illustration of books on a shelf

Spotify Premium Users Can Now Listen to Audiobooks for Free

After hiking its prices earlier this year, Spotify is rolling out a fairly impressive upgrade for Premium customers. Now, paid subscribers can listen to up to 15 hours of audiobook content per month for free. Should users surpass that, they can apparently purchase an additional 10 hours of audiobook streaming for $12.99. To be clear, this new audiobook feature comes in addition to the music and podcast streaming that Spotify already offers.

In my view, this Spotify update could be a big blow to Amazon-owned Audible. That’s because Audible’s Premium Plus service — which grants customers 1 audiobook credit per month along with some other perks — comes at a cost of $14.95 a month. Compare that to Spotify Premium’s $10.99 a month price tag and, suddenly, the former doesn’t look as hot. Then again, it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. With Audible, customers retain ownership of their audiobooks, allowing them to listen again and again. Meanwhile, if Spotify users wanted to revisit a title, they’d need to use more of their allotted listening hours (or they can purchase the book a la carte). But, in another potential point in Spotify’s column, 15 hours a month likely amounts to more than a single book.

Spotify Premium Duo screenshot

As someone who subscribes to Audible Premium Plus as well as Spotify Premium, I was excited to see what this new feature was all about. Unfortunately, I did hit a bit of a snag. After looking at a few audiobooks and only seeing an option to buy, I did some poking around to see what could be the matter. That’s when I noticed that, on Spotify’s Premium plans page, there’s a key detail I was unaware of. Since we have a Duo Premium plan (which essentially gives us two accounts for a discounted price), only the “plan manager” gains the audiobook feature. So, in our case, that means my wife can use this feature while I’m left out.

Even with this hiccup, if we wanted to switch to two separate Premium accounts, we’d still be saving money versus Audible. Of course, with this Spotify feature still in its infancy, it’s hard to gauge how the inventory of both services will compare. After all, I have seen some books listed as Audible Exclusives in the past, so I wonder how common that actually is. And, while a spot check (no pun intended) resulted in my finding some recent books I’ve purchased on Audible available on Spotify, I can’t say how extensive the back catalog is.

Comparisons aside, I think this audiobook feature is an easy win for Spotify users. While I have yet to actually try the service for myself, just having the option (via my wife’s account, I guess) excites me. And, if it does allow me to eventually part with my Audible subscription, then even better.

Author
Founder ~ Moneyat30
Kyle is a freelance writer - including being the head writer for Fioney.com. He also serves as editorial director for the Disney fan site LaughingPlace.com and the founder of Money@30.com. In 2015, Kyle and his wife Bekah moved from Los Angeles to Springfield MO in pursuit of greater financial freedom. Together, the pair enjoy travel, coffee, and spending time with their dog Rigby. Additionally, as of 2023, they become first-time homeowners.
Other Articles by Kyle Burbank
woman holding an Anker MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger
Travel Tuesday: Anker MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger Review - Travel With Fewer Cables
To me, one of the most annoying parts of traveling in 2025 is ensuring that I pack chargers for all of the various devices I plan on bringing with me. That's why, in the past, I've been a fan of Rolling Square's InCharge multi-purpose cables that have built-in adapters. But, even then, I still find...
Bilt Mastercard
Bilt is Surveying Cardholders — The Glimpse Inside is Fascinating
At the end of last year, Bilt sent a letter to customers teasing some of their visions for the future of the program and the Bilt Mastercard. Then, earlier this week, they announced that cardholders would soon be receiving a survey on the topic. Now that said survey has arrived, it's revealing some intriguing insight...
Mesa Card and app
Welp. I Got Another Credit Card — Why I'm Excited About Mesa
I love writing about credit cards and, in turn, I also love having solid rewards cards... up to a point, that is. Unlike some other bloggers I follow who regularly apply for and churn rewards cards, I've tried to be more selective and thoughtful about what cards I ultimately add to my wallet. But every...
Featured Articles
Travel Tuesday: Anker MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger Review - Travel With Fewer Cables
To me, one of the most annoying parts of traveling in 2025 is ensuring that I pack chargers for all of the various devices I plan on bringing with me. That's why, in the past, I've been a fan of Rolling Square's InCharge multi-purpose cables that have built-in adapters. But, even then, I still find...
Bilt is Surveying Cardholders — The Glimpse Inside is Fascinating
At the end of last year, Bilt sent a letter to customers teasing some of their visions for the future of the program and the Bilt Mastercard. Then, earlier this week, they announced that cardholders would soon be receiving a survey on the topic. Now that said survey has arrived, it's revealing some intriguing insight...
Welp. I Got Another Credit Card — Why I'm Excited About Mesa
I love writing about credit cards and, in turn, I also love having solid rewards cards... up to a point, that is. Unlike some other bloggers I follow who regularly apply for and churn rewards cards, I've tried to be more selective and thoughtful about what cards I ultimately add to my wallet. But every...
Suavs Zilker Travel Shoes Review: A Packable Travel Option?
There's a certain danger in establishing myself as someone who reviews products. Despite also being a personal finance writer, I can't tell you how many times I've seen ads for items on Instagram and thought "I should buy that to review." In some cases, I can shake off this feeling after a few days —...