Audiobooks.com Free Trial: 3 Free Audiobooks (How It Works)
Audiobooks.com gives new members 3 free audiobooks and 30 days of full access with no charge upfront. Here is what you get, how to cancel, and whether it beats Audible.
What You Get With the Audiobooks.com Free Trial
Audiobooks.com offers new US members a 30-day free trial that includes 3 free audiobook credits and access to their entire catalog. The library contains over 700,000 titles across fiction, nonfiction, business, self-help, kids, and more. You get one premium credit to use on any title regardless of price, plus two bonus credits for titles in the VIP Select collection.
During the trial you also get unlimited listening on the Plus Catalog, which is a large subset of titles available as part of the monthly subscription without burning credits. Think of it like a streaming tier sitting alongside the credit system. This means you can technically listen to dozens of books during the 30 days without touching your three credits.
No charge hits your card during the trial period. Audiobooks.com does require a valid payment method at sign-up, but billing only starts after day 30 if you have not cancelled.
Step-by-Step: How to Start the Trial
The sign-up process takes about two minutes.
- Go to audiobooks.com and click the free trial button on the homepage.
- Enter your email address and create a password.
- Enter a credit or debit card number. Prepaid cards generally work too, though some users report issues with certain prepaid Visa cards.
- Confirm your account via the email verification link.
- Your three credits appear in your account immediately after verification.
Once inside, use the search bar or browse by genre to find titles. Click a book, then choose to redeem with a credit. The audiobook downloads to the Audiobooks.com app, which is available on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and desktop browsers. Downloads play offline, which matters for commutes or travel without reliable cell service.
How to Cancel Before You Get Charged
Cancel at any time before day 30 and you will not be billed. Here is exactly how to do it.
- Log into your account on the Audiobooks.com website, not the app.
- Click your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Select Account Settings, then go to the Subscription tab.
- Click Cancel Subscription and follow the confirmation steps.
Set a calendar reminder for day 25 or 26 to give yourself a buffer. Audiobooks.com does not send a reminder before your trial ends, so the reminder is entirely on you. After cancellation you keep access through the end of the trial period, and any audiobooks already downloaded stay in your library permanently even after the subscription ends.
If you miss the cancellation window, the standard plan bills at $14.95 per month, which includes one premium credit per month plus continued Plus Catalog access. Contacting customer support within a day or two of an accidental charge sometimes results in a refund, but that is not guaranteed.
Audiobooks.com vs. Audible: The Honest Comparison
Both services use a credit model for premium titles, but there are real differences worth knowing before you decide which trial to pursue.
Library size: Audible has a larger catalog, with over 750,000 titles compared to Audiobooks.com's 700,000+. The gap is not enormous, but Audible tends to have more exclusive content and original productions.
Trial offer: Audible's standard trial gives you 1 free credit for 30 days at no charge, plus access to their Plus Catalog. Audiobooks.com gives you 3 credits in the same window. If you want to test more titles without committing, Audiobooks.com has the edge here.
Monthly cost: Audible's basic plan with one credit runs $14.95 per month, same as Audiobooks.com. Audible's credit rollover policy allows unused credits to carry forward for up to 12 months. Audiobooks.com credits also roll over, though the cap and rollover terms are slightly less generous.
Family sharing: Audible's Household feature allows two adults and up to four children to share an account. Audiobooks.com does not offer a comparable family plan at the base subscription tier.
App quality: Both apps are functional. Audible's app has more customization options for playback speed and sleep timers. Audiobooks.com's app is simpler but works reliably across devices.
Which Types of Listeners Get the Most From the Trial
If you commute by car or public transit and listen for 30 or more minutes daily, you will easily consume 3 to 6 audiobooks during a 30-day trial. The average audiobook runs about 10 hours. At 30 minutes a day, you can finish one book every 20 days, but most active listeners move faster than that.
The trial is especially valuable for people who want to test a specific genre. Business books, personal finance titles, and thrillers all have deep catalogs on Audiobooks.com. Use all three credits on titles you actually want to keep, and use the Plus Catalog for browsing genres you are less sure about.
For casual listeners who go weeks between books, the math is less favorable. One credit per month at $14.95 means you are paying roughly $15 per audiobook, which is competitive with buying individual titles but not a bargain if the book sits unfinished.
The trial itself costs nothing and takes two minutes to start. Even if you cancel before day 30, you keep the three downloaded titles permanently. That is a reasonable outcome with zero financial risk as long as you remember to cancel.
