Audible introduces lower-cost ‘Standard’ plan to compete with Spotify

Audible is introducing a new lower-priced subscription tier called “Standard,” priced at $8.99 per month, the Amazon-owned company announced on Tuesday. That makes the new offering $6 less than Audible’s current “Premium” plan, priced at $14.95 per month.

The Standard plan gives subscribers access to 1 audiobook each month from Audible’s catalogue, along with unlimited listening from a curated selection that includes Audible Originals.

However, under the Standard plan, users will lose access to the audiobooks they have listened to if they cancel their subscription. By contrast, the Premium plan allows subscribers to keep the audiobooks they have consumed even after they unsubscribe.

The new Standard option also comes with access to nearly 200 of the most popular titles available through the Wondery+ app, which is expected to shut down in the months ahead.

Audible is launching the Standard plan in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France. The company also said it is testing the plan in additional markets.

The introduction of the new subscription tier comes as Audible faces increasing competition from Spotify, which entered the audiobook market in 2022 and has since bundled audiobooks alongside music and podcasts within its own Premium subscription offering.

Spotify said in October of last year that the number of users listening to audiobooks had increased by 36% over the previous year, while total listening hours were up 37%. The company also said that more than half of its 281 million premium subscribers had engaged with an audiobook.

Spotify has also recently raised the price of its monthly subscription for the third time in three years, which could create an opening for rivals such as Audible.

“By expanding our membership options, we’re maximising access for lighter listeners while enabling publishers and creators to reach new audiences — a win-win that grows the entire audiobook category,” Cynthia Chu, Audible’s chief financial and growth officer, said in a press release.

According to Audible, early testing of the Standard plan showed strong results in both customer acquisition and retention. Trials in the United Kingdom and Australia indicated that the offering generated a double-digit increase in new member sign-ups compared with earlier subscription options. With the plan now expanding into more markets, the company expects the Standard tier to attract millions of new customers.