Scribd Vs. Audible: Features, Cost, Review: Which Should You Buy? [in 2022]

What do you like, Scribd vs Audible? Are you having a hard time selecting the perfect application? Well, you have reached the right place. Here we will talk about the applications and see which one is superior. Till then, have a seat, and keep reading!

Scribd Overview

Scribd is an application that provides you with a digital library service following a single subscription model—solely designed for individuals who are into reading and listening to audiobooks, magazines, eBooks, etc.

scribd vs audible

If you are one such person who just loves to read eBooks and listen to audiobooks, this application is for you. It helps you stay informed, increases your knowledge, discovers your new passion, and helps you be the very best version of yourself.

In return, you have to pay them a little sum of money, and you are all set to access their library that holds thousands and thousands of eBooks, magazines, and audiobooks anywhere, any time.

Pros

  • Available at a budget-friendly monthly subscription fee
  • Gives access to its eBook library
  • Its library has hundreds of top-notch magazines, sheet music, and even a document library
  • It offers a free-trial period

Cons

  • Less audiobook collection
  • Cannot give you exclusive content

Audible Overview

If you happen to be an audiobook lover, you probably know your place.

audible.com vs scribd

Audible is an online podcast and audiobook service from Amazon that allows all its users to stream or purchase audiobooks or any sort of spoken word content!

It is the only one that has probably the most significant collections, be it classics or recent releases, or even podcasts! And once you buy a product, you get to keep it forever! Not only does it have excellent quality audiobooks (64 kbps), but it also has a library collection of 220,000 audiobooks!

You can guess from its name that you can only find audio-related content. So, you cannot find any eBooks or magazines here yet. If you have a love for audiobooks, this is the place!

Pros

  • Lifetime access to your audiobooks, even after the termination of your subscription
  • Way enhanced audio quality
  • You get to own the book
  • It comes with a trial period

Cons

  • High price compared to Scribd, $14.95 per month
  • Does not offer eBooks and magazines

Scribd VS. Audible: Face-Off

Both Audible and Scribd functions are similar to each other. One is best for audiobooks, while the other is good for ebooks, documentaries, and sheet music!

Many people get overwhelmed when choosing the right one, but this entirely depends on your taste and choices!

Now that you have a basic idea of which one to choose let us dig deeper and unravel the facts a bit more!

#1 Product Comparison

  • Both Scribd and Audible offers you complete audiobooks types
  • Audible allows you to own the audiobook without any membership fees, but Scribd only lends you its library, which is only valid for the subscription period
  • Audible gives you lifetime access to your books, whereas Scribd cannot give you lifetime access to its products
  • Audible has a more excellent audiobook collection compared to Scribd
  • Audible has the better audio quality, which is 64 kbps, while Scribd offers the sound quality of 32 kbps
  • Audible gives you exclusive content, whereas Scribd cannot provide you with exclusive content at all costs
  • Scribd offers you both eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines, while Audible can only provide you with podcasts and audiobooks

#2 Content Comparison

When it comes to the collection of audiobooks, surely Audible is the best, but when things roll down to a non-audiobook content base, things slightly change!

Scribd is unmatchable when it is about non-audiobook content. Yes, Scribd offers you the best choices of eBooks, magazines, sheet music, and document repositories.

Purchasing sheet music can be pretty tricky, but this can be a fantastic choice if you are devoted to music!

#3 Pricing Comparison

  • To avail of the services of both Audible and Scribd, a subscription is a must.
  • Scribd can be availed at a flat monthly subscription fee of $9.95, but Audible has a higher subscription price of $14.95 per month.
  • You get only one audiobook in the month from Audible, while Scribd gives you unlimited.
  • An audible yearly subscription is $149.50, while Scribd allows you to save $29.50

Here is a fact, if you are only to rent audiobooks and eBooks, and are less worried about the next bestseller, then you can save at least $42.10 a year!

However, with Audible, you get only one audiobook per month with a cost of $12.45 per book or with a yearly subscription of $149.50.

Audible is highly-priced, but the fact is the book you buy, you will get to keep for a lifetime.

#4 Device Comparison

  • Audible has a slightly higher rating than Scribd, Audible 4.6 stars, while Scribd has 4.5 stars.
  • Audible has better compatibility for devices, and it can be run on iPhone, Android, PC, Alexa, TV, Fire TV, and Kindle, while Scribd can only be run on iPhone, Android, and PCs.

Both the applications are great and are excellent choices for mobiles. But, the key difference here is Audible can be played on your television, Alexa, and Amazon Firestick. Scribd cannot be played on these devices!

#5 Customer Service Comparison

  • Audible boasts about its book return policy which is valid for a year; without question, Scribd does not have such a policy because it does not allow you to own its products.
  • Audible lets you connect with customer service through phone, chat, and email, while Scribd allows only emails.

Scribd VS. Audible – Standout Features

Scribd Magazines

The magazines offered by Scribd are very impressive. Scribd offers you more than a hundred magazines in total. You can easily find magazines such as T3, Time, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Fast Company, etc.

eBooks and Sheet Music

Scribd is known for its vast library of written content and music. Not only does it provide you with audiobooks, but it also provides you with eBooks, be it classics or anything. A striking feature of Scribd is that it provides you with documentaries and sheet music. So if you wish to know about history, secrets, mysteries, and music, Scribd is the one.

Device Compatibility

Audible is superior to Scribd in terms of device compatibility. This is because you can run Audible on the device, be it phones, TV, or Alexa. However, Scribd’s compatibility has been limited to iPhones, PCs, and Androids.

Own Your Audiobook

Another feature that makes Audible superior to Scribd is that Audible lets you keep the book you purchased. Each book costs $12.45, and you can buy one book per month!

But Scribd gives unlimited access to listening to audiobooks because you rent them for a particular duration. So, after your subscription period ends, you will no longer access the products.

Library and Audio

Due to Audible’s exceptionally colossal customer base, publishers cannot delay releasing recent releases and bestsellers. This is why Audible has all the exclusive content, and you can find every audiobook that you need!

Also, the audio quality of Audible is much more enhanced. It has a bit rate of 64, while Scribd has 32.

If you happen to be an audio enthusiast, you can easily spot the difference.

Customer Support

Both these applications have good customer support, but Audible provides you with three different ways of connecting with customer service. You connect with Audible’s customer support over the phone, emails, and chats. On the other hand, Scribd provides you with only one conventional way: email.

Now that you have read the article here, which application do you think will work perfectly for you?

Marilyn Nissen
Written by Marilyn Nissen

Marilyn Nissen is the founder of BestSellerSummary.com, a highly reputable book summary and reviews website. With over a decade of experience in summarizing and reviewing books, Marilyn is a trusted authority in the book industry.