Audiobooks provide an easier way to digest a book. We can listen do our books at the gym or during our morning commute which helps us maximise our time and also provide an escape during our otherwise dull tasks. But with so many audiobook services available, which do you choose? Audible is, without doubt, the most popular but how do the others compare? In this article, we give you Kobo Audiobooks review to find out whether it is better than Audible.
Kobo Audiobooks Review
Kobo Rakuten launched in 2017 and still pretty new to the audiobook game compared to Audible which has been around since 2008. To first review Kobo audiobooks, we have to take a detailed look at the following criteria:
- Cost
- Credits
- Content
- Compatibility
- Cancellation
1. Cost
Similar to Audible, Kobo Audiobooks offer a 30-day free trial which you can try before beginning a monthly subscription. The title you download during your free trial is yours to keep even if you choose to cancel your subscription during the trial period.
Unlike Audible though, Kobo Audiobooks do not have multiple pricing plans; there is one standard subscription for users at $9.99.
However, that being said, you can purchase audiobooks without subscribing to the service at all! Kobo allows non-members to purchase ebooks and audiobooks whenever they want for a cash price. This is pretty convenient if you’re a light reader and just want an audiobook or two.
2. Credits
Kobo also offers monthly credits to subscribers to use to purchase titles. Members will get 1 credit per month which is the cost of most books in its library.
Additional credits can also be easily purchased if you require more per month and unused credits will roll over to the next month. They do not expire and there is no deadline or limitations to unused credits (i.e. there is no time limit if credits are unused; they will be forfeited) if your account is still active.
3. Content
Kobo Audiobooks content is quite extensive at over 5 million titles available for you to choose from. They have a variety of categories and their catalogue is easy to browse through. The only downfall is availability. Some new titles are not available to all countries at the same time.
4. Compatibility
Unlike Audible, you cannot listen to Kobo audiobooks on your computers. Kobo only allows their users to listen to audiobooks via the Kobo apps for Android or iOS.
5. Cancellation
You can cancel your Kobo Audiobook subscription or free trial at any time. If you have any credits remaining in your account, they will still be available for 6 months after your cancellation. This is a huge advantage as compared to Audible as any extra credits are forfeited when you cancel your subscription.
Kobo Audiobooks vs. Audible
For this article, I’ve summarised the main differences between Kobo and Audible into a handy table that will enable us to compare both services. You can check out our detailed Audible review here.
| Kobo Audiobooks | Audible | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | ✔ | ✔ |
| Monthly subscription | $9.99 | $14.95 |
| Yearly Subscription | ✖ | $149.50 |
| Credits/month | 1 | 1 |
| Audiobooks per month | 1 | 3(2 original Audible Originals) |
| Do I get to keep the Audiobooks? | ✔ | ✔ |
| Easy additional credit purchase | ✔ | ✖ |
| Content | 5 million titles | 200K + audiobooks and podcasts with exclusive Amazon Audible content |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS | iPhone, Android, PC, TV, Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV and smart speaker compatible (Alexa) |
| Return Policy | ✖ | ✔ |
| App Store Rating | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| User Friendly | ✔ | ✔ |
| Current number of users worldwide | 10M+ | 100M+ |
In conclusion, your choice of audiobook service always comes down to your personal preference as a user. These reviews just help you get a better glimpse of what’s out there. The great thing is that most of them have free trials available for you to use and compare firsthand to see if it meets your needs. You can take a look at our reviews of other services like Audiobooks.com, AllYouCanBooks, Scribd and Downpour to get a better understanding of what’s out there.
