Audible vs Kindle Unlimited is an easier choice than it looks, because the two do different jobs. Audible is for listening to audiobooks. Kindle Unlimited is for reading ebooks. Amazon sells both, but they are separate subscriptions, and which one suits you comes down to whether you listen or read.
I am the listener in my house. I have been an Audible member since 2023, there are 117 audiobooks in my library, and I have never tried Kindle Unlimited. I own plenty of Kindle books, but these days I do not have the time to sit and read. It is always listening on the go.
My daughter Abeba is the reader. She gets through four to ten books a month on Kindle Unlimited, depending on how busy she is. So I sat down with her and asked how she uses it, and this page is the two of us comparing notes.
If you already know which camp you are in: Audible is the one for listeners, and Kindle Unlimited is the one for readers. Amazon sometimes runs deals on both, so check the current offer on each page.
Audible vs Kindle Unlimited at a glance
| Audible | Kindle Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An audiobook membership | A subscription for borrowing ebooks |
| What you get | One audiobook a month. On the Premium plan it is a credit, and the book is yours | As many books as you can read, with up to 20 borrowed at a time |
| Do you keep them? | On Premium, yes. On Standard, only while you are a member | No. You lose access after you cancel |
| Audiobooks | That is the whole point | Narration is included on thousands of titles |
| Suits | Listeners | Readers who get through several books a month |
Is Kindle Unlimited the same as Audible?
No. They are two subscriptions with two bills, and joining one does not give you the other. Kindle Unlimited is not part of Amazon Prime either. Amazon’s own explainer calls it a distinct membership.
The confusion is fair enough, because Kindle Unlimited does include some audio. More on that below.
Kindle Unlimited, from someone who uses it
Abeba has had Kindle Unlimited on and off, and signed up again a couple of weeks ago. Her reason for joining in the first place was simple. It is cheaper than buying books one at a time when you read as many as she does.
She describes it as being like a library. You borrow a book, and when you finish it you return it. Amazon says you can have up to 20 titles out at once, with no due dates while your membership is active.
She reads mostly on her Kindle and sometimes on her phone. Her shelf is romance and thrillers, crime and psychological mostly, with a little fantasy. I asked whether she reads LitRPG. She said no. I am working on it.
The best thing about it, she says, is that a lot of popular books are in there, so she is not paying for each one. What annoys her is that some books are missing.
When a book she wants is not included, it depends how badly she wants it. If she really wants it she buys it, and usually as a physical copy. Her thinking is that if she has to pay for it anyway, she would rather have the real book.
Audible, from someone who uses it
My side is shorter. I listen walking the dog, driving, working out and hanging out the washing. Listening fits into time that reading cannot use, and that is the whole reason I am an Audible member and not a Kindle Unlimited one.
There are two Audible plans, and the difference between them matters:
Two ways to start on Audible
- Audible Standard is the cheaper plan. You pick one audiobook a month from the whole catalogue, but you only keep access while you are a member. If you just want to listen your way through a long series, this does the job.
- Audible Premium (formerly Premium Plus) costs more. You get a credit a month, and whatever you spend it on is yours to keep even if you cancel. It also includes a catalogue of titles you can listen to at no extra cost.
Amazon sometimes runs deals on these plans, so check the current offer on each page before you pick. Not sure which one suits you? I have compared Audible Standard and Premium side by side.
I am on Premium, because I like to own my books and I go back to my favourites. If you are still on the fence about Audible at all, I have gone through whether Audible is worth it, with my own listening numbers.
When Abeba described borrowing and returning, it struck me that Audible Standard works in much the same way. The difference is the number. Standard gives you one audiobook a month, and Kindle Unlimited lets you read as many books as you can get through.
Keeping your books, or borrowing them
This is the part people miss. On Kindle Unlimited, nothing is yours. Amazon says that when you cancel, your membership stays active until your next billing date, and after that you lose access to your Kindle Unlimited titles.
Abeba has cancelled before. Each time she had already returned everything she was reading, so she has never seen a book vanish halfway through.
On Audible it depends on the plan. Audible says a title bought with a Premium credit is yours to keep, even if you cancel. On Standard, you can listen to your picks only for as long as you are a member.
If owning what you pay for matters to you, that points to Audible Premium, or to just buying the books. Abeba agreed that Kindle Unlimited is not the pick for people who want to keep what they read.
Does Kindle Unlimited include audiobooks?
Some. Amazon says audio narration is available for thousands of Kindle Unlimited titles. Abeba has used it once, and her verdict was that it was fine. I have never tried it.
Amazon puts the Kindle Unlimited catalogue at more than five million titles and the narrated ones in the thousands. That is a small share, so I would not join Kindle Unlimited expecting it to replace Audible.
It does not work the other way for Abeba either. I asked whether she would swap Kindle Unlimited for Audible, and she said probably not. She likes audiobooks, but she prefers to read.
What about LitRPG?
A lot of LitRPG and progression fantasy is published through Kindle Unlimited. I have gone through that side in whether Kindle Unlimited is worth it for LitRPG readers.
If you listen, the series I write about on this site are on Audible, which is where I heard them. The reading orders for Dungeon Crawler Carl and He Who Fights with Monsters both list the audiobooks.
Which one should you get?
Kindle Unlimited, if:
- You read, and you get through several books a month.
- You have time to read. A long commute on public transport, or plenty of free time.
- You are happy to borrow books and hand them back.
- You read popular genres. Abeba’s view is that Kindle Unlimited is strongest on popular books, and less use if your tastes are more obscure.
If that is you, start with Kindle Unlimited.
Audible, if:
- You listen: in the car, on a walk, doing chores, at the gym.
- You do not have time to sit down with a book.
- You want to keep your books, in which case pick Premium.
If that is you, start with Audible, and read my comparison of the two Audible plans before you choose one.
Neither, if you do not read or listen to much in a month. Abeba’s advice is not to bother with Kindle Unlimited if you are not reading much, and the same goes for an Audible membership you forget to use. Just buy the odd book when you want one.
Can you have both?
Yes. They are separate subscriptions and one does not affect the other. I think paying for both is usually a waste, though. Most people lean one way, and the money is better spent on the one you will actually use.
Common questions
What is the difference between Audible and Kindle?
Kindle is Amazon’s name for ebooks: the e-readers, the free reading app and the books themselves. Audible is audiobooks. Kindle Unlimited is the subscription that lets you borrow Kindle ebooks without buying them one by one.
Do you keep the books you read on Kindle Unlimited?
No. They are borrowed. Amazon says you lose access to your Kindle Unlimited titles after your membership ends.
How many books can you borrow on Kindle Unlimited?
Up to 20 at a time, according to Amazon, with no due dates while you are a member. Return one and you can borrow another.
Is Kindle Unlimited included with Amazon Prime?
No. Amazon describes Kindle Unlimited as a distinct membership.
Is Kindle Unlimited available in Australia?
Yes. Amazon lists Australia among the twelve countries where it is available.
New to the genre this site is about?
Start with what LitRPG actually is.
Sources
Kindle Unlimited details: Amazon’s “What is Kindle Unlimited” explainer, checked 2 October 2026. Audible plan details: Audible’s membership page and its help pages, checked 2 October 2026. Everything about how Kindle Unlimited works in practice is from my daughter Abeba, who uses it. Everything about Audible in practice is my own experience.
