Kate Mills
Jan 07, 2024
For those aiming to immerse themselves in more books this New Year, there's a simple hack: let someone read to you. The burgeoning popularity of audiobooks offers book lovers the chance to absorb stories while multitasking or winding down before sleep — without the need to peruse physical books. Just like e-books, easily accessible online, audiobooks present a highly portable format, enabling you to breeze through your reading list whether you're on-the-go, commuting, or even off-grid.
Numerous audiobook streaming apps beckon exploration, with Audible, Amazon's audiobook hub, leading the pack. However, for those seeking a consolidated audio content platform, Spotify is a revelation. Beyond its colossal music and podcast collection, Spotify unveiled its audiobook collection in late 2022.
Read more: How to create your own music with Microsoft Copilot
Spotify's audiobook universe
Browsing audiobooks on Spotify is accessible to all account holders. However, to listen, one must either purchase titles individually or possess a compatible Spotify Premium subscription, which provides access to select audiobooks for free.
Premium subscribers relish 15 free hours per month for specific titles, expandable through additional purchases. Yet, within Premium Duo or Premium Family plans, this perk is exclusive to the plan manager. Sadly, the Premium Student plan excludes the 15 free audiobook-listening hours.
Presently, buying Spotify audiobooks is exclusive to the Spotify web player:
- On your computer, head to open.spotify.com via a web browser.
- Log in if needed.
- Click the Search bar.
- Tap the Audiobooks genre tile.
On the Audiobooks page, eligible Premium subscribers can instantly play specific titles with the remaining free hours marked "Included in Premium." Otherwise, click Buy or Get to add chosen audiobooks to Your Library. Provide payment details if required.
Once an audiobook is in Your Library, it's accessible on any device, and you can download it for offline listening, whether you're a Spotify free user or a Premium subscriber.
Spotify's audiobook collection
The Audiobooks genre page on the Spotify web player hosts a variety of titles conveniently grouped into categories like "New and trending releases," "Popular authors," or "Audiobooks for any activity."
Spotify also boasts curated playlists for specific moods and themes — think Great First Listens and From Book to Screen — each offering multiple audiobook titles. Additionally, you can explore all available audiobook genres by delving deeper into the full list.
