The Best Ebook Subscription Services for Every Kind of Reader
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Ebooks have not swept away traditional tomes the way streaming services for music, movies, and TV shows have slashed sales of discs. Physical book sales are booming, but ebooks and audiobooks have a dedicated, appreciative audience. If you love to read, an ebook subscription service is a great way to discover new titles, find recommendations, and read more indie books. We tried out several of the most popular options, delving into their available libraries, apps, and features to determine the best ebook subscription services and audiobook subscriptions for different people.
When you finish reading, check out the Best Streaming Services for movies and TV shows or the Best Music Streaming Apps for some tunes.
Updated December 2023: We added Spotify Premium for audiobooks and updated Scribd, which is now called Everand.
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Photgraph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty ImagesWhat to Consider
How to Choose an Ebook ServiceWhile an ebook subscription might sound ideal, you should take some time to consider the pros and cons of each one. These digital reading services are often billed as the equivalent of Netflix or Spotify for books, and there are similarities, but ebook subscriptions also have some unexpected restrictions.
Content: All ebook subscription services offer limited libraries of ebooks. (This is where the Netflix comparison is useful.) They may boast more than a million titles, but that total doesn’t necessarily include any works by your favorite authors; none of the services we tested had a single title by Cormac McCarthy, for example, though some had audiobooks of his works.
The big five publishers (Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster) dominate the bestseller charts in the US but have had limited dealings with ebook subscription services so far. Current best-seller lists are not well represented, and the modest list of mainstream hits that appears mostly comprises older titles. Whatever service you are considering, we advise browsing the available library of ebooks and audiobooks before you commit.
Reading Habits: If you only read one or two books a month, you might be better off buying popular titles, recommendations from trusted friends, or works by your favorite authors. That way, you get to choose the best ebooks and keep them. With ebook subscriptions, you lose access the moment you stop subscribing, and the library of available books can change at any time without notice.
Voracious readers who are happy to try new and unfamiliar authors will likely get the most value from ebook subscriptions. But while these services are typically described as unlimited, they often do have hidden limits. This is where they differ from services like Spotify and Netflix. With Scribd, for example, the available library is reduced when you hit opaque limits.
Support: Make sure the devices you like to read on are supported. Most ebook subscription services offer apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, at a minimum. Languages, accessibility, and extra features like search vary, so do your research to make sure the app supports your needs. Sadly, many ebook readers, like Kindles, are not compatible with ebook subscription services other than their manufacturer’s offering.
Audiobooks: Unlike ebook subscription services, some audiobook services offer a monthly credit system that allows you to buy audiobooks you can keep, even if you stop subscribing. Others offer apparently unlimited access to a streaming library, but there are often hidden limits that narrow your choice for that month after you’ve listened to an audiobook or two. Consider also the maximum bitrate for audio streams, as this differs from service to service and can impact the quality of your audiobook.
- Photograph: Scribd
Best Overall
EverandWith an enormous, varied library, Everand (previously known as Scribd) is the best ebook subscription service for most people. You can read or listen via your browser on any device or use the Android or iOS apps, which are clearly laid out, fully configurable, and make for a pleasant reading experience. I had no trouble finding intriguing titles, and there’s a solid mix of classics, best sellers, indie books, and even some Originals. Progress syncs across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. You can download ebooks to read offline. Everand also includes podcasts, magazines, sheet music, and audiobooks. The subscription includes Scribd, which is now a document repository where people can upload whatever they like.
On the downside, there are limits to your monthly reading. Frustratingly, the rules are not clear. If you hit the limit, access is restricted to a smaller subset until the next month begins, and some titles are labeled Available Soon. While the formatting for ebooks is generally good, some magazine formatting is poor. Everand has also raised prices twice since I first tried it and scrapped the perks program that gave you additional subscriptions to services like Curiosity Stream. It is also harder than it should be to cancel Scribd, and you don't get a warning when your free trial ends, so set a reminder.
Cost: 30-day free trial, then $12 per month
- Courtesy of Audible
Best for Audiobooks
AudibleThis slick audiobook subscription service boasts countless titles covering modern best sellers, classics, and much more. There’s also a sizable collection of exclusive Audible Originals and podcasts. With the new Audible Plus subscription, you get unlimited access to more than 11,000 titles and a 30 percent discount on everything in the Audible store. Upgrade to Premium Plus at $15 per month ($150/year) to get one credit per month to spend on an audiobook of your choice, but you get to keep whatever you buy even after your subscription ends. Audible works on Amazon’s Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, and Alexa devices, but there’s also an app for Android, iOS, and Windows, and you can use the Cloud Player on Macs. The audiobook quality is the best I have tested (up to 64 kbps), the service is easy to configure, and progress syncs across devices.
The new Plus subscription makes Audible more affordable, and offers a more traditional subscription model where you can listen as much as you want but you do lose access when you stop paying. The pricey Premium Plus plan is the previous membership model, and you can also opt for a two credits per month plan at $23 per month ($230/year) now.
