Audible for Seniors [The Ultimate Guide]

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Audible is world’s largest audiobook publisher, retailer and subscription service by Amazon. It has audiobooks in 47 languages across all genres.

In this article, I will discuss Audible for seniors in details. We will cover Audible membership features, pricing, discount for seniors and more.

Audible for Seniors – A Detailed Guide

12 Audiobooks and Audible Statistics
7 Reasons for Seniors to Use Audible
Audible Membership: How Much does it Cost?
5 Benefits of Audible Membership
Audible Discount for Seniors
How To Use Audible
How to Buy Audible Audiobooks – 3 Options
What is an Audible Credit?
Audible Alternatives for Seniors

Let’s start with some of the latest statistics about Audible and audiobooks in general.

12 Audiobooks and Audible Statistics

Here are some of the statistics, facts and figures regarding audiobooks and Audible.

Audible is the largest audiobook producer and retailer in the world with over 200,000 titles.
Audible had 63.4% share in audiobook publishing in 2022, generating over $1.01 Billions through audiobook sales and subscription service
Audible listeners represent 180 countries and listen audiobooks in 47 languages
Top 5 countries with most Audible users include U.S, India, UK, Japan and Germany
U.S. audiobook revenue reached $1.81 Billion in 2022 with 23% growth from prior year. This makes 10 years in a row for double digit growth
The global audiobook market recorded valuation of $5.38 Billions in 2022 and is projected to reach $35 Billion by the end of 2030.
Over 53% of Americans have listened to an audiobook (at least once) as of 2023
An average audiobook listener listens 6.3 books in one year
9% of all book sales in U.S. are from audiobooks
74000+ Audiobooks were published in U.S. in 2022
Fiction is top category in audiobooks, accounting for 65% of all audiobook sales
Top 3 audiobook markets are U.S. ($1.81 Billion), China (600 million users) and Europe ($850 Millions). Germany has 32% of Europe’s audiobook market share

(source: Wordsrated and Publishers Weekly)

Latest trends show that audiobook is fastest growing format in publishing industry.

7 Reasons for Seniors to Use Audible

Audible is the most popular audiobook service with excellent features and extensive book collection. Here are the top 7 reason for the elderly to use Audible.

1. Access to New Releases & Best Sellers

Audible ensures you get the latest books and bestsellers as soon as they’re released.

Many titles are exclusive to Audible, meaning you won’t find them anywhere else in audio format.

For seniors who love staying up to date with books, this is one of the biggest advantages of Audible.

2: Easy-to-Use App

The Audible app is designed for simplicity, making it one of the most user-friendly audiobook apps for seniors. Its clean, intuitive interface ensures a hassle-free experience with minimal distractions.

It works across multiple devices, including Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Windows, with the same easy-to-use design on all platforms.

3: Free Trial & No Commitment

Audible offers a 30-day free trial, including one premium audiobook (or two for Amazon Prime members).

You’ll also have access to thousands of free audiobooks and podcasts in the Free Listens section.

If you decide Audible isn’t for you, cancel anytime—your purchased books remain yours to keep!

4: Pre-order Price Guarantee

Audible’s Pre-Order Price Guarantee ensures you get the best deal. If you pre-order an audiobook, you’ll automatically pay the lowest price available between the time you place the order and the release date.

5: Hassle-Free Returns

Not satisfied with an audiobook? No problem! Audible allows you to return a book within 365 days of purchase, even if you’ve already started listening.

If you used a credit, it will be refunded—so you can try another title without losing out.

6: Listen Anywhere, Anytime

Audible works on nearly every device, including:

Smartphones & tablets (iPhone, Android, iPad, Fire tablet)
Smart speakers (Alexa-enabled devices)
Computers (Windows & Mac)
Smartwatches (Apple Watch)
Kindle e-readers
Car audio systems

Your audiobooks sync across all devices, so you can pick up where you left off, no matter where you’re listening.

7: The Largest Audiobook Library

Audible boasts the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, including classics, new releases, and bestsellers.

As both the biggest audiobook retailer and producer in the U.S., Audible makes it easy to find the books you love.

Audible Membership: How much does it Cost?

Audible offers 5 subscription plans. Most people opt for Audible Premium Plus.

Note: You get a free 30-day trial for Audible Plus and Premium Plus plans.

