Scribd and Audible are two popular audiobook subscriptions' platforms that render the same services. There are significant differences between the two. Let us have a look at the better choice between Scribd Vs Audible .
Audible extensively focuses only on audiobooks, whereas Scribd has access to PDF documents, books, and audiobooks. There are more than 100,000 titles on Audible alone, and most of these titles have topped the bestsellers list.
Make an informed choice and choose the best audiobook subscription. Know the significant point of differences between the two and compare the features provided by each.
We live in a technological era. Have a flooded bookshelf? Don't worry; audiobooks will not require space at your home or on your bookshelf.
Before comparing the two most popular platforms, let me break down the advantages of audiobooks.
- You can listen to an audiobook just at any point in time and enjoy it. You can listen to the latest updates and the page-turners while doing the household chores while laundering or tidying things up or even while driving.
- A majority of the audiobooks are recited so beautifully that you will feel drawn towards them. They add enthusiasm to a story, and you will not feel like leaving them unheard in between. You will wish to engage more with the story narrated.
- You can enjoy storytime even during the night, without keeping your lights on or without straining your eyes. This simply means that you can close your eyes and allow the stories to lure you into its beautiful world.
With so many advantages, the audiobook industry is booming rapidly. People are showing interest in listening to audiobooks. The use of audiobooks has increased considerably, and people from all corners of the world are turning their ears to them. Tech-savvy book lovers undoubtedly love them more than anybody else. Several audiobooks applications are launched almost daily. However, they differ from one another.
Scribd Vs Audible 2020: The Ultimate Comparison (Pros & Cons)
Scribd Vs Audible- Key Features & Benefits
Scribd Key Features & Benefits
Varied packages are offered on Scribd, and they are better than what is offered on Audible. The membership fee of Scribd provides access to unlimited audiobooks, ebooks, documents, magazines, access to music, etc. However, the library size of Scribd is only 70,000 currently, and this figure is a lot less than that of Audible.
If you are a big fan of reading the most popular books of the year, then I must tell you that Scribd has only half the collection of popular ones. Hence, if you are only looking for the latest collection of audiobooks and books from your favorite authors, then Scribd might not be the right platform for you.
The overall interface of the Scribd website is good, but it is not as spontaneous as most of the other audiobook websites. It lacks proper navigations. Hence, more menu options are needed on the website for a user to navigate easily. Moreover, a major drawback of using Scribd is that if you end your membership with the platform, then you will lose your audiobooks as well.
This platform has a separate review section, summary, recommendations, suggestions, etc. All these features help a member find one of the most suitable and popular read. An audio clip of five-minutes is attached to every audiobook so that the member can make an informed decision.
It works the same as eCommerce sites do. Save your favorite audiobooks to the wishlist and read it once you are done with your current book. Since the website doesn't offer audiobooks, you will have to be extra careful while buying audiobooks from this website, since there are chances that you will end up buying an ebook instead of an audiobook. Scribd is a much smaller forum than Audible.
Monthly membership options are available on Scribd. After taking a membership of the platform, a user can access its website as well as the mobile app. You can also choose to switch seamlessly between an ebook or an audiobook easily through the application.
Audible KeY Features & Benefits
Amazon powered Audible is currently one of the top platforms preferred by several individuals. It secures a prime position in several reviews and charts. It has a quarter of million titles available, and hence, has one of the vast catalogs of audiobooks. Several plans are offered by the platform, and readers can choose according to their preferences.
The basic plan offers credits to the members, and they can use these credits in exchange for an audiobook. There are plans where regular readers are given up to 24 credit points with which they can buy audiobooks. You can enjoy some extra benefits if you are an Amazon prime member. Get exclusively free content on prime video with every audiobook purchase. So, you can see that Audible provides several perks.
It can be accessed via its mobile app. The application allows users to download the audiobook and provides them with a choice to switch between the audiobook and ebook versions of a book. The audiobooks can also be synced with Amazon Alexa. An amazing feature offered by Audible is its return policy where you can return an audiobook which you have read once, and can exchange it in return for credits. Isn't it amazing? Purchase an audiobook for credits, finish reading it, and return it back for credits, to buy a new one.
Audible has one of the biggest drawbacks: it is backed by Amazon. Audible has exactly the same reserves as Amazon. Yes, you got it right; it means that it has high-quality products for its members. Alexa is the virtual support assistant, and it has several Amazon services as well.
Several audiobooks allow you only to borrow books, but the features offered by Audible are different. Audible downloads are all yours, and you can keep them for as long as you want. Yes, it means that even if you choose to opt-out of the membership plan, your downloaded audiobooks will still be accessible through the app.
Audible offers innovative ways to listen to audiobooks. Flag an issue that you are facing while using audible as they have 24-hour customer service support. If there are some issues from their end, then those audiobooks are removed from your library. Even the returns are discarded from your library of audiobooks, and they will restore your credits.
Scribd Vs Audible- Content
What Conte Does Scribd Offer?
Scribd, on the other hand, does offer a variety in its collection. You have access to not only audiobooks; instead, you get access to magazines, PDF documents, music, audiobooks.
It is, hence, a better choice for students, researchers, and anyone who is looking for content other than what is already available in books. Scribd also allows converting a PDF document into an HTML5 format. It helps the content to load much faster without compromising the quality of content.
