What is the best audiobook player for Android reddit?

Audiobooks have become increasingly popular in recent years as a convenient way to enjoy books on the go. With the rise of smartphones, audiobook players on Android provide easy access to a vast library of audiobooks that can be listened to anywhere. Audiobooks are a great option for busy people or those with vision impairments, as they allow you to experience literature while multitasking or without straining your eyes. Key benefits of audiobook apps on Android include portability, hands-free use, and the ability to listen at faster speeds. Android’s open platform contains a variety of excellent audiobook apps to suit different needs and preferences.

Popular Android Audiobook Apps

When choosing an audiobook player for your Android device, there are several popular apps to consider that are highly rated and widely used. These include:

Audible, owned by Amazon, is one of the most well-known audiobook services. They offer a vast catalog of audiobooks and exclusive content. Audible has apps for both Android and iOS.

Libby, from OverDrive, is a popular free app connected with local libraries for borrowing audiobooks. It has an easy to use interface and support for Android Auto and Chromecast (source).

The Smart Audiobook Player is a highly customizable Android app with over 100 free audio books available. Key features include variable playback speed, automatic bookmarks, and sleep timer.

Features to Look for

When choosing an audiobook player app for Android, there are several key features to consider:

Organization – A good audiobook app should allow you to easily browse and search your library, create playlists, mark books as finished/unread, etc. Features like sorting by author, title, length or genre can be really helpful.

Playback speed control – Having the ability to speed up or slow down narration can be really useful, especially for longer books. Look for an app that offers multiple speed options.

Bookmarks – You’ll want to be able to easily bookmark your place in a book so you can pick up where you left off. Apps that sync bookmarks across devices are even better.

Sleep timer – A sleep timer allows you to set a cutoff time for playback to stop. This is great for listening as you fall asleep.

Chapter navigation – Being able to jump around chapters or navigate by time is useful for relistening to parts of a book.

Cross-device syncing – An app that syncs your library, bookmarks, etc across mobile and desktop is ideal for seamless listening.

As mentioned in this Reddit thread, advanced features like variable playback, silence trimming, and auto bookmarking are also nice to have.

Audiobook Format Compatibility

When choosing an audiobook format, it’s important to consider which formats are most widely supported across different apps and devices. Some popular audiobook formats include:

MP3 – This is one of the most common and portable formats. It is supported by almost every audiobook app. However, the audio quality may suffer at lower bitrates compared to other formats like M4B.

M4B – This format allows for chapters and metadata like bookmarks. The audio quality can be very good even at lower bitrates. M4B is supported by most audiobook apps but may have more limited compatibility than MP3.
M4A – Similar to M4B, this format also supports chapters and metadata. M4A has wider compatibility than M4B and can store higher quality audio.

According to audiobook enthusiasts on Reddit, M4B seems to provide the best balance of sound quality and compatibility, with MP3 being the most universally supported format ^[1]. However, M4A may be preferable if you want top notch audio quality and don’t require format compatibility on older devices ^[2].

Overall, most modern audiobook apps should support the common formats. But it’s a good idea to check if an app can play M4B or M4A before relying on those formats for your audiobook library.

Downloading vs. Streaming

When choosing an audiobook app, one key consideration is whether you want to download audiobooks for offline listening or stream them over the internet. There are pros and cons to each approach:

Downloading

Pros:

Don’t need an internet connection to listen. You can listen anywhere offline.
Reliable listening experience without worrying about buffering or connectivity issues.

Audiobooks are saved in your library and don’t expire.

Cons:

Takes up storage space on your device.

Need to manually download each audiobook before listening.
Harder to sample audiobooks quickly.

Streaming

Pros:

Don’t need to worry about storage space.
Easy to sample audiobooks on the fly.

New titles are instantly available without downloading.

Cons:

Need a stable internet connection to listen without disruption.

Risk of buffering or connectivity issues interrupting playback.
Streamed audiobooks can expire and get removed from the app.

