About LibriVox Audio Books
About LibriVox Audio Books
App Store
LibriVox Audio Books provides unlimited access to over 50,000 audio books. Each audiobook can be streamed over the internet or downloaded for later use. The LibriVox Audio Books app features classic best sellers and out of print treasures from every genre of literature in more than 30 languages.
Audio books from LibriVox are free thanks to the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers who record, edit and distribute the books. New releases are prepared daily, and the entire catalog spans the breadth of world literature, including novels, history, biography, short stories, poetry and more in both fiction and non-fiction.
The LibriVox AudioBook app makes it easy to search the LibriVox catalog of free audio books. You can browse by title, author or genre, look at new recordings, or search by key word. Because the books are free, you can listen to as much or as little of a book as you like with no cost. The app remembers your position, so you can return to a book later, and includes unlimited bookmarks and a sleep timer for your convenience.
Audio books from LibriVox are free thanks to the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers who record, edit and distribute the books. New releases are prepared daily, and the entire catalog spans the breadth of world literature, including novels, history, biography, short stories, poetry and more in both fiction and non-fiction.
The LibriVox AudioBook app makes it easy to search the LibriVox catalog of free audio books. You can browse by title, author or genre, look at new recordings, or search by key word. Because the books are free, you can listen to as much or as little of a book as you like with no cost. The app remembers your position, so you can return to a book later, and includes unlimited bookmarks and a sleep timer for your convenience.
Ratings & Reviews
Write a Review
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Still Handy, but Disappointing
Mar 25, 2019 I’ve used Librivox for a number of years, through undergrad and grad school, and have found it tremendously helpful as an English major. The voices help liven up the texts and make difficult works much easier to follow. More recently, however, I’ve been disappointed by the addition of advertisements at the end of chapters and such. While they could be much more intrusive, it’s still a disruption to the experience and overall nuisance. Luckily, you can work around them by tapping on the next chapter, but having to do so feels unnecessary. I wish they would have just stuck to having a small visual ad at the bottom of the page. A small matter, which most people probably don’t care about, but enough to make me go to other audio reading providers sometimes. That said, Librivox is still my go-to reader, and it is very helpful overall.more -
Unbelievably awesome
Jan 5, 2018 I have used LibriVox for the past three years and am always consistently blown away by the skill of some of these amateur readers. I also have Audible, and with both combined I feel like there is always something interesting and new to experience. LibriVox's best feature is the wide, free use of public domain writings. The search for good readers is rewarding, albeit different than Audible. The difference is that with LibriVox it doesn't cost me a cent. Excellent. The mobile app is very straightforward, and in a way offers even more options than my subscription, in particular the playback speeds.more -
Great app but new reading speed controls bad
Mar 28, 2020 LibriVox used to be the perfect app for free audiobooks, and as a English graduate student, I still use it daily for reading. However, I’m greatly disappointed by the new app update, specifically the changes to the speed settings. You used to be able to change the speed and see how fast you were setting it, but now it’s just a sliding scale with no numbers. The old version also allowed you to go much faster than x2 speed, which honestly is necessary with some of the slower readers (I think the old version went to x2.5 or x3 speed). If they could improve the speed controls I’m sure I’m not the only one who would greatly appreciate it!more -
5-Star content, one annoying problem
May 30, 2018 This review is for the app (LibriVox is one of the best things on the modern internet). Playback and downloading works well. Search algorithm finds what you want most of the time (though having separate entries for different readings of the same book makes things more complicated than they need to be). The only serious problem is ads. Not that they exist. They’re infrequent and generally tasteful. It’s the VOLUME. The ads don’t seem to be scaled to the same volume as the books. Rather, whenever an ad plays there’s a large spike in volume and I’m inevitably startled if I’m wearing headphones. It’s particularly troublesome if you’re listening to a book to help you sleep.more -
Don’t bother paying to remove ads...
