How Do Audible Podcasts Work? (Explained)

Audible is known for its fantastic array of audiobooks, but did you know they offer podcasts, too?

With Audible now firmly playing the part of a podcast provider many people are wondering what the deal is and how they can gain access to Audible’s range of podcasts.

In this article, we take a look at the burning questions of how podcasts work on Audible.

Here’s What You Need To Know About Audible Podcasts:

Audible has a collection of 100,000 podcasts, however, in order to access the entire selection, a membership plan will need to be purchased. An Audible membership will automatically grant users access to the Audible Plus Catalog in which all of their podcasts are available for unlimited listening.

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However, those without a membership can listen to a selection of Audible’s free podcasts so long as they sign in with an Amazon account.

Do Podcasts Cost Money On Audible?

When it comes to using Audible for your podcasts needs, the first question that has to be answered is how much is it all going to cost.

Let’s break down whether or not there’s a cost for podcasts on Audible:

There are podcasts available on Audible that won’t cost you a penny.
It’s easy to listen to free podcasts on Audible if you know how.
Not every podcast from Audible’s catalog will be available right of the bat.
To have access to all of Audible’s podcasts it will be necessary to purchase a membership.
However, there is a huge selection of free podcasts available without the need for an Audible membership.

As you can tell, the question of whether podcasts cost you any money whilst using Audible is a little more complicated than you may think.

If you want to listen to podcasts on Audible and don’t want to pay a cent, then the good news is that it’s totally possible, and we’ll dive into exactly how to do that a little later.

However, it’s worth remembering that although you’ll have access to an enormous selection, not every podcast will be available to you until you purchase a membership.

Obviously, if you are paying for a membership, you are in a way paying for the podcasts that are available in what’s called the ‘Plus Catalog’, but not only are you getting access to those special podcasts, you’ll also have access to the Plus Catalog’s audiobooks, too.

If you break down the cost of listening to podcasts every day whilst paying for a membership you’ll find that each podcast you listen to would cost you very little.

However, if you like the sound of paying absolutely nothing to listen to podcasts then read on to find out how that’s possible with Audible.

How Do You Get Access To Free Podcasts On Audible?

So, now you’ve understood that there are two distinct ways you can listen to podcasts on Audible – one in which you pay for a membership, and the other where you don’t – you may be wondering how you go about ensuring that you gain access to the free podcasts on Audible.

Having access to free podcasts on Audible is very simple.

Many users are surprised that they can access a free selection of podcasts on Audible and most people assume that a membership will be necessary.

However, as Audible states, they have a:

“collection of free podcasts and audiobooks [that] is available without spending a credit.”

What may surprise you even further is the fact that this collection is not limited to podcasts, there’s a whole range of content; from different genres of audiobooks, dramatizations, meditations, and more.

Crucially, Audible prides itself in offering some of the best ‘trending’ podcasts in this completely free catalog.

Moreover, some of the podcasts you will find are exclusive to Audible, and yet, listening to them won’t mean you need to part with any of your hard-earned cash.

If gaining access to this treasure trove of free podcasts sounds like a dream, then follow these steps to make it a reality:

If you haven’t already, ensure you have an Amazon account.
Download the Audible App for either IOS or Android.
Sign in with your Amazon account details.
Browse the free catalog of podcasts and take your pick.

If you want to know exactly which podcasts are free without a membership then just click here and navigate to the ‘Top Free Podcasts’ section.

If you find a title that you’re interested in and it allows you to either ‘play’ it or ‘follow’ it, then you can be sure that it’s completely free.

It really is that simple, and with the Audible app, you’ll be able to keep up-to-date with the podcasts that matter to you and listen in smug satisfaction that it didn’t cost you a thing!

Do Paying Customers Get Access To More Podcasts?

There are certainly some serious perks to becoming a paying subscriber to Audible.

Their membership packages allow users to have access to what’s called the Audible Plus Catalog and it’s nothing to be sniffed at.

This catalog offers a gigantic selection of audio entertainment with new content being added each and every week.

There are 100,000 podcasts to choose from on the Plus Catalog and that number is set to continue growing.

What’s more, there are podcasts on the Plus Catalog that are exclusive to those with an Audible membership.

RollingStone.com recently took a look at how Audible’s Plus Catalog stands out from the crowd in the podcast world and was pleased to find that ‘Common’s Bluebird Memories’, ‘Vroom Vroom’, and ‘Meeting Manson’ made the cut.

So, if you want access to everything that Audible has to offer in terms of podcasts, then it’s worth paying for a membership and gaining access to the Plus Catalog.

Does Audible Have More Podcasts Than Other Podcast Apps?

