And to deal with this, you can listen to the audiobooks instead of reading a physical book. In fact, Audiobooks are simply perfect for those who are at time constraint. This is because audiobooks enable you to enjoy your favorite books while you are doing other things like commuting, household chores, morning walks, gym sessions, etc. If you are just getting started with Audiobooks, I suggest you watch this video to find out what exactly are audiobooks and where you can find them.
Depending on the audiobook format, you can play them using the regular music player. However, audiobooks require some special functionality like bigger control buttons, fast forward, resume from where you left and yes sleep timer etc. And to help you with that, here are some of the best audiobook players for Android. Note: Some of them even provide audiobooks to listen to from within the app.
Best AudioBook Players for Android
1. Smart Audiobook Player
I use Smart Audiobook Player every day to listen to my favorite audiobooks. It has all the features that an audio book player should have like – auto rewind on a long pause, playback history, auto sleep, support for Android auto and Android wear, ability to boost volume, playback speed control, bookmarks, character list, support for tasker intents, etc. Using Smart Audiobook Player is easy; simply open the app, specify the root folder of audiobooks and start listening. When you add a new audiobook to the root folder, tap on the refresh icon in the library page to list the new audiobook. One thing to keep in mind is that the Smart Audiobook Player is just a player. You need to have the audiobooks in your device in the supported format like MP3. Pros: Smart Audiobook Player has all the features you will ever need from an audiobook player. Moreover, there are no ads to deal with even in the free version. Cons: The interface looks a bit dated. The basic version lacks some advanced features like playback speed, bookmarking, volume boosting, character list, equalizer, the ability to download album cover from the internet, etc. However, the base version mostly suffices for regular usage. You can get the differences between base and pro version by navigating to “Menu > Help > Features.” Is it free: The base version is free. With a $2 in-app purchase you can unlock the Pro version. Like me, if you listen to a lot of audiobooks then the purchase is well worth it.
2. LibriVox
Love to read free and classic audiobooks? Look no further than LibriVox. Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers reading out-of-print and public domain books, you can stream, download, and listen to some of the best audiobooks for free. The audiobook player itself is simple and has all the necessary features. Some of those features include 30 seconds forward and rewind options, bookmarks, auto sleep, detailed audiobook description page, the ability to sync audiobooks and their playback position across devices using your Google account, etc. The best thing about this app is that you can search for audiobooks and stream or download the audiobook within the app. Besides from the free and public domain audiobooks, you can also listen to the newer audiobooks. However, since they are sold by their respective creators, you need to pay for them. LibriVox is available for Desktop, Android, and iOS. Pros: Over 24,000 free and public domain books to listen. Cons: The app is ad-supported. To read newer audiobooks, you need to pay. Also, since most of the Audiobooks are read by volunteers, the quality is not that good compared to voice artist on Audible. But for starters, the app is worth it. Is it free: Yes, the app is free. However, it is ad-supported.
3. Material Audiobook Player
As you can tell from the name itself, Material Audiobook Player prides itself for being designed with Material design standards. Unlike other audiobook players, this player is minimal and looks pretty modern due to its material design. The app is by no means as feature rich as Smart Audiobook Player but has important features like bookmarks, playback speed control, auto-sleep, etc. Most of all, Material Audiobook Player is completely free, open-source, and has no ads to hinder your experience. So, if you looking for modern looking, free, and open-source audiobook player then Material Audiobook Player is for you. Pros: The app is free, open-source, and uses material design. Cons: The app is missing on some advanced features like volume boosting, automatic switching to next audiobook, tasker intents, etc. Is it free: Yes, it is completely free.
4. Audiobook Player
If you are looking for a truly minimal audiobook player both in terms of user interface and features then this app is for you. When you first install and launch the app, it asks whether to scan for audiobooks or would you like to set a root folder for all your audiobooks. Once you are done with that and start playing the audiobook, all the chapters are neatly hidden at the bottom. If you want to move between chapters, all you have to do is slide up and choose the chapter. As I said before, the app is pretty minimal and you won’t get many customization options. However, you will have the necessary features like playback speed control, auto-rewind, bookmarks, lock-screen widget, and auto-sleep. Pros: The app is minimal, light-weight and free with no ads. Cons: Compared to other apps, the app has no advanced options for customization. Is it free: Yes, it is free and has no ads.
5. MortPlayer
Just like Smart Audiobook Player, MortPlayer is one of the most popular audiobook apps with all the necessary and advanced features you will ever need. Some of the features include but not limited to support for playlist, folder based navigation, swipe gestures, selectable layouts, flexible play, shuffle, and repeat modes, etc. However, the user interface looks old. In fact, compared to other players on the list, the old icons and the layout make it very confusing to use. This is especially true if you are new to audiobooks. That being said, the sheer number of options let you configure the app to meet your needs. So, if you don’t mind the dated user interface for free advanced features then this app is for you. Pros: Audiobook Player has all the advanced features you’ll ever need. Moreover, the app is completely free. Cons: The user interface is very dated and some icons are confusing. Is it free: Yes, Audiobook Player is free.
6. Audible
The good thing about Audible is that it has over 200 thousand titles. However, you need to purchase the individual audiobook or be a paid member to access and listen to the Audible titles. When it comes the Audible Player, it has all the required features like chapter navigation, download audiobook for offline listening, ability to create clips of your favorite parts, bookmarking, auto-speed, playback speed control, etc. Cons: Even though the player is free, you need to pay to listen to the audiobooks. You can only listen to the Audible audiobooks in Audible Player. Moreover, you cannot directly listen to Audible books in any other audiobook player, though, you can download the mp3 from the Audible website and then listen to it on 3rd party player. Is it free: You can either pay for individual audiobooks or you can pay for the monthly subscription of $14.95. The monthly subscribers get one free audio book every month and 30% off on any purchase.
Hope that helps and if you think I missed any of your favorite audiobook players then do comment below sharing them. ProTip: You can convert any article on the Internet to an audiobook using TTS, and listen to it while traveling for before going to bed. We also use this technique to proof read articles before publishing it. Read more here – Make your Devices Read Out Text, With Text to Speech