Some popular audiobook apps like Audible allow you to download audiobooks for offline use or stream them as needed. Think about when and where you plan to listen to choose the right option for your needs.

Pricing and Subscriptions

When looking at audiobook apps, one of the key considerations is how much they cost and what subscription options are available. Many popular audiobook apps offer credits, monthly fees, or annual plans to access their library catalogs.

For example, Audible, owned by Amazon, is one of the most well-known subscription services. With Audible, you can get 1 credit per month for $14.95 which can be exchanged for any audiobook regardless of price. They also offer annual plans with 12 credits upfront for $149.50.

Apps like Kobo also provide monthly subscription plans, usually around $9.99 per month for 1 audiobook credit. There are also free apps like Smart Audiobook Player that allow you to play your own audiobook files without any subscription fees.

Considering your listening habits and budget can help determine which pricing model makes the most sense for your audiobook app needs.

Platform and Device Support

When it comes to audiobook apps for Android, compatibility across different devices is an important consideration. Most major audiobook apps like Audible and Google Play Books are designed to work seamlessly on Android smartphones and tablets.

These apps are available through the Google Play store, so they can be downloaded easily on most Android devices running Android 5.0 or later. Some apps may have compatibility issues with certain Android skins like Samsung’s One UI or Xiaomi’s MIUI, but these are rare.

Beyond Android phones and tablets, some audiobook apps also support streaming to external devices. For example, Audible lets you stream to Alexa devices, Sonos speakers, and some car audio systems. The Smart AudioBook Player also boasts Chromecast support for wireless streaming.

So when choosing an audiobook player for Android, be sure to consider which external devices you may want to listen on, and choose an app with wider compatibility and streaming support.

Audiobook Sources

Audiobooks can be obtained from a variety of sources, both free and paid. Some of the most popular places to get audiobooks include:

Public libraries – Many public libraries offer free audiobook lending through apps like Libby and OverDrive. By getting a library card, you can borrow audiobooks digitally. However, there may be waitlists for popular titles (source).

Audible – This Amazon-owned platform is the largest producer and retailer of audiobooks. Audible offers a subscription service with credits to get audiobooks. There is also an Audible Plus catalog of audiobooks available for members (source).

Independent websites – Some websites like LibriVox offer free public domain audiobooks recorded by volunteers. However, selection is limited compared to paid services (source).

Recommended Audiobook Apps

When looking for the best audiobook app for Android, three stand out as top recommendations based on reviews and features:

Smart Audiobook Player

Smart Audiobook Player is one of the most popular and highly-rated Android audiobook apps on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/comments/s10608/which_audiobook_player_do_you_use/). It has a clean, intuitive interface and many great features like playback speed control, bookmarks, and sleep timer. The pro version is inexpensive and ad-free. The major downside is that it lacks support for online libraries like OverDrive.

Libby

Libby, from the makers of OverDrive, is the best app for accessing public library audiobooks on an Android device (https://www.reddit.com/r/audiobooks/comments/s3shin/which_audiobook_players_do_you_use/). It has a modern, easy-to-use design. However, Libby has limited features for organizing and managing audiobooks compared to Smart Audiobook Player.

Bound

Bound is a top choice for iOS devices that also has an Android version. The app has robust tools for organizing audiobooks and smooth playback. However, the free version lacks basic features like playback speed control that require a paid subscription.

Conclusion

When choosing the best audiobook player app for Android, the most important factors to consider are audio format compatibility, downloading vs streaming options, pricing, platform and device support, integration with audiobook sources, and overall usability.

For overall functionality and flexibility, our top recommendation is Voice Audiobook Player. It supports a wide range of formats, allows both downloading and streaming, has a free version along with a premium subscription, works across Android devices, and easily connects to multiple audiobook sources. The user interface is also intuitive and customizable to enhance the listening experience.

Other top options to consider are Google Play Books for its simplicity and Smart Audiobook Player for advanced features like playback speed control. Try out a few different apps to see which one best fits your listening preferences.