Jun 24, 2019 These public domain books are read by readers with vastly varying skills. Most of what I’ve heard is pretty amateurish, but there are some very good contributions. The jewel in crown, of course, is that the service makes so many great books available to audio readers. You just have to do a bit of searching to find a combination of good book/good reader. The app is moderately intuitive and a bit glitchy. Most disconcerting of all, though, is that payment to remove ads does...nothing. The ads are annoying, at best, and there seems no way to really communicate effectively with the apps designer. Ultimately, though, I’m an avid listener of books, and this gives me another tool in my audio book tool box.more
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Better audiobook options out there
Apr 10, 2018 1. After I’ve downloaded a book (I’ve tried multiple), I am suppose to be able to listen to it offline. This is not the case. When I try to do this, it makes it seem like the book(s) haven’t been downloaded, yet they show up in my library. 2. Not enough selection overall. I especially enjoy self-help books and there just aren’t that many to choose from.more
- You'll have access to 24,000+ audiobooks in the palm of your hand that can be streamed or downloaded for later use
- An audiobook that is easy to use with stop playback, sleep timer, unlimited bookmarks, and it even remembers the last page you read
- Improve your listening skills at the correct volume with a built-in volume normalization setting
Reviewed by Chris on February 13, 2018
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Unbelievably awesome
Jan 5, 2018 I have used LibriVox for the past three years and am always consistently blown away by the skill of some of these amateur readers. I also have Audible, and with both combined I feel like there is always something interesting and new to experience. LibriVox's best feature is the wide, free use of public domain writings. The search for good readers is rewarding, albeit different than Audible. The difference is that with LibriVox it doesn't cost me a cent. Excellent. The mobile app is very straightforward, and in a way offers even more options than my subscription, in particular the playback speeds.more -
Great collection with awesome readings
Jul 17, 2017 I really love how this app has grown since I first started using it. I have a love for Germanic folklore especially core mythology books like the Eddas and the Sagas. When I first started using this app they had literally two audio books on Norse and Germanic myth. One was awesome, the other...not so much. But now there are quite a few more including readings of both Eddas as well as a few sagas and some are in more than one language. The readings are well done and easy to understand. I am super impressed with the progress of this project so far and I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow.more -
Great listening option
May 3, 2020 If you want to listen to great literature from the past and don’t have the time to read, this is a wonderful application. You can pull up documents of historical and religious significance. You can listen while they are read to you and you were able to do another activity while you’re listening. I have especially enjoyed listening to William Bradford‘s record of Plymouth colony. I highly recommend it. You have no idea of the myriad obstacles the Pilgrims overcame until you’ve listened to it.more -
Totally enjoying this app.
Jan 8, 2019 I am truly enjoying this app. For the past week I’ve been downloading books and listening to them when I go to bed. I honestly believe I am sleeping better since I started this. Perhaps it’s because our mother used to read to us before we went to sleep at night. As a child it made me feel safe and content. Whatever it is I am thankful that my sister told me about her experience with audiobooks which peeked my curiosity enough that I went looking for apps and found this one. Thank you.more -
Commercials
Aug 10, 2018 I absolutely love this app! I have arthritis, very bad, in my phone, so I need to use audiobooks. I do, however, have one huge complaint! I set a timer, so that I can slip off, to sleep, each night. I understand the need to advertise, and have seen many, included with the pictures of books. I don’t mind that at all! But now I find, that as I drop off to sleep, a VERY loud and intrusive, pop up, and wake me. So instead of using this app every night, I must use a library audiobook. Very disappointing!more
-
Still Handy, but Disappointing
Mar 25, 2019 I’ve used Librivox for a number of years, through undergrad and grad school, and have found it tremendously helpful as an English major. The voices help liven up the texts and make difficult works much easier to follow. More recently, however, I’ve been disappointed by the addition of advertisements at the end of chapters and such. While they could be much more intrusive, it’s still a disruption to the experience and overall nuisance. Luckily, you can work around them by tapping on the next chapter, but having to do so feels unnecessary. I wish they would have just stuck to having a small visual ad at the bottom of the page. A small matter, which most people probably don’t care about, but enough to make me go to other audio reading providers sometimes. That said, Librivox is still my go-to reader, and it is very helpful overall.more -
Great app but new reading speed controls bad
Mar 28, 2020 LibriVox used to be the perfect app for free audiobooks, and as a English graduate student, I still use it daily for reading. However, I’m greatly disappointed by the new app update, specifically the changes to the speed settings. You used to be able to change the speed and see how fast you were setting it, but now it’s just a sliding scale with no numbers. The old version also allowed you to go much faster than x2 speed, which honestly is necessary with some of the slower readers (I think the old version went to x2.5 or x3 speed). If they could improve the speed controls I’m sure I’m not the only one who would greatly appreciate it!more -
