Storytel Review: A Standout Scribd Alternative — But With a Catch

Audiobooks are expensive, and truthful is an Audible subscription. If you’re looking for inexpensive Audible alternatives, the Storytel app mightiness beryllium connected your radar. But is it worthy considering? Is it worthy trying out? In this Storytel review, we’ll find retired if it’s worthy the clip and money.

This Storytel reappraisal volition research everything you request to cognize astir the service: what it is, however it works, what tin you expect, however overmuch it is, the prime of the catalog, the magnitude of audiobooks available, different under-the-hood features, pros, cons, and verdict, among others. Most importantly, you would cognize what benignant of listeners this work is champion for and whether it’s a bang for the buck.

But archetypal things first: Storytel is large successful Europe, and it’s dilatory penetrating the planetary market. It’s a Scribd-like subscription work that chiefly offers audiobooks and ebooks. The titles are successful antithetic languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Indian, and a full batch more. So far, truthful good. But the drawback is that Storytel is not officially disposable successful the United States. Gasp! And to headdress it all, it’s not besides disposable successful galore different English-speaking countries, specified arsenic the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.

So if Storytel is not adjacent disposable successful the U.S. and different lucrative markets, past tin it beryllium a viable alternate to Scribd oregon Audible? Let’s find out.

Storytel Review: App Overview

Storytel is presently disposable successful galore countries successful Europe, Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. It is offered successful much than 30 languages arsenic well.

Its combined planetary room contains much than 700,000 titles. The subscription interest is determined by the state successful which it is offered. For India, the Select enactment costs 149 rupees per period (roughly $2 USD) and includes unlimited entree to audiobooks and ebooks successful much than 10 determination languages excluding English, portion the Unlimited enactment costs 299 rupees per period ($4 USD) and includes unlimited entree to audiobooks and ebooks successful English and determination languages. Subscriptions successful Singapore, meanwhile, statesman astatine 12.98 Singaporean dollars (roughly $10 USD) per month.

Getting Started with Storytel

After opening the app, it asks wherever you’re located.

From there, you mightiness conscionable privation to research its catalog earlier committing to a subscription. Remember that the terms varies per country, and determination are 25 of them. Though Storytel besides offers escaped trials, it usually lone lasts up to 3 days and not an full month.

One diagnostic that is accordant successful each of its mentation is Storytel Originals, wherein they people exclusive audiobooks. In the Singaporean version, there’s besides a conception dedicated to audiobooks that went viral connected TikTok. In respective markets, there’s a conception for Upcoming Releases arsenic well.

If you’re multilingual, it’s a fantastic app arsenic you would beryllium capable to perceive to audiobooks from different countries and successful different languages speech from English. It’s a cleanable accidental to dive successful to obscure titles from antithetic parts of the satellite arsenic well. Usually, successful Storytel, English-language audiobooks are translated for section markets. For instance, successful Spain and different Spanish-speaking countries, Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us is disposable successful Spanish.

In my case, the default marketplace is India, and determination are tons of indispensable classical audiobooks and poesy titles from Instapoets specified arsenic Rupi Kaur and R.H. Sin.

The Downsides and the Verdict

Since it’s not officially disposable successful the U.S., you’d lone astir apt usage Storytel abroad. The large drawback is that if you talk much than 2 languages and privation to entree different audiobooks successful respective languages oregon countries, you mightiness person to subscribe to respective countries’ versions of Storytel. You simply can’t entree the catalogs if they’re lone disposable successful immoderate regions. The enactment of titles is scant successful different places, and it’s frustrating to support up which ones are disposable successful what country.

But though Storytel acquired Audiobooks.com, an American company, past year, they are simply not the aforesaid services.

When it comes to the prime of the catalogs, immoderate titles are unfamiliar, truthful I can’t vouch for their quality. Even Storytel’s bestselling titles don’t reflector the ones usually from the U.S., if that’s what you’re expecting. In addition, Storytel doesn’t amusement caller oregon caller releases from U.S. publishers, dissimilar Audible oregon Scribd. Some titles get months oregon adjacent a twelvemonth aft the archetypal merchandise date. One illustration is an audiobook, which is already disposable connected Audible since 2016, but is yet to merchandise connected Storytel!

To beryllium fair, Storytel is simply a large work for Europe and Asia — but not extracurricular of those continents. With its plethora of foreign-language titles, it tin rival that of Scribd. Accessing those titles, however, mightiness necessitate aggregate subscriptions, which adds up.

This app is for those who privation to research and for those who don’t person thing circumstantial successful mind, letting the app determine what they should work next. Going successful with a azygous rubric successful caput mightiness permission you disappointed.

So, Storytel vs. Audible? It depends connected your needs and preferences arsenic an audiobook listener. I anticipation that this Storytel reappraisal gave you capable accusation to marque an informed decision.

Do you privation much options for your audiobook listening? I’ve got you. Here are the best audiobook subscription services to try. Those are paid ones, but if you privation to get escaped audiobooks, decidedly effort thing from these best audiobook apps list.