Audible is testing a cheaper plan in Australia

Audible is testing a cheaper subscription tier in Australia that sounds like a response to Spotify’s push into audiobooks. Like the more expensive plan, the new standard membership gives you one free title per month. But like gaming services like PlayStation Plus, you lose access to the books you’ve requested on the plan if you cancel.

Like reported from Bloomberg, the Audible Standard plan costs AUD 8.99 (US$5.90) ​​per month, which is significantly lower than the AUD$16.45 per month price of the Premium Plus plan in Australia (US$14.97). Despite the lower price, Audible Standard subscribers can still request one audiobook per month to add to their library, which they can download and listen to online or offline.

But the catch is that unlike Audible Premium Plus, Standard members’ free audiobook credits don’t roll over to the next month if they don’t use them. (So ​​if you forget to request a book in May, you’ll only have one credit to use in June.) Also, audiobooks you’ve selected on the Standard plan will have a padlock icon next to them after you cancel. To listen to them after cancellation, you’ll need to buy them at full price or subscribe again.

Another difference between the plans is that Audible Standard members won’t get full podcast access. “Audible Standard members can listen to many podcasts for free,” an Audio FAQ read about the plan. “However, some original Audible podcasts are not available with an Audible Standard membership.”

Spotify launched an audiobook feature last year that challenged Audible’s established model. US Spotify Premium subscribers can stream 15 hours of books per month through their ad-free music plan. The service also offers an audiobook-only tier (with the same 15-hour limit) for $10 per month. If the allotted time is not enough, Spotify users can purchase a 10-hour top-up. An audiobook is often around seven to 11 hours long.