Which is Better? – Kindle Unlimited vs Audible
At The Fantasy Review, we have put together a guide to help you decide which is better in 2022: Kindle Unlimited vs Audible.
There is no easy answer to this question, as it all comes down to your reading style, genre preferences, and what you want to get out of a subscription.
Enjoy our guide and we hope it helps!
- The Differences
- The Benefits of Kindle Unlimited
- The Benefits of Audible
- The Cons of Both
- How Much Does Audible Cost?
- How Much Does Kindle Unlimited Cost?
- The Answer: Which is better? Kindle Unlimited vs Audible
(Any links to specific books are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to use them to purchase anything on Amazon, there is no additional cost to you, but I earn a small fee.)
The Differences
There are several ways to begin deciding which is better between Kindle Unlimited and Audible, so we will begin with how they differ.
Audible is a subscription for audiobooks only, whereas Kindle Unlimited includes ebooks, magazines and audiobooks.
Kindle Unlimited is a borrowing service, so you don’t own the books you get through it. However, with Audible you purchase books with your monthly credits and then have that read on your account indefinitely, even if you cancel your membership.
The Benefits of Kindle Unlimited
Read Over One Million Titles for Free!
There are over a million books available to download and read, including over 2,000 audiobooks for free, and approximately 5,000 available at a discounted price.
These titles aren’t just first or last books in a series though, you can even read some full series for free! If you are a big fantasy or science fiction reader like me (which I would expect to be true as you are on this site!) then you will love this benefit of KU.
A great example of one of these full series on KU is Will Wight’s very popular Cradle series. All 11 of the books in the series (so far) are available to read with a subscription to KU, which saves you loads of money!
No Limit to How Much You Read/Borrow
You can download as many books onto your kindle as you want, with no waiting lists like you have at a library, and no due dates either. There is a limit of 10 books that you can borrow at the same time, but who needs more than that?
As with every kindle book, your borrowed titles are available on any device and your bookmarks etc will sync between them.
The Benefits of Audible
Almost Half a Million Titles Available
With close to 500,000 audiobooks available to read, this vast library has a huge range of stories to listen to on your commute, while you clean the dishes, or as you sit on your sofa and chill!
There is an additional subscription service called Audible Plus where you can borrow over 11,000 titles without wait lists or due dates.
Get Great Value For Money
You can exchange credits (1 per month) for titles and own them forever, even if you decide to cancel your membership in the future. This is a lot cheaper than buying audiobooks full-price from the store.
Audible also has a fantastic return/exchange policy, so if you change your mind or don’t like a book you have bought, you can replace it with something more to your liking.
Additionally, with membership, you get Daily Deals on audiobooks. So, if you are out of credits but want to add to your collection permanently, this is a huge cost-saver.
The Cons of Both: Kindle Unlimited vs Audible
Your KU and Audible Plus Library is Temporary
You may be able to borrow as many titles as you like, but without actually purchasing them, you don’t own the books you borrow through the service. This means that if you cancel your membership, the borrowed books are returned and you will have to buy them through the Amazon store to read/listen to them.
Not All the KU Books Are Popular
Many of the books available on Kindle Unlimited are self-published or just not very well known. This can mean that you won’t be able to find all the books you are looking for.
This is not to say that plenty of popular books are not on KU, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which has been made available on KU since the release of Rings of Power on Prime.
Don’t Forget Your Audible Credits Before You Cancel!
If you cancel your Audible membership, any credits you have saved on the account are removed. So, make sure that you remember to use them all up on the fantastic range of titles available before canceling.
How Much Does Audible Cost?
There are several monthly membership plans available, including:
- £7.99/month for 1 Book Credit
- £14.99/month for 2 Book Credit
- £69.99/month for 12 Book Credit
- £109.99/month for 24 Book Credit
How Much Does Kindle Unlimited Cost?
After a free trial, Kindle Unlimited costs £7.99 per month and that includes all books in the KU library at no extra cost.
There are often deals available for 3 months at a discounted price, etc, so keep an eye out for that! (Those deals are only options for new customers.)
So, is Kindle Unlimited or Audible Worth Your Money?
Depending on what you want from the subscription, the question of Kindle Unlimited vs Audible is ultimately down to you.
But that is a cowardly response at the end of this article, so one point I can make is that the price of KU per month is £7.99, and for that price you can access all the titles on the KU service at no extra cost.
The Audible membership plans are a little more expensive if you want to read more books using the service per month. However, with Audible Plus you can access many more titles and even podcasts that are not available anywhere else.
So, which subscription service is better for you? Let us know down in the comments or join the discussion on our Discord!
Now You Have Read Kindle Unlimited vs Audible:
