What audiobook subscriptions really cost per book
What Kindle+, Audible, Libro.fm, Libby and Hoopla really cost per book at 1, 2 or 4 books a month, from each service's own page. Libby and Hoopla are free with a library card. Prices checked Oct 23, 2026.
Prices checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC, on each service's own public page, signed out (US prices in USD; tax extra where it applies). Plans and prices change, so check the service's page before you sign up. The one link marked #ad is an affiliate link; every other link is a plain link to the service's own page.
By Sloane Glitchford, Founder · Price Bug Alerts, an independent US deal desk
The short answer: if you have a library card, Libby and Hoopla are free. You borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your public library at no cost, but what you can borrow, how many at once and how long you wait for popular titles depend on your library. If you want books you can keep, or you don't want to wait, a paid plan makes sense, and the cost per book depends mostly on how many books you actually get through each month.
Kindle Unlimited is now called Kindle+. Amazon updated its explainer on Oct 22, 2026 to reflect the new name, and lists the US price as $11.99 a month plus taxes (Amazon).
Cost per book at 1, 2 or 4 books a month
| Plan | Price (US) | What you get | Per book at 1 a month | At 2 a month | At 4 a month | Keep or borrow? | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle+ | $11.99/mo plus tax | Borrow up to 20 ebooks, audiobooks or comics at a time from the Kindle+ catalog | $11.99 | $6.00 | $3.00 | Borrow while subscribed | Amazon (aboutamazon.com), Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Audible Standard | $8.99/mo after a 30-day trial | Pick 1 audiobook a month (unused picks don't roll over); extra books at full price | $8.99 | n/a | n/a | Listen while a member | Audible plans page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Audible Premium (monthly) | $14.95/mo after a 30-day trial | 1 credit a month (credits expire after 12 months) plus the Plus Catalog of included titles | $14.95 | n/a | n/a | Keep credit books | Audible plans page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Audible Premium, 12 a year | $149.50/yr | 12 audiobooks a year | $12.46 | n/a | n/a | Keep | Audible plans page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Audible Premium, 24 a year | $229.50/yr | 24 audiobooks a year | n/a | $9.56 | n/a | Keep | Audible plans page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Libro.fm, 1 credit | $14.99/mo | 1 credit a month; credits never expire; 30% off extra audiobooks | $14.99 | n/a | n/a | Keep (DRM-free) | Libro.fm membership page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Libro.fm, 2 credits | $23.99/mo | 2 credits a month; credits never expire; 30% off extra audiobooks | n/a | $12.00 | n/a | Keep (DRM-free) | Libro.fm membership page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Libro.fm, 12 a year | $169.99/yr | 12 credits a year, added right away; 30% off extra audiobooks | $14.17 | n/a | n/a | Keep (DRM-free) | Libro.fm membership page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Libby (OverDrive) | $0 with a library card | Ebooks and audiobooks your library has; loan and hold limits set by your library | $0 | $0 | $0 | Borrow | OverDrive Libby page, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
| Hoopla | $0 with a card from a participating library | Audiobooks, ebooks and more; your library sets how many borrows you get each month | $0 | $0 | $0 | Borrow | Hoopla site, Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC |
How we did the math: plan price divided by the number of books you'd get at that pace, rounded to the cent. Yearly plans are the yearly price divided by the books the plan includes in a year (12 or 24), paid up front. "n/a" means the plan doesn't include that many books; you'd pay for extra books on top (full price on Audible Standard, Audible's member discounts on Premium, 30% off on Libro.fm), so we don't invent a number. Kindle+, Libby and Hoopla figures assume the books you want are in that catalog. Trials and promotions are left out of the math.
Kindle+ (formerly Kindle Unlimited)
Amazon's page says Kindle+ costs $11.99 a month plus taxes in the US, and that you can borrow up to 20 ebooks, audiobooks or comics at a time and return them whenever you like while your subscription is active. For audiobooks, Amazon says audio narration is available for thousands of Kindle+ titles, so check that the books you want have it before you count on listening. Kindle+ is not included with Prime. If you cancel, you keep access until your next billing date and then lose your Kindle+ titles. Amazon's page says to check your eligibility for a free trial on the Kindle+ page. (Amazon's Kindle+ explainer, checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC.)
Because it's a flat monthly price, Kindle+ gets cheaper per book the more you read: $11.99 at one book a month, $6.00 at two, $3.00 at four. That only holds if the books you want are in the Kindle+ catalog.
Audible Standard and Premium
Standard is $8.99 a month after a 30-day trial. You pick 1 audiobook a month and can listen to your picks for as long as you're a member. Unused picks don't roll over, and if you cancel you lose access to the books you picked. Extra audiobooks cost full price.
