Audiobooks are a great way to focus on reading without having to set aside time for just sitting still. A lot of people have such busy schedules that audiobooks are the best way for them to take in literature. After all, you can listen to an audiobook while jogging, while working, even in the car while on the way to work and back. This makes audiobooks a valuable asset in a busy schedule! However, they can be more expensive than old-fashioned books. Here are some of the best sites to find free or inexpensive audiobooks so you don’t break the bank!
Best Sites to Find Free Audiobooks
OverDrive
OverDrive is an audiobook site that works in concert with local libraries to offer free books to library card holders. If you have a local library card then you can download free audiobooks from OverDrive. They offer apps through Android and iTunes, as well as Windows phones. They also have a desktop site, of course, that you can download MP3s through to upload to any device you would like.
OverDrive is a great choice for lovers of the local library. If your library has an audiobook you’d like to listen to, odds are good that it’s being hosted on OverDrive. Libraries are a great public resource, and OverDrive does a great job of extending their reach beyond just the walls of the building itself. They offer a great selection of newer books and classics alike.
The search function is easy and fast, and you can quickly navigate books by authors, genres, series and more. If you’re looking to quickly fill up your device with audiobooks, OverDrive is a great way to start doing just that. If you’ve already got a library card, you’re ready to go!
LibriVox
Literature is as old as civilization itself. As such, it’s no surprise that more works are in the public domain than there are works that aren’t. LibriVox is a site that hosts free audiobooks of works that are in the public domain.
An interesting aspect of LibriVox is that the narrators are all volunteers. As such, the quality of the reading can change dramatically based on the volunteer. Some volunteers are excellent actors with impeccable readings full of life and emotion. Others are more robotic, simply reading the words from the page in a constant string. Some narrators may have difficult-to-understand accents, while others might be on par with most premium paid audiobooks.
Many books have multiple readings available, and there are several languages available to choose from. If the audiobooks you want to hear are in the public domain, LibriVox is a great place to look for free audiobooks. After all, you can’t beat free!
Open Culture
Open Culture is an educational site that is completely free for all users. They host a number of classic works of literature, and their site also hosts a number of educational courses, textbooks and films. If you’re looking to learn more about a subject and dig more deeply into it, consider Open Culture a resource worth digging into! The site even offers 900 free audiobook downloads.
Open Culture doesn’t offer the most robust selection of newer books, however. It also doesn’t support a wide variety of audiobook formats, so it might be more difficult getting their audiobooks to work on all of your devices. However, they do link to both iTunes and Spotify, which streamlines the process immensely.
While the site is totally free, donations are appreciated. If you’re looking for a great educational site that hosts countless classic works of literature, Open Culture is a great choice for you.
Scribl
Scribl is a service that is more akin to a podcast service than a traditional audiobook site. The service is great for people who like smaller, more easily digested audio, much like podcasts. If you often go on jogs or have short bursts of time you like to listen in, Scribl is a great way to go. The audiobooks on Scribl can be broken down into smaller files and taken in one bite at a time.
Additionally, Scribl has more new releases than most free sites. There are some paid books on the site, though, for brand-new or high-profile releases. However, when you buy an audiobook on Scribl, you also get access to the e-book version! This allows you to read up on your favorite books even when you don’t have your headphones available, or if you just like to follow along with the narration when you can.