have no guarantee it will ever be finished.

Pricing, plan by plan

Storytel

$14.99/month

Storytel$14.99/month
- Unlimited audiobook streaming
- Smaller unlimited ebook catalogue
- Offline downloads

Wattpad

Free

FreeFree
- Ad-supported reading of the full story catalogue
- No offline downloads
- Ads shown between chapters
Wattpad Premium$4.99/month
- Ad-free reading
- Offline chapter downloads
- Also offered at a discounted annual rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Storytel if

You need unlimited streaming.
You work on iOS, Android, Web.
You also want offline downloads.

Storytel review

Choose Wattpad if

You need free serialised fiction library.
You want to start without paying.
You work on iOS, Android, Web.
You also want wattpad premium subscription.

Wattpad review

Questions people ask

Is Storytel or Wattpad better?: Neither clearly leads. Storytel starts at $14.99/month and Wattpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Storytel or Wattpad?: Wattpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $14.99/month for Storytel and Free for Wattpad.
Does Storytel or Wattpad run on more platforms?: Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Wattpad for free?: Yes. Wattpad has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Storytel starts at $14.99/month.
What is Storytel best used for?: Storytel is most often used for a commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensive, a reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the catalogue, a family wanting a shared subscription with separate kids profiles for audio content, someone in a storytel-strong market such as sweden, poland or brazil where the catalogue depth is greatest. Of those, a commuter who listens to several audiobooks a month and finds per-title purchase or credit systems expensive and a reader tired of library holds queues who wants guaranteed instant access to anything in the catalogue are not what Wattpad is typically brought in for.
What can Storytel do that Wattpad cannot?: Storytel covers Unlimited streaming, Offline downloads, Combined ebook and audiobook catalogue, Kids profiles. Wattpad covers Free serialised fiction library, Wattpad Premium subscription, Wattpad Coins, Paid Stories programme.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Storytel: Do I need a library card for Storytel?

No, it is a paid subscription open to anyone regardless of library eligibility.

Wattpad: Is Wattpad free?

Yes, reading is free and ad-supported; Wattpad Premium removes ads and adds offline downloads for a monthly or annual fee.

Storytel: Is access unlimited or credit-based?

Unlimited streaming while subscribed, not a credit system like Libro.fm or Audible.

Wattpad: Can writers make money on Wattpad?

A limited number of authors are selected into the Paid Stories programme and earn a share of Wattpad Coins spent on their work; most authors do not earn direct payment from the platform.

Storytel: What happens to my books if I cancel?

You lose access to the catalogue, including anything you were partway through, since nothing is owned outright.

Wattpad: Who owns Wattpad?

Naver, the South Korean internet company that also owns Webtoon, acquired Wattpad in 2021.

Storytel vs Wattpad

Storytel

Wattpad

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Storytel

Only in Wattpad

What people use each for

Storytel

Wattpad

Where each one falls short

Storytel

Wattpad

Pricing, plan by plan

Storytel

Wattpad

Which should you pick?

Choose Storytel if

Choose Wattpad if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Storytel

More on Wattpad

Keep looking

Other head to heads