5-Star content, one annoying problem
May 30, 2018 This review is for the app (LibriVox is one of the best things on the modern internet). Playback and downloading works well. Search algorithm finds what you want most of the time (though having separate entries for different readings of the same book makes things more complicated than they need to be). The only serious problem is ads. Not that they exist. They’re infrequent and generally tasteful. It’s the VOLUME. The ads don’t seem to be scaled to the same volume as the books. Rather, whenever an ad plays there’s a large spike in volume and I’m inevitably startled if I’m wearing headphones. It’s particularly troublesome if you’re listening to a book to help you sleep.more -
Fantastic app
Feb 17, 2017 I love this app and all the volunteers who make it so valuable. There are so many great books on here and many of the volunteer readers do a fantastic job even doing different voices for each of the books characters. Because I work for at least 10 hours a day mostly driving heavy equipment I have lots of time to listen to something but precious little time to read even though I love books. This app has made it possible for me to enjoy literature without sacrificing family time and other after work activities.more -
Happy to find this app
Aug 7, 2017 We love LibriVox for long car rides. We've been happy with the number of titles from which we can choose, and appreciate that we can hear literary classics we may never have read--nor would have the time to read now. The voice quality varies, but we do get used to the accent, if the reader has one. And only once have we refused to listen to a story because of the reader. We love having an app because we can download ahead of time to avoid using data while on the road.more
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Don’t bother paying to remove ads...
Jun 24, 2019 These public domain books are read by readers with vastly varying skills. Most of what I’ve heard is pretty amateurish, but there are some very good contributions. The jewel in crown, of course, is that the service makes so many great books available to audio readers. You just have to do a bit of searching to find a combination of good book/good reader. The app is moderately intuitive and a bit glitchy. Most disconcerting of all, though, is that payment to remove ads does...nothing. The ads are annoying, at best, and there seems no way to really communicate effectively with the apps designer. Ultimately, though, I’m an avid listener of books, and this gives me another tool in my audio book tool box.more -
Please help!
Sep 9, 2018 Firstly, I LOVE this app! Thank you for making it possible for me to revisit old classic books and find new ones through your app. Lately, though, it’s been such a chore to open the app and continue with a book. If I don’t happen to finish a chapter before closing the app, it will take me back to the beginning of the chapter when I’m ready to start listening again. It’s very difficult sometimes to fast forward and find my place! This is a relatively new problem (over the last month, I’d say). Is there anyway to fix this? Is there a setting I inadvertently turned on? Thank you for a timely answer! I WILL change my rating to 5 stars when this is fixed!!more -
I used to consider this a 4star app...
Nov 4, 2018 Because LibriVox is volunteer based, it was never going to be 5 stars—90% of the readers are very good, but there’s that 10% who aren’t. However, due to the sudden appearance of ridiculously loud ads after a mere 30 minutes or so of listening, I’m finding this borderline unusable. I’ve had LibriVox for years (and loved it!) and this issue has only come up for me recently. It makes me sad—and annoyed and startled when I’m using the app to fall asleep. Another free audiobook option bites the dust....more -
Great potential
Dec 29, 2017 I *really* appreciate all the work that must go into making all these “books on tape” available and easy to “read” when you can’t do the actual reading yourself. Having said that, my first Librivox book is pretty dense & I need to slow it down to really take it in. But if I slow it down, there’s a horrible echo, which makes it unusable! :( Please fix this; I’m eager to listen & give the app the high star rating it (almost) deserves.more -
what’s going on?
Sep 26, 2018 librivox Seems to have really slept… Like no one’s at home on my end the store. Are you just a shell now to get people to sign up for audible? Or the horrendous other ads that blast through the box for listening to? After I finish this book I think I’ll be moving on to other sites for my free classic audiobooks… I’ve listen to you guys for years but between the hands and the glitches… But not worth it and that’s even for free. sad.more
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Better audiobook options out there
Apr 10, 2018 1. After I’ve downloaded a book (I’ve tried multiple), I am suppose to be able to listen to it offline. This is not the case. When I try to do this, it makes it seem like the book(s) haven’t been downloaded, yet they show up in my library. 2. Not enough selection overall. I especially enjoy self-help books and there just aren’t that many to choose from.more
No reviews available
What’s Groovy
Large library. Most of the recordings sound fine to me, and the organization of the app is impressive for a free download. Really, the only detraction for me is the ads, but they have to make money somehow.. That being said, they are relatively minimal and once you get your book going, its not bad at all. I am a person that will instantly uninstall if the ads are overwhelming and give a 1 star, so that should tell you my thought on the matter. Ill put a book on at work and maybe hear 1-2 ads per 8 hour shift. Will definitely be paying for the premium version, but not because I feel like I need to to enjoy the app. More because Libravox is a breath of fresh air, and I want to support.