Audible may offer some fantastic exclusive podcasts at a great subscription price, however, they have not been in the podcast game as long as other rivals.

You may have thought that Audible’s 100,000 podcasts sounded impressive – and it is – however, take a look at these numbers for comparison:

Apple Podcasts – 1 million podcast shows and over 30 million episodes.
Spotify – A gigantic library of 3.2 million podcasts.
Stitcher – A growing selection of podcasts (including originals) of more than 400,000.
TuneIn Radio – Is not messing around when it comes to its whopping 4 million podcast-strong library.

As you can see by those numbers above, Audible does not yet reign supreme in the podcast vault war, but Audible is about the combination between its audiobook collection and its other offerings.

It’s also worth remembering that more does not always mean better.

Do Audible Podcasts Have Ads?

Sometimes an ad can get in the way of entertainment, but they are also part and parcel of how platforms and publishers make money.

When it comes to Audible and ads they’ve made themselves clear on where they stand:

“Audible does not display any advertisements on Audible.com or in its mobile application, but we do place interest-based advertisements on unaffiliated sites using information you make available to us when you interact with our site, content or services. Interest-based ads are sometimes referred to as personalized or targeted ads.”

What this means is that Audible works in combination with 3rd parties such as search engines, publishers, or social media networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc) to provide you with tailored interest-targetted ads that are based on the interaction that you have with either Audible.com or the mobile app.

Audible will never use personal identification information such as your name or your email address.

Unfortunately, you cannot remove these ads, as is the case with many services, but you can choose to alter the preferences in order to prevent any correlation between the ads and your interaction with Audible.

To adjust your ad preferences simply visit https://www.amazon.com/adprefs.

Can You Download Podcasts With Audible?

Downloading a podcast on Audible is quick and easy.

The benefit of downloading a podcast on Audible is that it enables users to listen to podcasts even when they are offline, so they don’t have to worry about their internet connection or use up their data unnecessarily.

To download an individual podcast episode using an android device all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

How To Download An Audible Podcast On An Android Device

Open the Audible app on your android device.
Locate and press the Menu button in the top left-hand side of your screen.
Scroll and tap Browse.
From here either use the search function to find the podcast that you wish to download or tap Podcasts.
Select the podcast and choose the option to view all episodes.
Under this section, you can select the episode of the podcast that you are wanting to download.
Simply tap Download.
The episode will begin downloading and in no time you will be able to listen to it offline.

If, however, you are using an iOS device, then follow these steps instead:

How To Download An Audible Podcast On An Apple Device

Open the Audible app on your iOS device.
At the bottom of the screen, you will see 4 options, tap Discover.
From here simply select Podcasts.
Find the podcast you want, click on it, then tap View all episodes.
You will then see a list of episodes to choose from. Select the episode you wish to download and tap Download.
The episode will begin downloading. To locate the episode, you will find it under the Downloaded section near the top of your screen.

Is Audible A Good Podcast Player?

Back in 2020 Audible announced it contained over 100,000 podcasts available to users in its database.

This was a milestone at the time, but as previously mentioned Audible still has a long way to go to be able to compete with the top podcast apps Spotify and Apple Podcasts – both boasting much grander databases.

Audible may not have a database containing as many podcasts, but regardless, it is still a household name when it comes to apps that provide spoken word content.

So when it comes to catching up on the latest podcasts, Audible is a great and reliable choice.

Whether Audible is a good choice for you as a podcast player depends on what you are seeking from a podcast app.

Many podcast apps have similar features, such as the ability to subscribe to podcast channels, meaning users never have to worry about missing an episode of their favorite podcast.

The Audible app features a follow option for its users, so if subscribing to podcast channels is important to you then Audible is a good option.

If, however, you are seeking a humongous database of podcasts so you are never bored, you may be better off with other highly rated apps such as Spotify or Google podcasts.

In terms of its layout, the Audible app is incredibly user-friendly.

With its accessible menu and pleasing color scheme, you’ll find it a breeze to use, making it a solid choice to listen to podcasts for the whole family.

Do People Generally Use Audible For Podcasts?

Audible was initially created as an online audiobook service enabling its users to easily purchase and listen to audiobooks with the click of a button.

With the explosion of popularity in podcasts over the past few years, Audible began to include this highly sought-after content along with creating its own original podcast channels.

Although the Audible app was not specifically designed for providing podcasts, it was equipped with some fantastic features:

“Before you go” rating system for audiobooks.
Ability to download and listen to audiobooks and podcasts offline.
Different narration speeds.
“Whisper sync for Voice”.
Badge earning.
Bookmarking.
Access to author information using the Audible Newsfeed.

So, generally speaking, users tend to tune into Audible to experience its many features – not solely for its podcasts.

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