Reading is a necessary activity in the everyday of anyone. Still, the task is not appreciated by all, which can be detrimental when studying some material for a test or even knowing an interesting story, considering that many movie successes are book adaptations. One solution to this is to take audiobooks, which, instead of requiring you to read the pages, only require them to listen as a voice reads for you. There are a fair amount of audiobook applications in Google and Apple’s online stores, from which we rank the top 14 and we show right below!
1. 12Min
Instead of providing complete audiobooks, 12Min is a service that provides a general summary of non-fiction works in your collection, condensing your ideas into 12-minute microbooks. This means that you do not need to listen to a 3-hour audiobook on a particular subject if you do not want to receive all of your content, for example, allowing you to absorb different knowledge in a more agile way. Click the link to download the app on Android.
2. Audiobooks Saraiva
One of the largest bookstore chains in Brazil, Saraiva has an own app for audiobooks – also called audiobooks. The application is one of the best in its area and also has the Ubook service, a kind of “Netflix for books”. Another advantage of Saraiva Audiobooks is the possibility to play the book in the background, allowing you to use other applications while listening. Download it for Android or iPhone.
3. TOC books
Audiobooks do Tocalivros is a Brazilian app that provides works in the native language. If you place it as a virtual bookstore, you can buy and download various works, among them bestsellers like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Fascinating Empire of Steve Jobs , among others. The application also has a free book session, meaning you do not have to make any purchases to use it. The app is only available for Android on Google Play.
4. LibriVox
This is one of the most downloaded free audiobook applications that can be heard directly from it or downloaded to your device. LibriVox has several filters for searching, including one for displaying audiobooks made by a specific narrator.
Much of its content was sent by volunteers, which explains the large amount of free works. His only setback is to have few works in Portuguese. LibriVox can be downloaded for free to Android or iPhone and iPad.
5. Kindle
The application that allows you to turn your Android or iOS devices into an ebook reader also allows you to read audiobooks purchased from Amazon. The Kindle app allows you to read your digital books collection and some of the acquired works also have an audio version, which can be heard directly from the app.
6. Smart Audiobook Player
While the audiobook applications shown so far are about services, the Smart Audiobook Player is only for playing audiobooks that are already in your handset. The app has some unique features, such as a detector that stops playing the book in case of falling asleep – requiring it to shake the smartphone to continue -, possibility to save your progress in several works simultaneously and control of reading speed, among others. Click the link to download the Smart Audiobook Player on Android.
7. Hi Audiobooks
Oi’s dedicated audiobook application Hi, Oi Audiolivros also uses the Ubooks subscription service to offer its content. Given as a bonus to some mobile internet subscriptions, users can integrate their Facebook profile to receive book recommendations according to the pages they access. Hi Audiobooks can be downloaded on Android or iPhone.
8. Ubook
Used in the Oi and Saraiva applications, Ubook reigns as one of the largest mobile services, being one of the best audiobook applications on the web. Its collection has more than 100,000 works, counting books, magazines, and podcasts. The service has a monthly subscription plan, but allows you to listen to your books offline. The Ubook can be used on both Android and iPhone.
9. Audioteka
With works available in several languages – including Portuguese – Audioteka provides free previews of books from its collection. The app also functions as a digital bookstore, selling the items in your catalog. Another highlight feature is your bookmarks, which allow you to bookmark your progress during the audiobook. The app is on Android and on the iPhone and iPad.
10. TIM Audiobooks
Like Oi, the TIM Audiobook application is also made based on the Ubook service we mentioned earlier. The service can be purchased through the carrier’s mobile network subscriptions or signed directly with the carrier by downloading it to your smartphone or tablet. With the subscription, the user has unlimited access to the collection and can download the app from Google Play or App Store.
11. Beelinguapp
Rather than providing a collection of audiobooks, Beelinguapp is an app that teaches English and other languages to its users. It puts you to read or listen to a text in two languages: the native and what you want to learn, so that you understand the references and differences in pronunciation and placement in sentences, for example.
Currently, the application allows you to learn Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Korean, French, Indian, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Japanese. Beelinguapp is available on Android or iPhone.
12. Free Audiobooks
One of the audiobook applications maintained by volunteer collaborators, Free Audiobooks has a collection of classic books that have become public domain, meaning that their rights have become of everyone, not just a publisher. Classics like The Art of War, Moby Dick and the Sherlock Holmes series can be read here. The catalog does not have many works in Portuguese and can be downloaded on Android.
13. Free HQ Audiobooks
With one of the largest free collections, the Free Audiobooks HQ has about 10,500 works in its library. Exclusive to iPhone and iPad, the application has works in a large number of languages, including Portuguese. You can also download books to listen to when you’re offline, among other features.
14. Audiobook Player
A free audiobook player – and no ads! -, the Audiobook Player also only serves to play audiobooks on your Android . The app has several functions to control the rhythm of the reading, including allowing the book to return 3 seconds after pausing, for example. Another interesting function is to be able to configure the cover of a book that you are listening to like the lock screen of the cell phone.
