Reading is a beautiful and calming hobby that has resulted in many wonderful conversations and some great friendships built. But these days, it seems almost impossible to find the time to sit down with a physical novel and peruse it for hours. Luckily, there’s a workaround. Several companies have started to offer audiobook subscriptions that you can access directly on your smartphone. The best part is, you don’t need to sit in one place and read the book anymore. You can simply plug in a pair of earphones and listen to the entire book as you travel or even work. To get you reconnected with your love for the written word, here’s a list of six popular audiobook subscriptions in 2021.

Scribd
Scribd gives its users access to not just a variety of audiobooks but also a plethora of award-winning titles, reader favorites, indie titles, and bestsellers in the market. The digital reading subscription platform caters to books, magazines, audiobooks, podcasts, documents, even sheet music. Additionally, the service is compatible with a smartphone or tablet, or can be accessed directly via the website. This factor makes the service super-flexible and something you can turn to just about anywhere. While the audiobook subscription is available for $9.99 a month, you can try the service out for 30 days and even cancel the subscription at any time. Getting a subscription also gets you access to other Scribd perks like MUBI, TuneIn, CuriosityStream, and Peak Pro.

Audible
Audible is one of the most renowned audiobook platforms out there and boasts of having over 180,000 audiobook titles. The extremely popular platform offers the Audible Plus plan at $7.95 per month, with access to their Plus Catalog. It includes thousands of audiobooks, such as podcasts, documentaries, entire series, even sleep programs. The Audible Premium Plus is available to users at $14.95 a month with access to the Plus Catalog and one monthly credit (two credits for Prime members) that works for a premium selection title of your choice. Other than that, you will also receive exclusive discounts of 30% on all additional premium selection titles and access to exclusive offers on Audible.

Libro.fm
With access to digital content no matter where you are, Libro.fm is one of those must-have subscriptions in 2021. The platform features over 215,000 audiobooks that include New York Times bestsellers, expert recommendations, and other attractive titles. At a monthly membership cost of $14.99, the platform offers two audiobook credits for the price of one in the first month of membership. The subscription also offers other benefits like 30% off any additional audiobook purchases and individual gifts. Aside from this, Libro.fm offers users the option to cancel the membership at any time while enabling them to keep existing audiobooks, as well as retain unused credits.

Downpour
Downpour has a number of audiobook genres that include fiction, fantasy, sports, YA, and several others. With a monthly subscription of $12.99, the audiobook subscription platform offers one credit per month, with up to 70% off retail. Users also have the option to cancel their subscription at any time. According to the company’s website, Downpour even plans to offer audiobooks with alternate endings pretty soon, which would make for an amazing listening experience for the users. The subscription also offers the option to rent audiobooks instead of buying them, with about 30 to 60 days of listening time. It is a pretty neat option for fast listeners and those who don’t want to pay extra to own the audiobook.

Audiobooks.com
If you end up going with Audiobooks.com, chances are, you’re going to find some of your favorite genres in there. Their wide range includes more than 200,000 titles that are popular among some of the most avid readers. As a member, you will also earn one monthly credit to purchase an audiobook. The best part here is, you can hold on to that digital audiobook forever. The subscription also gives users access to an extra VIP book or the option to join one of eight clubs with unlimited access to a select list of audiobooks part of that club for thirty days. The monthly subscription for Audiobooks.com starts at $14.95, with a 30-day free trial and three free audiobooks. Further, the app sports over 100+ million free podcast episodes, which means there’s something to listen to for every hour of the day.

Sumizeit
For those who want to try something different from the regular audiobooks, Sumizeit may just be the solution. The platform’s mixed approach offers the best audio and video options, including summaries of nonfiction books that can help users gain a wealth of knowledge. It features new content from experts each week and covers a suite of interesting topics for the subscriber. Through this, one can learn skills that may be life-changing, such as courses related to business, self-improvement, politics, and others. As for the subscription fee, one can become a member at $5.99 a month. However, if you pay for the entire year, the monthly costs add up to just $3.99 a month, which is a steal deal.