Cost: 30-day free trial, then from $8 per month
- Photograph: OverDrive
Best Free Service
Libby by OverDriveMany public libraries support OverDrive’s Libby app, enabling you to use your library card to check out ebooks or audiobooks. Borrowing is on the rise, thanks to Libby's wide selection, easy-to-use service, and, of course, the fact that it doesn't cost a penny. We have a guide on how to get free ebooks with your library card to help you get started. Some libraries also offer magazines and comic books, though the formatting isn’t always great. The Libby app is quite basic, but it has a solid feature set and you can configure it to suit your needs.
Unfortunately, the titles you want are not always available. The choice depends on what your library offers and how popular things are with other readers. You also borrow titles for a limited period, just like a regular library book, and other people can request titles, which means you can’t always renew them.
Cost: Free
★ Alternatives: Project Gutenberg is a great place to find free classic ebooks, and Librivox offers many audiobooks in the public domain, although the quality on these websites can vary wildly.
- Photograph: Libro.fm
Audiobooks Alternative
Libro.fmWith an expansive library of more than 400,000 audiobooks, Libro.fm offers classics, new releases, and everything in between. A monthly subscription gets you one audiobook credit every month and a 30 percent discount on everything in the store, and you keep any purchases even after your subscription ends. There are two big reasons to opt for Libro.fm as your audiobook service; firstly, the service supports local booksellers (you can pick a store) and splits the profit from your purchases. The second enticement is the expert curation from booksellers, so you get tailored recommendations just like you would in-store. There are Android and iPhone apps, and the audiobooks you buy are DRM-free, which means you can listen to them on any device, and you don’t have to use the Libro.fm app.
This is a relatively expensive service, but the price has been reduced since I tested and the service has rolled out internationally. While the overall choice is impressive, it isn’t quite as big as Audible’s and Libro.fm lacks a library of titles for free unlimited listening. You will find frequent promotions and sale events, though.
Cost: $12 per month
- Photograph: Spotify
Audiobooks and Music
Spotify PremiumSpotify tops our best music streaming services guide with slick performance, handy music discovery algorithms, and an expansive library of over 100 million tracks and 5 million podcasts. To sweeten that pot further, Premium subscribers in the US, UK, and Australia can now access a library of more than 200,000 audiobooks and listen for up to 15 hours a month as part of their existing subscription. Open the audiobook hub, and you will find many best sellers (Spotify says 70 percent of bestselling titles) and titles from the big five publishers alongside audiobooks from independent publishers and authors. As with music, there are curated recommendations, categories, and playlists.
Audiobooks have been available for individual purchase through the Spotify web player for a while now, and you can still buy books that aren’t included in the Premium subscription (there are around 375,000 titles in total). If you’re already paying for Premium, this will be a nice extra, but there are some limitations to the audiobook service. Your 15 listening hours per month do not carry over, and for folks on Duo or Family plans, only the plan manager gets the 15 hours. You can purchase 10 top-up hours of listening for $13, to be used when your 15 monthly hours run out. Unused top-up hours can carry over from month to month and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Cost: One-month free trial, then from $11 per month
- Photograph: Amazon
Best for Kindles
Kindle UnlimitedIf you prefer to read on one of Amazon’s Kindles, Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription offers seamless access to countless ebooks. While there are some popular titles and classics on offer, the bulk of the library is self-published and indie titles; best-selling authors generally only offer their back catalogs. Kindle Unlimited also includes some popular magazines, and many of the ebooks support Audible Narration. The service works beautifully on Amazon’s Kindle or Fire devices, and the Kindle app for iOS, Android, Mac, or PC is fully configurable, easy to use, and syncs across devices. You can borrow up to 20 titles at a time and simply return one to check another out.
Although there’s a wide choice of ebooks on Kindle Unlimited, I often struggled to find something I wanted to read. The collection is frustratingly difficult to browse and lacks a good recommendation system. Best-selling authors and big publishers are largely absent from the platform, so you may have to take a chance on new and unfamiliar writers (though that can be a good thing). If you’re already a Prime subscriber, check out Prime Reading for a curated list of around 1,000 free titles (sadly, the Kindle Lending Library has been discontinued).
Cost: 30-day free trial, then $10 per month
- Photograph: Kobo
For Kobo Owners
Kobo PlusIf you don’t want a Kindle, we think a Kobo is the next best thing. The Kobo Plus subscription service is now available in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and parts of Europe. It currently boasts more than 1.3 million ebooks and around 100,000 audiobooks. You can use a Kobo e-reader or the slick Kobo app for Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac, and syncing across devices works perfectly. There is genuinely no limit on the number of ebooks you can read.
While the library offers a wide choice, new releases and mainstream authors are thin on the ground, and romance and thriller titles dominate. There are also some comics and graphic novels, but you won’t find magazines on Kobo Plus. The subscription comes in three tiers: Kobo Plus Read is just ebooks for $8 a month, Kobo Plus Listen is just audiobooks for $8 a month, but you can get Kobo Plus Read & Listen for $10 a month. The combo is the best deal. It is like Kindle Unlimited and Audible Plus, though the selection is smaller. Kobo does also offer a separate one-credit-for-$10-a-month deal on audiobooks that you can keep.