Here are the details about each subscription option

Audible Plus ($7.95/Month): You get unlimited access to Plus Catalog. Listen to thousands of selected audiobooks, podcasts, sleep tracks and meditation programs as much as you like.
Audible Premium Plus (($14.95/Month): Everything from Plus Catalog + 1 Credit per month. You can use the Credit to get any of your favorite title from an extended selection of bestseller and new releases. You keep the purchased book forever in your library, even if you cancel Audible membership.
Audible Premium Plus – 2 Credits ($22.95/Month): Plus Catalog + 2 credits/month. You can use Credits to purchase two titles from premium selection.
Audible Premium Plus Annual – 12 Credits (($149.50/Year): Plus Catalog + 12 credits/year to purchase and keep 12 premium titles.
Audible Premium Plus Annual – 24 Credits (($229.50/Year): Plus Catalog + 24 credits/year to purchase 24 titles from bestsellers and new releases.

If you have Amazon Prime, you get two premium titles as part of free trial.

5 Benefits of Audible Membership

You don’t need a membership to use Audible or buy audiobooks, but subscribing comes with valuable perks that make it well worth the cost.

Here’s why an Audible membership is a great deal:

1: Unlimited Access to the Audible Plus Catalog

Every Audible membership includes unlimited streaming from the Plus Catalog, which features thousands of audiobooks, Audible Originals, sleep tracks, meditation guides, and podcasts.

Think of it as a Netflix-style service for audiobooks, giving you endless listening options at no extra cost.

2: Free 30-days Trial

New members can try Audible free for 30 days and receive one credit, which can be used to claim any premium audiobook to keep forever.

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get two free credits.

3: Exclusive Sales, Deals and Coupons

Audible members enjoy 30% off audiobook purchases, plus access to special offers like:

✅ 2-for-1 credit deals on select audiobooks
✅ The Daily Deal, featuring a new discounted audiobook each day
✅ Limited-time promotions, with discounts of up to 80%

Audible also occasionally offers free credits through promotional coupons, giving you even more value.

4: Affordable & Cost-Effective

Audiobooks can be expensive, but with an Audible membership, you get at least one audiobook credit per month (which can be redeemed for any title, regardless of price).

Plus, the 30% discount on additional purchases helps you save even more.

Between the Plus Catalog, monthly credits, and exclusive discounts, an Audible membership easily pays for itself.

5: No Commitment Membership

You can cancel Audible membership anytime, no questions asked. All purchased Audible books(using through credits or cash) are yours to keep forever. This includes purchases during the trial period.

You can reactivate your membership anytime.

Overall, I think Audible membership is the best audiobook platform for older adults.

Audible Discount for Seniors

Unfortunately, Audible does not offer a senior citizen discount, nor does it provide an AARP discount.

However, you can still save money on audiobooks using these five methods:

1. Listen for Free with Audible Free Listens

Audible’s Free Listens section offers hundreds of free audiobooks, podcasts, and more—no membership or trial required.

2. Use the Free Trial to Get Audiobooks for Free

New members can sign up for a 30-day free trial and receive one free credit to claim any audiobook.
Amazon Prime members get two free credits instead of one.
After redeeming your credits, you can cancel the trial and keep your audiobooks forever.

3. Save with an Audible Membership

An Audible Premium Plus membership includes:

30% off all audiobook purchases
Exclusive daily and monthly deals
Coupons and special promotions

4. Use the Wish List for Sale Alerts

If a book you want is too expensive, add it to your Wish List—Audible will notify you when it goes on sale.

5. Buy Smart & Use Credits Wisely

If an audiobook costs more than $15, it’s best to purchase it using a credit (one credit = one audiobook, regardless of price).
Sign up for Audible sale notifications and check the Audiobook Sales & Deals page for discounted titles.

Even without a senior discount, these strategies can help you enjoy audiobooks at a lower cost!

How To Use Audible

After using Audible on different compatible devices, I have come up with the 9 best Audible devices for seniors. The recommended Audible device for older adults is their smartphone.

The Audible app is easy to use and comes with offline support so you can download the book on your phone to listen even without the internet connection.

Let’s show you how to use Audible on your smartphone.

Note: Audible apps for Android and iPhone (and even iPad) have similar user interface and options. You can follow this method to use Audible on both platforms.

Download the Audible app on your smartphone [Audible for Android | Audible for iPhone]
Open Audible app. Sign in using your Audible/ Amazon account by tapping on Sign in option or create a new Amazon account by tapping on Get Started
Once signed in, the bottom navigation bar has four options: Home, Library, Discover and Profile. Tap on Library to access all the books that you have purchased with your Audible account.
The cover of audiobook with down arrow in corner indicates the book can be downloaded. Download will start with a single tap. If the cover does not feature the down arrow, it is already downloaded.

Tap on the audiobook cover to begin listening. While listening the audiobook on Audible player, you have the following controls

After the audiobook is downloaded on your phone, you can listen (or resume listening) any time, using the Audible app, without the internet connectivity.

