Audible Standard Membership Plan: Is It Worth It?

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Audible has rolled out a new Standard plan. At $8.99 per month, it’s significantly cheaper than the Premium Plus plan ($14.95).

With growing competition from Spotify’s Audiobook Access Plan ($9.99 for 15 hours), Audible clearly needed a lower-priced option.

Is the new Audible Standard membership plan worth it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What’s Included with Audible Standard

With the Standard plan, you can choose one audiobook from Audible’s 1M+ catalog and listen as long as your membership is active.

Think of it as borrowing, not owning. Unlike the Premium Plus plan, where you purchase books with credits, you lose access to the books if you cancel.

Members also get unlimited, ad-free podcasts and early access to new episodes of select shows.

Note: Unused monthly selections don't roll over. If you miss a month, you will still only have 1 monthly audiobook selection the next month.

Audible offers a 30-day free trial of the Standard plan for new members or if you have not used a free trial in the past 12 months.

You can check your audiobook selection deadline on the Account Details page or in your app Profile.

What Premium Plus Has That Standard Doesn’t

While the Standard plan is more affordable, it misses several key benefits included with Premium Plus, including:

• Access to the Plus Catalog – Over 70,000 titles included with your membership. Learn more about the Plus Catalog.
• Exclusive Sales – Members-only deals like 2-for-1 credit sales, cash discounts, and sitewide sales.
• Discount on Cash Purchases – Usually around 30% off any audiobook you buy with cash.
• Credit System – Each credit can be used for any title, regardless of price. You get 1 credit per month, and can buy extra credits if needed. Perfect for expensive titles.

Plus Catalog titles stay accessible while you are a member. Any titles you purchase with credits or cash remain yours forever, even if you cancel.

All these extras cost just $6 more per month.

Note: You can switch between Standard and Premium Plus anytime. If you downgrade from Premium Plus to Standard, you will lose any unused credits, just like when you cancel.

Is Audible Standard Plan Worth it?

The Standard plan is best for light listeners who only want one book at a time, prefer a low-cost option and don’t care about ownership of the books.

👍 Good For:

• Listening to 1 book per month
• Casual listeners/ beginners
• Lower monthly cost

👎 Not Good For:

• Growing a personal audiobook library
• Re-listening to favorites
• Listening to more than one book per month

I think it’s a bit overpriced. For just $6 more per month, Premium Plus gives you much better value.

• Access to the Plus Catalog (70,000+ titles)
• Member-only sales and promotions
• Around 30% discount on cash purchases
• 1 monthly credit to own any audiobook

If you love building a collection, want more than one book per month, or plan to re-listen, Premium Plus is the better choice.

Audible Standard Plan Alternatives

If you are a light listener or want an affordable plan, here are some other options you might want to consider:

• Amazon Music Unlimited – Get access to over 100 million songs and also pick one free Audible audiobook each month. Know more from here.
• Spotify Audiobook Access Plan – Offers 15 hours of audiobook listening each month, which can be used for any title in Spotify’s audiobook catalog.
• Chirp Audiobooks – Available in the U.S. and Canada, Chirp lets you grab audiobooks at deep discounts without anynmembership fees.

These alternatives can sometimes make more sense depending on your listening habits and budget.

Audible has rolled out the new Standard plan in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Germany, and France. They are also testing it in a few more regions.