Audible vs Kobo Plus vs Libby in Canada: The Cheapest Way to Listen to Audiobooks

The cheapest way to listen to audiobooks in Canada is free: your public library's Libby app lends digital audiobooks with just a library card, although popular titles may have holds. If you want new releases without waiting, compare the paid options by what you get per book. Audible Premium, at $14.95 a month, gives one credit a month for a title you keep even if you cancel, plus a catalogue of included titles. Audible Standard, at $8.99, lets you pick one audiobook a month that you can listen to while you stay a member. Kobo Plus Listen, at $9.99, and Read & Listen, at $12.99, are all-you-can-listen subscriptions to a selection of titles, not the whole store.

The plans side by side

Libby: free, with a wait

Libby says you can borrow free ebooks, digital audiobooks and magazines from your library with just a library card. You find your library, sign in, borrow titles or place holds. Loans are returned automatically on the due date, so there are no late fees. Libby notes that selection varies by library, because each library chooses its titles and formats. Some people hold cards at more than one library system where they are eligible, which can widen the selection; check each library's membership rules.

Audible: Standard versus Premium

Audible.ca says Standard members can select one audiobook a month from its entire collection and listen to selected titles for as long as they remain members; extra audiobooks cost full price. Premium members get one credit a month to buy any title in the catalogue regardless of price, and the title is theirs to keep even if they cancel. Credits roll over month to month but expire one year after they are issued, and unused credits are lost if you cancel. Premium also includes the all-you-can-listen Plus Catalogue and member-only sales. Audible says its membership is separate from Amazon Prime.

The annual Premium plans cost $162.95 for 12 credits, about $13.58 a credit, or $287.95 for 24 credits, about $12.00 a credit. Audible sometimes runs introductory offers; as of 1 October 2026 its site showed $0.99 a month for three months, then $8.99 a month, subject to terms.

Kobo Plus: subscription to a selection

Kobo says its plans start with a 14-day free trial, after which it charges $9.99 a month for Kobo Plus Read or Kobo Plus Listen, or $12.99 a month for Kobo Plus Read & Listen, plus tax, unless you cancel. Not every Kobo ebook or audiobook is in the subscription; titles marked Read with Kobo Plus are included. When you cancel, you lose access to your Kobo Plus books. You can manage or cancel on kobo.com under My Account and My Subscriptions; Kobo says subscriptions cannot be managed on Kobo eReaders or in the iOS app.

Cost per book: how to compare

Divide what you pay in a year by the number of books you finish. A subscription that looks cheap per month can be expensive per book if you listen slowly, and a credit plan can be cheap per book for long, pricey titles. Library listening costs nothing but time on the holds list.

Which one fits how you listen

• You listen to one or two books a month and do not mind waiting: Libby alone may be enough.
• You want specific new releases and to keep them: Audible Premium credits, used in bursts.
• You want one new title a month but do not need to keep it: Audible Standard is the cheaper Audible plan.
• You listen to many books, mostly genre fiction, and are flexible about titles: an all-you-can-listen plan such as Kobo Plus Listen may give the lowest cost per book, if its selection suits you.
• You read ebooks and listen to audiobooks: Kobo Plus Read & Listen bundles both for $12.99.

Before paying, search each service for the next five titles you want. If most are on Libby, wait. If most are in Kobo Plus, try its free trial. If they are new releases only sold individually, a credit plan is likely the best deal. Re-run the check every few months, since catalogues change.

Example with made-up inputs

These numbers are an example with made-up inputs. A commuter finishes 12 audiobooks a year. She gets 8 through Libby, placing holds early so each title arrives when she finishes the last. For the 4 titles she wants right away, she joins Audible Premium for four months at $14.95 and cancels, keeping the 4 books, for $59.80. Paying for Premium all year would cost $179.40, and buying the 12 titles outright at a made-up $25 each would cost $300.

Steps

1. Get a library card and install Libby.
2. Place holds on the titles you want next.
3. List the books you are not willing to wait for.
4. Pick a paid plan only for those, and use free trials carefully.
5. Set a reminder before each trial ends.
6. Use credits before they expire, and cancel when you are caught up.

Common mistakes

• Cancelling Audible Premium with unused credits, which are lost.
• Assuming Kobo Plus includes every Kobo audiobook.
• Forgetting that Audible Standard titles are only available while you are a member.
• Paying all year when you listen in bursts.

Related: cheaper books and free library apps.