Kindle Unlimited VS Audible? Which is best for you?

Kindle Unlimited and Audible are two of the most known and most helpful services for eBooks, but how can we choose the best one that suit our needs to save subscription fees?

Here are some honest comparisons between Kindle Unlimited and Audible to help you make your wise decision. Also, we’ve boiled it down to the main points that matter so that you can make the decision easier and quicker.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Kindle Unlimited VS Audible: Device Availability & Geographical Availability

First of all, we need to discuss the device availability and geographical availability which determine if you have the options to choose from these two service.

Device Availability

Kindle Unlimited

• You can access your Kindle Unlimited contents on a Kindle eReader, Kindle Fire tablet or Kindle app for iOS/Android/PC/Mac.

• The devices that support audiobooks from Kindle Unlimited are Android/iOS devices, Amazon Fire Phone, Kindle Fire 2nd Generation, Kindle Fire HD, Fire HD 6 & 7 and Fire HDX with a free Kindle reading app.

• Kindle Unlimited audiobooks are not supported by all the Kindle e-ink devices and the Kindle app for PC/Mac.

Audible

Audible audiobooks are compatible across dozens of different devices, including but not limited to:

• Audible app for iOS/Android/Window 8/Windows 10

• Kindle Fire tablets, Kindle Oasis (8th & 9th Gen), Kindle (8th Gen), Kindle Paperwhite (10th Gen)

• Sandisk MP3 Players, Creative MP3 Players, Garmin & Tom Tom GPS Devices.

• Alexa-enabled devices including Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Dot Kids Edition, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Spot and Echo Input.

Geographical Availability

Kindle Unlimited is currently available only to US customers on Amazon.com. Customers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and Australia can sign-up for Kindle Unlimited in their local Amazon marketplace.

While on the other side, Audible is available to customers almost all over the world. However, some US titles are not always available in other countries due to licensing restrictions. Audible has a number of customized websites for several consumers classified by language preference, geographical location. So choosing the one which supports your region will be beneficial.

2. Kindle Unlimited VS Audible: What Books and How Many Books They Have?

Kindle Unlimited’s Library (Up to 1 Million Titles)

Kindle has a wide library with as many as one million titles, and that includes access to ebooks, magazines and audiobooks. The majority of the books available to read are self-published books or published by Kindle’s platform.  It also contains some bestseller books like The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale and Harry Potter. 

Kindle Unlimited is perfect if you love to read indie authors. There are so many greater writers bypassing the traditional gatekeepers and publishing their own books. Better yet, there is also a great selection of popular magazines that are available on your Kindle Unlimited membership.

For audiobooks, there are only about 40,000 books that are compatible with Audible and the numbers of free ones are only about 2,000.

Audible’s Library (Up to 200,000 Titles)

The number of titles you can access in Amazon Audible are far fewer than million titles at 200,000, but that is because it is focused on audiobook titles which outnumber Kindle Unlimited’s anyway.

Audible has the most extensive catalog of all audiobook shops and don’t only offer all traditionally published audiobooks, most indie- and self-published titles, but also their own very high-quality Audible exclusive productions.

3. Kindle Unlimited VS Audible: Key Features

Kindle Unlimited Key Features

• You have access to a library that is way bigger than that of Audible. On Kindle Unlimited, you can borrow more than a million titles. About 40,000 of those books have narrations, and about 2,000 are free for streaming.

• You can borrow as many as 10 titles at a time, no deadlines, no late return fees. You can borrow pretty much everything there is on its large database of ebooks, audio books, magazines, etc.

• You don’t necessarily need a Kindle reader or device to subscribe to this program. You can use your subscription with pretty much any smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

• You can buy an extended subscription plan of Kindle Unlimited and send it via email to someone as a gift.

Audible Key Features

• Audible offers about 200,000 titles. Though the number is less than Kindle Unlimited, they have more audio titles. It provides not only audiobooks but also radio programs, newspapers, and magazines in audio format. 

• Audible has an exclusive membership for students in the US, which charges just $9.95 a month. 

• With Audible, you will have the luxury of listening to your favorite books without internet access. Moreover, this feature doesn’t require an additional cost. 

• Whispersync allows you to switch between reading on Kindle and listening to it with a tap of a button.

• The customizable speed of Audible allows you to choose the audiobooks speed to play. A range of several speed variations is available such as 0.5x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, and 3x.

• You do not need to borrow Audible titles; you can keep them as your own. Subscribers are given credits each month to purchase audiobooks.

4. Kindle Unlimited VS Audible: Trial Perks and Subscription Costs

Kindle Unlimited: 30-day Free Access

If you have not used the service before, you can access a 30-day free (yes, free) trial period that lets you access the entire Kindle Unlimited books library. That’s access to one million titles in the Kindle Store! After that, you will be charged a monthly fee of $9.99.

Pro Tip: Most of the Kindle Unlimited books cost from $0.99 to $4.99. If you read and listen to just one or two titles every month, it’s suggested to buy books individually instead of subscribing to this monthly service.

Audible: 30-day Free Trial

Just like Kindle Unlimited, you are eligible for a 30-day free trial if you have not signed up for the Amazon Audible service before. There are two types of membership that give you different benefits.

• Gold membership costs $14.95 per month. You get 1 credit to buy any audiobook plus you can select 2 Audible originals.
• Platinum membership costs $22.95 per month. You get 2 credits to buy any 2 audiobooks and 2 Audible originals as well.

Pro Tip: Members can purchase additional individual audiobooks with 30% off. Also, you can use the Audible app on three devices at the same time through one subscription.

5. Main Difference Between Kindle Unlimited and Audible

Final Verdict— Kindle Unlimited VS Audible?

Kindle Unlimited VS Audible, which is the winner? Amazon owns both Kindle and Audible, so regardless, Amazon is the real winner here.

For users, there is no a real winner. Actually, Kindle Unlimited and Audible are so different. Different people have different choice. If you’re an avid e-reader, then Kindle Unlimited is better than Audible. However, if you’re into audiobooks, then Audible is your best choice.