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What’s Subpar
As soon as I paid for a subscription the app stopped working. Now I cannot play any books which were working fine before. I wanted to listen to these on the train and the apps says they have downloaded for offline listening but it does not work and keeps asking you to connect to the internet.
Even though it says downloaded and all you can do is delete the book. There is no way to get customer support for this so I am writing this review, stick with the free version!!
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Filter Reviews
-
Still Handy, but Disappointing
I’ve used Librivox for a number of years, through undergrad and grad school, and have found it tremendously helpful as an English major. The voices help liven up the texts and make difficult works much easier to follow. More recently, however, I’ve been disappointed by the addition of advertisements at the end of chapters and such. While they could be much more intrusive, it’s still a disruption to the experience and overall nuisance. Luckily, you can work around them by tapping on the next chapter, but having to do so feels unnecessary. I wish they would have just stuck to having a small visual ad at the bottom of the page. A small matter, which most people probably don’t care about, but enough to make me go to other audio reading providers sometimes. That said, Librivox is still my go-to reader, and it is very helpful overall. -
Unbelievably awesome
I have used LibriVox for the past three years and am always consistently blown away by the skill of some of these amateur readers. I also have Audible, and with both combined I feel like there is always something interesting and new to experience. LibriVox's best feature is the wide, free use of public domain writings. The search for good readers is rewarding, albeit different than Audible. The difference is that with LibriVox it doesn't cost me a cent. Excellent. The mobile app is very straightforward, and in a way offers even more options than my subscription, in particular the playback speeds. -
Great app but new reading speed controls bad
LibriVox used to be the perfect app for free audiobooks, and as a English graduate student, I still use it daily for reading. However, I’m greatly disappointed by the new app update, specifically the changes to the speed settings. You used to be able to change the speed and see how fast you were setting it, but now it’s just a sliding scale with no numbers. The old version also allowed you to go much faster than x2 speed, which honestly is necessary with some of the slower readers (I think the old version went to x2.5 or x3 speed). If they could improve the speed controls I’m sure I’m not the only one who would greatly appreciate it! -
5-Star content, one annoying problem
This review is for the app (LibriVox is one of the best things on the modern internet). Playback and downloading works well. Search algorithm finds what you want most of the time (though having separate entries for different readings of the same book makes things more complicated than they need to be). The only serious problem is ads. Not that they exist. They’re infrequent and generally tasteful. It’s the VOLUME. The ads don’t seem to be scaled to the same volume as the books. Rather, whenever an ad plays there’s a large spike in volume and I’m inevitably startled if I’m wearing headphones. It’s particularly troublesome if you’re listening to a book to help you sleep. -
Don’t bother paying to remove ads...
These public domain books are read by readers with vastly varying skills. Most of what I’ve heard is pretty amateurish, but there are some very good contributions. The jewel in crown, of course, is that the service makes so many great books available to audio readers. You just have to do a bit of searching to find a combination of good book/good reader. The app is moderately intuitive and a bit glitchy. Most disconcerting of all, though, is that payment to remove ads does...nothing. The ads are annoying, at best, and there seems no way to really communicate effectively with the apps designer. Ultimately, though, I’m an avid listener of books, and this gives me another tool in my audio book tool box. -
Great collection with awesome readings
I really love how this app has grown since I first started using it. I have a love for Germanic folklore especially core mythology books like the Eddas and the Sagas. When I first started using this app they had literally two audio books on Norse and Germanic myth. One was awesome, the other...not so much. But now there are quite a few more including readings of both Eddas as well as a few sagas and some are in more than one language. The readings are well done and easy to understand. I am super impressed with the progress of this project so far and I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow. -
Great listening option
If you want to listen to great literature from the past and don’t have the time to read, this is a wonderful application. You can pull up documents of historical and religious significance. You can listen while they are read to you and you were able to do another activity while you’re listening. I have especially enjoyed listening to William Bradford‘s record of Plymouth colony. I highly recommend it. You have no idea of the myriad obstacles the Pilgrims overcame until you’ve listened to it. -
Please help!
