Scribd vs Audible: An In-Depth Feature and Value Comparison

Hey there! As an avid reader and self-proclaimed audiobook nut, I know first-hand how difficult it can be to choose between Scribd and Audible. Both services offer subscription access to thousands of audiobooks and ebooks, but with some key differences.

In this comprehensive feature breakdown, I cut through the confusion to help you decide which platform best fits your needs and budget. You‘ll get insider perspective from a fellow book lover!

A Quick Background

Let‘s first briefly cover what each service is all about:

Scribd started in 2007 as an open document sharing platform before pivoting to offer monthly digital reading subscriptions. For $9.95/month, Scribd grants you flat-rate unlimited access to their entire catalogue of over 40,000 audiobooks and 1 million ebooks.

Audible entered the scene way back in 1995 as the internet‘s very first digital audiobook store. Acquired by Amazon in 2008, Audible offers over 475,000 audiobook titles. Instead of flat-fee unlimited reading, most titles require using your included monthly credits to purchase (1 credit = 1 book).

Now that you know the basics, let‘s explore 10 key factors to consider when weighing Scribd versus Audible:

1. Pricing and Plans

Money talks, so let‘s begin with how these services impact your wallet:

Scribd‘s simple flat-rate fee grants you unlimited access every month to their entire catalog. At under $10/month, this is an astounding value if you read a ton. Frequent readers could save hundreds per year compared to Audible!

Conversely, Audible‘s credit system means your spent scales based on consumption. Moderate listeners buying just 1-2 books monthly get more bang from Audible credits versus paying $10 for unlimited access.

Audible does also offer an unlimited listening tier called Audible Plus. But it only includes a smaller subset of 11,000 "select" titles. More on that next…

2. Library Size and Book Selection

When judging these services, you need to consider:

As you see above, Scribd boasts a much larger ebook catalog, while Audible offers nearly 5x more audiobook titles.

Audible‘s market-leading audiobook selection simply can‘t be matched. They strike exclusive distribution deals and produce many titles in-house.

However, Scribd holds its own with breadth across fiction/non-fiction, niche genres, and magazine/articles. Budget-minded bookworms find great choice despite the smaller library size.

3. Audio and Reading Quality

Scribd and Audible take differing approaches to quality:

Scribd audiobooks stream at just 32kbps – equivalent to a basic digital radio stream. This allows smaller file sizes and cheaper storage costs. But it lacks the crisp fidelity preferred by more discerning listeners.

Audible utilizes a higher 64kbps bitrate, capturing greater audio detail. Encoded at this quality level, the subtle tonal dynamics of a narrator‘s voice are better preserved.

As an Audible devotee myself, I immediately notice the difference switching between platforms. But occasional Scribd listeners report perfectly adequate sound for their needs.

When it comes to reading, Scribd‘s unlimited model best fits "binge" book devourers. However some users have complained of eye strain trying to rapidly consume ebook after ebook.

Audible‘s model encourages more steady "marathon" reading – purchasing books with credits to retain long-term access. This leads to a healthier reading diet without sacrificing depth or enjoyment!

4. Extra Features and Functionality

Beyond basic reading and listening, how else do these services enhance the experience?

Scribd offersintegration with Apple Watch and Android Wear for simple playback control from your wrist. Their recent redesign also overhauled the typically lackluster discovery experience with personalized recommendations and human editorial curation.

Conversely, Audible provides more fully-featured apps including adjustable playback speed, one-touch downloading, chapter navigation, bookmarks and highlights. Their original productions feature bonus interview content. An audio learning center also instructs on geting the most from Audible‘s ecosystem.

One advantage exclusive to Audible is Whispersync for Voice support on Kindle e-readers. This automatically syncs your position between the Audible audiobook and Kindle ebook editions. It‘s wonderfully seamless!

Scribd and Audible both enable downloading DRM-protected titles for offline enjoyment. But with a 40 download cap, Scribd trails Audible which imposes no limits whatsoever.

5. Account Sharing

What about family sharing? Can others access your account too?

Scribd only permits one simultaneous stream or download across all devices on a single account. Audible meanwhile allows two concurrent streams. Both let you designate up to 6 household profiles for easy access switching.

Scribd‘s reduced concurrent streams keep unlimited reading costs down. But families may feel constrained, especially when comparing to Audible‘s slightly more lenient policy.