The Ellipses Menu (three dots on the top right corner) gives more options including title details, sharing options, marking as finished and more.

Tip: You may want to delete the audiobook after you have finished listening to free up space for other audiobooks. You can download the purchased audiobooks again anytime.

There are some additional features of Audible app on the top and bottom navigation bars.

Across the top (above your list of books) you can select different options to view your library, including: All titles, Not Started, In Progress, Downloaded and Finished.

You can also sort you content by:

All
Audiobooks
Podcasts
Wishlist
Collections
Authors
Series
Genres

You can use the Collections section to create your groups of audiobooks. This makes finding a book easier, and you can divide books according to genres here (fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies etc).

How to Buy Audible Audiobooks – 3 Options

You can buy Audible audiobooks using your credits or using the cash (bank card). If you are an Audible member, chances are that you have credits.

One credit is used to buy one audiobook, regardless the price of book.

Option 1: Purchase Audiobooks using Audible App

Follow the instructions below to buy an audiobook using Audible App on your smartphone.

Open the Audible App and sign in
Tap Discover on the bottom navigation bar
Search or browse for the audiobook you want to purchase
Tap on the title you want to buy and tap the “Buy with 1 credit” option

To access the purchased book, go to the Library section in your Audible app. You will also receive an email confirming your purchase.

Option 2: Purchase Audiobooks from Audible Website

You can buy audiobooks from Audible website with Audible credits or your bank card. This is the useful option if

You have Audible membership but do not have credits or it is much cheaper to buy the book without using the credit (for instance, if a credits costs $14.95 and book cost is $8, the best option is to buy the book with cash and save your credit for expensive audiobooks)
You do not have Audible membership and want to buy an audiobook using cash. It is also a useful option to take advantage of good audiobook deals here and there.

The good news is that you can buy audiobooks from Audible website, with or without Audible membership.

Go to Audible website
Sign in with your Audible account and search for the audiobook you are looking for. You can also use the Browse option to explore different options from different categories.
Once you have selected the title, click/tap on Add to cart option

Go to cart. Select the option to purchase using credit or payment and click Go to checkout

That’s it. The purchased audiobook can be found in the Library section of your Audible app.

Option 3: Purchase Audiobooks from Amazon

You can also buy Audible audiobooks from Amazon using the below instructions.

Go to Amazon website
Search the audiobook in top search bar or browse to see more options
Once you have chosen a book to buy, select Audiobooks format

You can now buy the audiobook with Audible credit or by making a payment. The purchased audiobook will be available in the Library section of your Audible app.

What is an Audible Credit?

Audible Premium Plus members receive 1 credit each month. You can use 1 credit to buy 1 audiobook, regardless the price of the book.

Here are few important things to know about Credits.

If you do not use your Credit to purchase a book, your credit will roll over to the next month. Next month you will have 2 credits to spend.
Credits expire 12 months after they are issued. You have a full year to redeem each credit.
You get 1 credit when you sign up for 30 days free trial (2 credits for Amazon Prime members)
Members can also get extra credits when purchasing a bundle offer or as part of special and promotional offers.
Members who are running low on credits (0-1) see special offer to purchase 3 additional credits. You can find more at buy extra credits page.

Use your Audible credits to buy expensive audiobooks. If a book costs less than credit price, buy the book using your bank card instead.

Audible Alternatives for Seniors

Although Audible is the best choice for older adults for many reasons, there are some other players in audiobook arena.

Let’s have a look at 2 alternatives to Audible.

1: Audiobooks.com

You get a 30 days trial with 3 free audiobooks. The audiobooks.com features include:

1 Book and 2 bonus VIP books in free trial
10,000+ free audiobooks
400,0000+ best sellers, new releases and classics
Download audiobooks for offline listening
Listen to audiobooks on smartphone, tablet and laptop

Audiobooks.com subscription costs $14.95/ month after trial.

2: Libby

Libby is a free alternative to Audible that allows you to borrow audiobooks with a library card.

The main features of Libby include.

Borrow eBooks, audiobooks and magazines with your local library card
Download audiobooks and eBooks for offline reading/ listening
Option to send your books to Kindle
Available on Android and iOS devices

The best thing about Libby is that it’s completely free to join with your local library card. You may not get all of your favorite books on Libby, but it is a free service and worth a try.

That’s a wrap. I recommend Audible for older adults who like listening their books in audio format. It is one of the best ways to access newly released audiobooks and best sellers.

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Sohail Ahmed

I love helping seniors with technology. This blog features apps, games, gadgets, technology tips, and tutorials for older adults … Know More