Best Listening Books Apps

249+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated November 2026

Apple Books is the household name in listening books, but it's far from the only option. We track 249+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Listening Books Apps (November 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Apple BooksApple BooksFree4.6★ (143K)NoNoNov 2026
2Audible: Audiobooks & PodcastsAudible: Audiobooks & PodcastsFree4.9★ (5.6M)NoYesNov 2026
3Limitless Books and AudiobooksLimitless Books and AudiobooksFree3.9★ (64)YesNoOct 2026
4Speechify – Text to Speech PDFSpeechify – Text to Speech PDFFree4.7★ (528K)YesYesNov 2026
5Audiobooks.com: Get audiobooksAudiobooks.com: Get audiobooksFree4.7★ (67K)NoYesNov 2026
6Libby, the library appLibby, the library appFree4.9★ (4.6M)NoNoNov 2026
7Listen a story - Learn EnglishListen a story - Learn EnglishFree—NoNoMay 2026
8Chirp AudiobooksChirp AudiobooksFree4.8★ (90K)NoNoNov 2026

Top Picks for Listening Books

Apple Books#1

Apple Books by Apple

Read, listen, discover.
Editor's Choice
📚 Books
4.6😐(143K ratings)
Free
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Discover, read, and listen to millions of books and audiobooks. Browse curated collections, personalized recommendations, and bestsellers. Customize your reading experience with various themes and settings, and set reading goals to build a habit. Share your library with family.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Seamless integration across devices
  • 📚 Vast library of books available
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🎧 Exceptional audiobook experience

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Books get deleted from local storage
  • 🐛 Unreliable syncing between devices
  • 🔒 Lack of audio closed captions
  • 🤔 Pricing concerns for some books
  • 🤔 Frustrating UI changes in recent updates
Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts#2

Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts by Audible, Inc.

Listen to stories you love
Strong Contender
📚 Books
4.9😐(5.6M ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#1in Books
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Access a vast library of audiobooks, exclusive podcasts, and original content. Enjoy seamless listening with features like adjustable playback speed, offline downloads, and sleep timers. Discover new stories through AI-powered recommendations and curated collections.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Convenient for listening while doing other tasks
  • 👍 Wide selection of books
  • 👍 Narration quality is good
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 👍 Helpful customer service

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and sync issues
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 💰 Expensive subscription and book prices
  • 🤔 Confusing and cluttered user interface
  • 🤔 Limited functionality in the app (e.g. no in-app purchases)
Limitless Books and Audiobooks#3

Limitless Books and Audiobooks by Patryk Kaflowski

Worth Considering
📚 Books
3.9(64 ratings)
FreeAds
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Access a vast collection of free audiobooks and ebooks across numerous genres. Download titles for offline enjoyment and navigate easily through a user-friendly interface. Immerse yourself in high-quality audio stories and literary classics without any cost.

More Listening Books apps to explore

FAQ about Listening Books

What are the best listening books apps for iPhone?
Apple Books tops our listening books apps ranking as of November 2026, with a 4.6-star average from 143K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top listening books apps we rank are free to download, including Apple Books and Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts.
Apple Books has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of November 2026.
We track 249+ listening books apps on the iOS App Store as of November 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.