Audiobooks have become a new normal in the age of digitization when we hardly get any time to sit, relax, and nourish our minds with soulful books and content. Therefore, audiobooks provide a sustainable solution for human beings of this era. You can easily digest the content of books when consumed in the form of audiobooks. Besides, there’s no compulsion of sitting in a quiet corner to understand the content. You can listen to the audiobooks while hitting the gym, driving, in the kitchen, doing house chores, or while out shopping.
The increased popularity of audiobooks had multiplied during the pandemic when people had nothing to do. Audiobooks provided a source of entertainment and infotainment within them. The audiobook market size was valued at 2.67 billion, and it’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.4% by 2027.
When we talk about which audiobook service is best, many names might hit your mind. Audible, Amazon, Kobo, etc., are some names on the top of the list. If you’re planning to purchase a subscription to one audiobook service, you’re just at the right place. We have carefully analyzed and created this subscription article about Kobo Audiobooks. You’re going to explore everything you need to get started with a Kobo subscription. Besides, we have created a list of pros and cons that might help you decide if this is for you. So let’s get into it.
About Rakuten Kobo
Rakuten Kobo claims to be the only organized and dedicated digital bookseller in the world. Amazon could’ve been one if the idea of selling everything had not stuck Bezos’s mind. Let’s leave it there. We will stay on the topic of Rakuten.
Rakuten Kobo is all about eBooks, audiobooks, and eReaders. It’s a Tokyo-based company having its headquarters in Toronto, Canada. The company was established under Shortcovers, which was later rebranded as Kobo Inc in 2009. Kobo was an independent company acquired by Rakuten in 2011 and released its e-reader even before Amazon entered the market. The name Kobo has been adopted as an anagram of the ‘book.’
There is a generous collection of over 6 million eBooks and audiobooks that you can get with their dedicated eReaders or Kobo app. It’s very simple to subscribe to any of the services you want and get started. We’ll have a deeper dive into Kobo’s audiobook service for the book listeners.
What Is Kobo Audiobook?
As the name suggests, it’s an audiobook service where you can listen to your favorite audiobooks on any compatible device. The audiobook division of Kobo was added in late 2017, and the book listeners can subscribe to the service for a monthly fee. Kobo Inc. The service is new but is often compared to the audiobooks giant Audibles. However, we will be focusing more on the features and offerings of Kobo audiobooks instead of comparison. So let’s get into the most applauded features of Kobo Audiobooks.
What Do You Get With Kobo Audiobooks
Features of Kobo audiobooks that entice the book listeners to get started with the service are as follows:
Kobo Free Trial
When we say Free Trial, it’s the best thing that any service provider can offer. With a month-long free trial, you can explore all the hidden corners of the service and decide if the app or service is worth paying for the premium service. Kobo Audiobooks is also a service that offers a 30-days free trial period to the subscribers before charging the card. You can cancel your subscription at any time before a month has passed.
Audiobooks Store Flooded With Different Genres
We already talked about the generosity of the platform creators that they’ve gathered and created such a big library of eBooks and audiobooks. Their collections have comprehensively covered different genres, topics, and niches. The most popular niches and genres in the Kobo audiobooks are as follows:
- Fiction and Literature
- Kids
- Romance
- Non-fiction
- Biography & Memoir
- Comics and Graphic Novels
- Fiction YA
- Sci-fi and Fantasy
- Mystery & Suspense
- Business and Finance
- And a lot more.
You will never be able to count all the sub-categories as there are over 100 sub-divisions of the main categories. You can never get out of the option about which audiobook to add to your playlist.
Gift Cards
Gift cards are another enticing feature of Kobo’s audiobooks. It can be a perfect gift to present to a book lover in your friends or family. With these gift cards, you can let your loved ones listen to their books. The gift cards can be bought from selected stores or online. You have to give the details of the person you want to present the gift card to and add a message or note for them. Set the date, and your friend or family member will be delivered the gift card on the selected date to their email address.