Premium is $14.95 a month after a 30-day trial and gives you 1 credit a month for any audiobook, which you keep even if you cancel, plus the Plus Catalog of included titles you can listen to while you're a member. Credits expire 12 months after they're issued, or when you cancel. Audible also lists yearly Premium plans: 12 audiobooks for $149.50 a year ($12.46 a book) and 24 audiobooks for $229.50 a year ($9.56 a book). (Audible's plans page, checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC.)
Libro.fm
Libro.fm says your audiobook purchases support local bookstores. Its plans are $14.99 a month for 1 credit, $23.99 a month for 2 credits ($12.00 a book) or $169.99 a year for 12 credits added right away ($14.17 a book). Credits never expire, audiobooks you get are DRM-free downloads you keep, and members get 30% off additional audiobooks. (Libro.fm's membership page, checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC.)
Libby and Hoopla: free with a library card
Libby is OverDrive's library app. OverDrive says you can borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines for free from your local library: find your library in the app and sign in with your library card. Your library chooses which books it has, how many you can borrow at once and how long holds take. With US libraries, Libby can also send library ebooks to a Kindle. (OverDrive's Libby page and libbyapp.com, checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC.)
Hoopla says it lets you borrow audiobooks, ebooks, comics, music, movies and TV, all free with your library card, through participating public libraries. Your library sets how many borrows you get each month, and titles vary by library. (Hoopla, checked Oct 23, 2026, 17:05 UTC.)
Plainly: both apps are free if you have a card from a library that offers them. Limits vary by library. One way to keep costs down: check your library first, and pay for a subscription only for the books it doesn't have or has a long wait for.
Promotions we saw (not in the math)
On Oct 23, 2026 at 17:05 UTC, Audible's plans page showed a Prime Member Exclusive offer: $0.99 a month for 4 months plus a $20 Audible credit, then $8.99 a month; terms apply (Audible). It's for Prime members only, offers like this change, and we left it out of the table. Check the page for the current terms before you sign up.
Which one is cheapest for you?
- You have a library card and don't mind waiting sometimes: start with Libby and Hoopla. $0, limits vary by library.
- You read or listen to several books a month and the titles are in its catalog: Kindle+ gets cheapest per book, at $3.00 a book at 4 a month. You borrow, you don't own, and Amazon says audio narration is available for thousands of Kindle+ titles, so check the ones you want.
- You want 1 audiobook a month and don't need to keep it: Audible Standard at $8.99.
- You want to keep your audiobooks: Audible Premium's yearly 24-book plan works out to $9.56 a book at 2 a month; Libro.fm's 2-credit plan is $12.00 a book, with credits that never expire and DRM-free files.
- You listen to one book every couple of months: a subscription may cost more than it saves. Check the library first, then compare the book's own price.
More on trials and subscriptions: our Audible free trial guide covers how the trial renews and how to cancel, our free trials page lists other trials we've checked, and our AI subscription prices and streaming price increases pages track what other subscriptions cost. Our game currency guide does the same per-unit math for game coins, and how to verify a deal is real covers checking prices before you buy.
Quick answers
Is Libby free?
Yes. Libby is free with a library card from a library that offers it. You borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library at no cost; how many you can borrow and how long holds take depend on your library.
Is Hoopla free?
Yes, with a card from a participating public library. Hoopla says borrowing is free with your library card, and your library sets how many borrows you get each month.
How much does Kindle+ cost?
Amazon lists Kindle+ at $11.99 a month plus taxes in the US (checked Oct 23, 2026). You can borrow up to 20 titles at a time, and Amazon says audio narration is available for thousands of Kindle+ titles.
Is Kindle+ the same as Kindle Unlimited?
Yes. Amazon renamed Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+ and updated its explainer on Oct 22, 2026 to reflect the new name.
Which audiobook subscription is cheapest per book?
Libby and Hoopla are free with a library card. Among paid plans, as of Oct 23, 2026: Kindle+ works out to $3.00 a book at 4 books a month if the titles are in its catalog (borrowed, not owned); Audible Standard is $8.99 for 1 audiobook a month; to keep your books, Audible Premium's 24-a-year plan is $9.56 a book and Libro.fm's 2-credit plan is $12.00 a book.
Do I keep my audiobooks if I cancel?
Audible Premium credit books and Libro.fm books are yours to keep. Audible Standard picks, Audible Plus Catalog titles and Kindle+ titles go away when your membership ends. Library loans end when the loan period is over.