What Content Does Audible Offer?
At any given point in time, Audible any day has a vast collection of audiobooks available for its members to choose from. There are more than 200,000 titles available. Two primary categories of content are provided, namely premium and standard. Audible consists of the latest bestseller audiobooks at much higher credits. There are some Audible exclusive audiobooks available on the platform on the platform. They are referred to as the audiobooks particularly of Audible and are not available on any other platform. Scribd Vs Audible comparison will help you understand it better.
Scribd
The access is also limited to Scribd, where it allows accessing its content only on three devices within 24-hours. Downloads from the application are also deterred to only four devices.
Audible
There are restrictions by Audible on the number of devices one audible account being used. There are restrictions imposed on the purchased audiobooks as well, because of which downloaded audiobooks are also shared only with the registered users. It means that you are able to share the content only with someone who has a registered Amazon account. The access is also limited to Scribd, where it allows accessing its content only on three devices within 24-hours. Downloads from the application are also deterred to only four devices.
Scribd Vs Audible - The Audio Quality
The audiobooks offered by Audible are capped at 64kbps, whereas the ones of Scribd are 32kbps. There is no denying that the performance of Audible audios is better with enhanced quality of sound and less distortion of noise. Moreover, to store a higher bite rate of the audiobook, you will surely need more storage space. The standard format of digital music is 32knos, and hence, the quality offered by Scribd is also not bad.
You will notice a difference between the sound quality of the two only while playing the audiobook in high-end speakers or earphones. If you already have a great audio setup with the high-end speaker, Audible if the one for you. But, if you have a device with limited storage, go for Scribd indeed.
Scribd Pricing
If you are looking for cheaper options, then no other option is better than Scribd. It offers a 30-days free trial to the users and after that monthly subscription is offered at a flat rate of $8.99. This subscription plan provides access to unlimited content, premium books, and a maximum of three premium book downloads. The premium books are full-sized books and are adequate enough for a reader to complete it within a month.
Audible Pricing
The membership plan of Audible is more expensive than that of Scribd. The basic plan of Audible starts at $14.95 per month. It also offers a trial of 30 days to its users. This membership plan offers just one credit in a month for an audiobook. It offers a premium download of a maximum of two books in a month. For serious readers, the platform offers upgraded plans and premium ones at a bit higher rates. With access to premium accounts, they gain access to restricted content to which standard users don't have access.
By being backed by Amazon, Audible follows the same geographic rules and regulations, which are followed by the products and services that are available on Amazon. However, you cannot look at it as a disadvantage since in countries like Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, India, etc. local books are offered at much lower prices than at what they are offered to other countries. Flat rates are offered by Scribd completely. It doesn't regard the location of a user; however, its customer support is restricted comparatively.
Scribd Vs Audible- Pros & Cons
Scribd Pros
- It is a perfect solution for reading enthusiasts with several options available such as music, audiobook, magazine, ebook, etc.
- Scribd offers unlimited opportunities for the readers, which is a great deal in the industry.
- Website and mobile applications available, and you can choose to use either.
- Once you have completed the trial period, the offline reading option is also offered. It means that you can easily listen to unlimited titles even while offline.
- Several popular articles from different topics are available that include Fine Magazine, periodicals, Men's health, entertainment weekly, etc.
Scribd Cons
- Only a few people are able to observe this con for Scribd, and it is that there are some hidden restrictions by the application.
- The offline feature doesn't work if you have not downloaded the book. It means that without downloading, it is not available offline-a major drawback for people when they are commuting or doesn't have an internet connection available.
- All the audiobooks are gone once you cancel the subscription.
Audible Pros
- Audiobooks can be downloaded either through mobile data or Wi-Fi.
- The catalog gets updated quite often, and it already offers a vast choice of 200,000 audiobook titles.
- The application offers multitasking options, which means you can play around with your background downloads while listening to it.
- You can easily switch in between listening and reading.
- You can deal quickly with any issues with great customer support of Audible. They have phone support and live chat options available.
- Credits can be exchanged for books.
Audible Cons
- Audible contains a few books that are easier to read when penned on a paper than when listening to it. A few examples include "A little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara, "Jonathan Strange" by Susanna Clarke.
- Some audiobooks are not worth reading, and rather their reviews are worth the plot of the book itself.
Customer Reviews & Testimonials
Scribd Reviews & Testimonials
Audible Reviews & Testimonials
Both Audible and Scribd are suitable platforms in their own unique way. Being pitched as the popular audiobook platforms, both have their own benefits and drawbacks. You can only decide what you are looking for so that you are sure which one to go with. They appeal to different users with a distinct choice of preferences. Audible is only focused on audiobooks, and it is not for people who enjoy other media as well. This article on Scribd Vs Audible will solve your dilemma.
Scribd, on the other hand, is an all-rounder platform offering several options that include PDFs, ebooks, magazines, and several other documents. The audiobook collection of Scribd is much smaller than Audible, but the variety of options is huge. Hence, the collection doesn't fall short for the members, and they have a plethora of options to choose from. If you are only interested in the latest audiobooks, Audible is the platform for you with a vast library and new releases very frequently.
If you want to enjoy other documents along with audiobooks, choose Scribd that has a wide variety of options. However, you will not find some latest audiobook titles on the platform.