6. Content Ownership and DRM Restrictions

A pivotal differentiator lies with ownership rights…

With Scribd‘s unlimited subscription, you merely rent temporary access to digital content. Cancel your subcription, immediately lose your books!

By contrast, Audible‘s credit purchase model means all audiobooks you buy are yours forever! Even after cancellation, you can re-download purchased media indefinitely.

Both services still impose DRM copy-protection restricting use outside official apps. So buyer beware – you‘re essentially "licensing" digital media rather than fully owning it.

7. Catering to Print Disabilities

Enabling equal reading access proves incredibly empowering. So how accommodating are Scribd and Audible for the visually or print impaired?

Scribd offers limited accessibility support:

• Text can be resized
• Interface works with screen readers
• Doesn‘t fully support Braille devices

Comparatively, Amazon-owned Audible shines when meeting disability needs:

• VoiceView screen reader capability
• Fully compatible with refreshable Braille displays
• Available on dedicated accessibility devices

While Scribd checks minimum requirements, Audible goes further ensuring exclusive titles don‘t leave behind the visually impaired. Kudos!

8. Author Royalties and Compensation

Writers also care deeply about how publishing platforms support content creators. Scribd and Audible take unique approaches here too…

Scribd pays authors each month based on percentage of their work read by subscribers (specific % not publicly released). Payout scales based on read proportions across all Scribd readers.

But some writers accused Scribd of slashing promised royalties by imposing "throttling" limits on popular books. Read counts no longer increased despite subscriber interest due to restrictive caps.

Audible employs a royalty structure escalating by units sold, similar to tradition book publishing models. Payouts incrementally increase at milestones of under 10,000 copies, 10-50k copies, then 100k+ copies sold.

Audible further endears itself to writers by operating 5 private podcast studios for recording exclusive memoirs/biographies – providing another creative revenue stream.

So who wins on compensation? Audible pays nearly double Scribd’s royalty rate at each threshold. And authors report consistent income given uncapped readership counts. Advantage: Audible!

9. Company Vision and Focus

Future outlook also weighs on platform decisions. Do Scribd and Audible priorities align with user expectations?

Since Amazon‘s acquisition, Audible zeroes in exclusively on dominating audiobook distribution across global markets. They ingeniously nurture the "golden age" of audio content – production scale nearly doubling year-over-year.

Scribd continues pushing to build a "Netflix for ebooks". Their subscription buffet houses growing media varieties: sheet music, podcasts, magazines, newspapers, documents. But boiling the ocean with semi-related content strains focus.

Prioritizing specialization pays dividends for Audible. Scribd‘s ambition could either pay off handsomely or spread itself too thinly. Time will tell!

10. Audiobook Market Share and Industry Standing

Finally, what‘s the state of competition and market position?

Despite Scribd’s pluck, Audible enjoys runaway market dominance:

• Over 80% of the audiobook market usage-wise based on listening hours
• 5x more titles than second-place Scribd
• Big investments in localized catalogues (German, French Spanish, etc…)
• Huge first-party cloud infrastructure optimization audiobook delivery/storage

Buoyed by Amazon‘s backing plus explosive 50%+ yearly industry growth, Audible looks poised to continue its reign over digital listening.

Scribd plays catch-up but remains the scrappy early mover. Sizable venture capital funding signals financial backers still believe their unlimited model can disrupt Audible‘s stranglehold.

I‘m thrilled anyone is innovating to uplift reading and restrain physical book waste! Hopefully both companies mutually thrive delivering abundant accessible knowledge.

Bottom Line: Which Service Do You Choose?

We‘ve now exhaustively examined Scribd vs Audible‘s key similarities and differences. Let‘s boil down final advice…

For budget-focused bookworms craving unlimited all-you-can-read buffet access, Scribd can‘t be beat at under $10 monthly! Just temper expectations around audiobook selection and account sharing flexibility.

For diehard audiophile purists obsessed with sound quality and permanent ownership, Audible remains the undisputed champ. Their market-thumping catalogue also impresses even if you sacrifice unlimited access.

In truth, BOTH platforms deserve praise for advancing digital reading and modernizing publishing. Your needs dictate preference, but really you can‘t make a wrong choice between these imperfect-yet-promising juggernauts!

Happy listening…and reading!

TL;DR Key Takeaways:

I sincerely hope this guide gave you clarity around weighing Audible against Scribd! Let me know if any other questions pop up. Now get out there, fire up your app of choice and lose yourself in a captivating book escape!