Choose from over 100,000 Books
The biggest struggle of any book lover is to sort and find a book of his/her interest. With the 100,000+ books on audiobooks, there is a thin probability that you’ll have difficulty finding books of your interest.
Kobo App
Kobo app on your mobile devices and tablets devices. Kobo app is a blessing in disguise for eBook readers as well as audiobook listeners. You can listen to your audiobooks anywhere while commuting or relaxing in your bed.
Compatibility Across Devices
Kobo audiobooks can listen only on the Kobo app for mobile or tablet devices. The functionality of listening to audiobooks is not available in the desktop app developed by the company. This is one of the biggest downsides.
How To Get Started
Some simple steps and you’re right there to start listening to your favorite eBooks.
- Create a free account on Kobo by adding your username, email address, and other information required on the sign-up page.
- Once you’re in, you can shop for any audiobook that you might want to listen to. You can see the previews of the books before making a purchase. It lets you have a sneak peek of what to expect from the book.
- Sync Your Kobo Books App to see the purchased items in the app. You can easily listen to the purchased books on your device.
Subscriptions, Plans & Costs
Many people get confused about the subscription process and plans of Kobo. However, we have tried to make it simple and understandable for you.
If we talk about the price of Kobo’s membership, it can be declared as one of the most user-friendly and affordable subscription services. You can get the eBook+Audiobook subscription for only $12.99 per month. However, the pricing of the Kobo app varies across different regions. We will be talking about the subscription of audiobooks only.
- Canada: Euros 9.99 for everything(eBooks + audiobooks)
- Belgium, Italy, Netherlands: Euros 9.99 for audiobooks and Euros 12.99 for everything
- New Zealand: Audiobooks are not available.
- Portugal: Euros 5.99
How Do Credits Work On Kobo Audiobooks
Usually, the standard subscription plan of Kobo consists of 1 credit that can be used to exchange for an audiobook. The credits are combined with your purchase if available. In another case, you can purchase as many credits as you want or purchase a book for the price listed in the store.
Best Features About Kobo Audiobooks
- You can exchange your credits for your favorite books. 1 credit is added to your account with your monthly subscription, and it is a set rule that 1 credit = 1 book.
- If you decide to unsubscribe from the monthly subscription, your ownership of already purchased books won’t be declined. They’ll be yours forever.
- Favorite Your Audiobooks that you want to listen to on the go
- Diverse genres and over 100,000 audiobooks to choose from
- Very affordable in terms of pricing
- Different pricing in different regions to suit the income groups in varying regions.
Not So Good Things About Kobo Audiobooks
Here are a few things that were not too much appealing or were annoying when reviewing the Kobo Audiobook service.
- You cannot listen to audiobooks on your desktop app, Blackberry app, browser, or e-readers. The support of audiobooks is only provided in the mobile and tablet app
- Kobo Mobile app has no functionality of purchasing your favorite eBooks or audiobooks on the go. You will have to visit a browser or desktop app for purchasing audiobooks from the store.
FAQs
What is the cost of a Kobo Audiobook subscription?
The cost of audiobook services provided by Kobo varies in different regions of the world. However, you can enjoy a one-month free trial period to get along with the service and decide if it’s for you.
How to cancel my Audiobook Subscription?
You can cancel your audiobook subscription at any time by visiting the account sections in-app or through a browser.
Rakuten Kobo Vs. Audible: Which one is better?
It’s hard to give a verdict. Audible is a giant in audiobook services and has been there for a long time. Both services are good and depend on who you are and what are your favorite genres. Wherever you get the best content as per your interest, it’s the best choice.
Final Verdict: Is Kobo Audiobook Subscription Worth It?
The final verdict about subscribing to Kobo audiobook is that it’s worth subscribing to service. However, it will be wise to check the functionality features, terms and conditions, and all the genres before signing up for the service.
If you’re someone who prefers to listen to books on your browser or desktop app, it will be a deal-breaker in the case of Kobo audiobooks. Otherwise, it’s a great service and has a plethora of content to entertain yourself and enlighten about. Therefore, read everything we’ve discussed before paying for the subscription.