Cost: 30-day free trial, then $8 per month
- Courtesy of Epic!
Best for Kids
Epic!Perhaps the largest platform dedicated to kids aged 12 and under, Epic has an interesting mix of content that includes more than 40,000 ebooks. There are some classics, a few entries from popular series, and books from big publishers like HarperCollins and Macmillan, including many educational books. There’s also a decent selection of comics and a few videos and audiobooks. We particularly liked the “read to me” option on some ebooks with voice acting, sound effects, and text that highlights as you read. Both the web interface and the mobile apps are slick and offer reward badges to encourage kids to read more. Parents can easily track their child’s progress and browse by topic. We also appreciate the free access for elementary schools in the US.
While there are well-known titles, many classics are absent. Popular series, such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, are incomplete (Epic only has the first book in this long series). Some of the titles are of dubious quality, so while it’s safe to let your kids browse, you may find they spend a lot of time reading cartoon and video game tie-ins. The bite-sized videos, covering things like animal facts and recipes, could be a double-edged sword if you’re trying to encourage reading.
Cost: Epic Family is $12 per month or $60 per year and provides access to everything
- Photograph: 24symbols
Best for Recommendations
24symbolsFinding ebooks you want to read is an issue for every subscription service we tested. They tend to promote a small subset of their content, making it tricky to find titles that satisfy specific tastes. If you don’t want to spend ages browsing, recommendations are vital. That's what makes 24symbols worth a look. You can read as many ebooks as you like each month, but you only get access to one audiobook. The choice is quite good, with plenty of classics, some older books from big-name authors, and some indies. What elevates 24symbols is the social aspect. You can create bookshelves and follow other readers to find curated lists of suggestions, much like Spotify playlists.
Ebooks are the focus, and I found the audiobooks section quite limited. There are no magazines or other kinds of content. I also found that some of my searches, such as “Irvine Welsh,” only returned foreign language versions of his works, which was disappointing. Compared to some of our other recommendations, the 24symbols web interface and mobile apps are clunky.
Cost: $9 per month
★ Another Alternative: With TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations, you can pay $16, fill out your interests and recent books you enjoyed, and get an email with three recommendations tailored just for you from an expert bibliologist.
- Photograph: ComiXology
Best for Comic Books
ComiXology UnlimitedWhile there are a few graphic novels on some ebook subscription services, the choice tends to be limited. By far the best option for comic book fans, ComiXology Unlimited gives you access to thousands of comics and graphic novels from all of the major publishers, including DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse. The website and mobile apps are straightforward and sync progress across devices. While you can read on a smartphone, you are better off with a good tablet, laptop, or desktop to enjoy the high-resolution art. The Unlimited service is a great way to discover new comics, and the app recommends titles the more you use it.
Sadly, while ComiXology Unlimited has a wide range, it lacks depth in places. Many series are incomplete, which can be hugely frustrating and leave you with little choice but to buy specific titles to fill the gaps, though they are, at least, discounted. The iOS app doesn’t include the store, so you have to go through the browser to buy titles there. Because Unlimited is within the larger ComiXology website, it can be tricky to navigate and find titles that are included in your subscription. It is only available in the US.
Cost: 30-day free trial, then $6 per month
★ Alternatives: Marvel Unlimited ($10 per month or $69 per year) carries thousands of Marvel titles with new issues landing three months after release, while DC Universe Infinite ($8 per month or $75 per year) is a similar service for DC fans.
Photograph: HooplaMore Ebook Services We Like
Honorable MentionsHere are a few other ebook and audiobook services worth checking out.
BookBeat: For folks in the UK or Europe, BookBeat is a slick audiobook service with a decent choice and a unique subscription model. After 30 days or 30 hours of listening (whichever comes first) your free trial is over and it costs £6 a month for 20 hours, £10 a month for 50 hours, or £15 a month for 100 hours.
Hoopla: This is another free service that ties in with your local library to make it easy to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, TV shows, magazines, and even music.
Akoobooks: With a focus on African talent, this service offers audiobooks at very reasonable prices and includes content for kids.
Blinkist: Focusing on topics like parenting, career, mindfulness, money, and personal development, this service condenses core insights from nonfiction books and serves them up in 15-minute chunks for $13 per month.
Reading IQ: A kids library with more than 5,000 titles organized by age, Reading IQ offers a good mix of fiction and nonfiction for $8 per month ($40/year).
Storytel: This Swedish service offers ebooks and audiobooks in various markets from India to Brazil to Belgium. Subscriptions start from around €10 per month, but differ from country to country. Storytel has also partnered with Spotify and owns Audiobooks.com in the US.
BookBub: Sign up for free to get alerts on discounted ebooks with this service. You can specify genres and authors you are interested in and get daily or weekly emails with links to buy heavily discounted ebooks.
Bookmate: While it boasts a large library of ebooks, audiobooks, and comics, many are out of copyright. There's a seven-day free trial, then it costs $10 per month, but the choice is not as varied as with Scribd.
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