Audible vs Libby
January 26, 2026 | Author: Maria Lin
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Audible is Amazon-owned online audiobook service that allows users to purchase and listen to audiobooks through its iPhone and Android apps. Books cannot be purchased individually - they are available through a subscription (starting at $15/month), which provides users with "credits" that can be redeemed for content monthly. The library includes over 200,000 audiobooks across all genres, including exclusive works. Once purchased, a book remains in the user's library and can be downloaded or listened to at any time. The app allows offline listening, adjustable playback speed, and sleep timers. Car mode is also supported.
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Libby is a free app and web service (from OverDrive) for renting digital books from local libraries. Over 90% of public libraries in North America have OverDrive, and Libby can be found in 78 countries worldwide. You sign in using the library card you get from your local library. Books aren't freely available - you have to join a queue and wait for other users to make a book available before you can borrow it (as the library has a license for a limited number of copies). Libby has no paid subscriptions or in-app purchases. The app includes a book reader and audiobook player, and syncs your reading progress across devices.
Audible vs Libby in our news:
2025. AI audiobooks have come to Libby
AI-powered audiobooks have appeared in Libby - an app that connects public library cardholders with their libraries' ebook and audiobook collections. For some audiobook listeners, the loss of the human touch of a real person is devastating. So, if you're looking to avoid AI, here's how to spot AI-powered audiobooks in Libby. Go to the search bar and search for two specific terms: "Digital Voice" and "Synthesized Voice." This will display all titles that use artificial intelligence narration, commonly referred to as digital or synthesized voice. The narrator will be listed in the book details. Books that use AI will list the narrator as "synthesized voice" or "digital voice."
2024. Overdrive Libby is improved for reading digital magazines
Libby has updated its functionality for digital magazine readers. Over 56 million magazine issues have been added to the service from digital libraries, with 4,000 magazines currently available. Instead of appearing alongside ebooks and audiobooks, magazines are now displayed in the separate section Magazine Rack. In this section, users see the latest issues of their subscriptions. Users can subscribe to new magazines using the convenient new Subscribe feature. When a new issue is published, it is automatically added to the user's Magazine Rack and generates an order for your library. When users find a magazine in your collection, they can open it and start reading with a single tap, thus generating an order for your library. Most libraries offer several popular magazines that partner with Overdrive. These include Time, Us Weekly, National Geographic, PC World and Women's Fitness.
2017. Kindle gets Audible audiobooks support
The entry-level 8th generation Kindle and the first generation Amazon Kindle Oasis have both received firmware updates that enable users to purchase and listen to Audible audiobooks using Bluetooth headphones. There is a new option that lets you switch from the Kindle bookstore to Audible, featuring a series of images promoting the updated bookstore. If you are an Audible subscriber, any audiobook purchased with your monthly credits will automatically sync to your Kindle’s library. The built-in audiobook player is feature-rich; you can skip forward or backward by fifteen seconds and adjust the pitch level. While listening to an audiobook, the Oasis shows the remaining time in a chapter and includes software-controlled volume buttons. A Bluetooth notification at the bottom of the screen indicates the device you’ve paired with the Oasis or provides instructions on connecting headphones or a wireless speaker.
