It's close: Kindle edges it 8.3 to 8.2, so the right pick depends on what you need. Kindle wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Audible on 2.
Readers who already buy ebooks from Amazon or own a Kindle
Regular listeners who want new releases and Originals they can keep
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Kindle | Audible |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reading & News | Reading & News |
| Category rank | #8 of 11 | #9 of 11 |
| Developer | Amazon | Audible, Inc. |
| Pricing | Free | Subscription |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Kindle better than Audible?
It's close: Kindle edges it 8.3 to 8.2, so the right pick depends on what you need. Kindle wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Audible on 2.
Which is cheaper, Kindle or Audible?
Kindle: Free app; you buy books one at a time, and Kindle Unlimited is optional. Audible: Standard is $8.99 a month; Premium Plus is $14.95 with a credit; 30-day free trial. On value for money, Kindle scores higher.
Do Kindle and Audible work on the same devices?
Only Kindle runs on Mac, Windows.
Which is more private, Kindle or Audible?
Audible scores higher on privacy (6.4/10). App Store label: no tracking. Purchases, location, contact info, your content, searches, identifiers, usage and diagnostics may be linked to you.
Strengths and weaknesses
Kindle
- Huge store with over six million titles
- Syncs your place, highlights and notes
- Free to read on almost any device
- Can't buy books inside the iPhone app
- Books are locked to Amazon's ecosystem
- Ties lots of data to you, including for marketing
If you buy ebooks from Amazon, the Kindle app is how you read them anywhere. It syncs your place, highlights and notes across phone, tablet, computer and the web, and adds X-Ray, dictionary and Wikipedia lookups, translation, real page numbers and a switch to the Audible version if you own both. The store has over six million titles. The trade-offs are Amazon's lock-in and a privacy label that ties a lot of data to you.
Full Kindle review
Audible
- Huge catalog with exclusive Originals
- Premium Plus books stay yours even if you cancel
- Syncs your place with Kindle ebooks
- Credits get pricey if you finish many books
- Standard plan books vanish when you cancel
- Lots of data linked to your Amazon account
Audible has one of the largest audiobook libraries, with over a million titles and Originals you won't find anywhere else. Premium Plus gives you a monthly credit for any book you keep forever, plus the Plus Catalog to stream. The new $8.99 Standard plan costs less, but those books disappear if you cancel. The app handles the basics well: speed control, a sleep timer, offline downloads and syncing with Kindle ebooks.
Full Audible review