Firstly, I LOVE this app! Thank you for making it possible for me to revisit old classic books and find new ones through your app. Lately, though, it’s been such a chore to open the app and continue with a book. If I don’t happen to finish a chapter before closing the app, it will take me back to the beginning of the chapter when I’m ready to start listening again. It’s very difficult sometimes to fast forward and find my place! This is a relatively new problem (over the last month, I’d say). Is there anyway to fix this? Is there a setting I inadvertently turned on? Thank you for a timely answer! I WILL change my rating to 5 stars when this is fixed!! -
Totally enjoying this app.
I am truly enjoying this app. For the past week I’ve been downloading books and listening to them when I go to bed. I honestly believe I am sleeping better since I started this. Perhaps it’s because our mother used to read to us before we went to sleep at night. As a child it made me feel safe and content. Whatever it is I am thankful that my sister told me about her experience with audiobooks which peeked my curiosity enough that I went looking for apps and found this one. Thank you. -
Commercials
I absolutely love this app! I have arthritis, very bad, in my phone, so I need to use audiobooks. I do, however, have one huge complaint! I set a timer, so that I can slip off, to sleep, each night. I understand the need to advertise, and have seen many, included with the pictures of books. I don’t mind that at all! But now I find, that as I drop off to sleep, a VERY loud and intrusive, pop up, and wake me. So instead of using this app every night, I must use a library audiobook. Very disappointing!
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Sherlock Holmes & Others
Greatest site for vision impaired and any long trips! Especially love the old radio shows. Wonderful entertainment. Makes long drives go quickly. Love the programs that allow your imagination to visualize the stories which are much more interesting than seeing someone else’s ideas and sets -
Grateful
I’m so thankful for your goodness in making these great old books into audio form and by this making us better people by listening to them. -
Awesome!!!!!!!
This app is awesome! This app lets me listen to the book while I’m reading the book. This app has all my favorite books about dogs. I would recommend this app❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ -
Lindo e profundo
Não sou muito de literatura, mas essa foi muito bem narrada e me surpreendeu. Oiça até o final e vc se sentirá como se fosse o autor.. -
Revised rating
I have this app 2 stars earlier for the audio advertisements. I just found out you can pay less than $3 to remove advertising for a year. I believe that’s fair and well worth it. They have to operate. -
What an amazing resource
Incredible. This is a most beautiful expression of the internet. -
Love it
I love to listen to story’s -
Pretty good
Works well- some of the readers don’t do to well,but it works fine🙂 -
Pretty great
I really appreciate how it’s free. Helps me with school so much. Thanks for this great app. -
Life giving
This app provides a wealth of knowledge . A true oasis for all who thirst in a age of ignorance and distraction.
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Unbelievably awesome
I have used LibriVox for the past three years and am always consistently blown away by the skill of some of these amateur readers. I also have Audible, and with both combined I feel like there is always something interesting and new to experience. LibriVox's best feature is the wide, free use of public domain writings. The search for good readers is rewarding, albeit different than Audible. The difference is that with LibriVox it doesn't cost me a cent. Excellent. The mobile app is very straightforward, and in a way offers even more options than my subscription, in particular the playback speeds. -
Great collection with awesome readings
I really love how this app has grown since I first started using it. I have a love for Germanic folklore especially core mythology books like the Eddas and the Sagas. When I first started using this app they had literally two audio books on Norse and Germanic myth. One was awesome, the other...not so much. But now there are quite a few more including readings of both Eddas as well as a few sagas and some are in more than one language. The readings are well done and easy to understand. I am super impressed with the progress of this project so far and I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow. -
Great listening option
If you want to listen to great literature from the past and don’t have the time to read, this is a wonderful application. You can pull up documents of historical and religious significance. You can listen while they are read to you and you were able to do another activity while you’re listening. I have especially enjoyed listening to William Bradford‘s record of Plymouth colony. I highly recommend it. You have no idea of the myriad obstacles the Pilgrims overcame until you’ve listened to it. -
Totally enjoying this app.
I am truly enjoying this app. For the past week I’ve been downloading books and listening to them when I go to bed. I honestly believe I am sleeping better since I started this. Perhaps it’s because our mother used to read to us before we went to sleep at night. As a child it made me feel safe and content. Whatever it is I am thankful that my sister told me about her experience with audiobooks which peeked my curiosity enough that I went looking for apps and found this one. Thank you. -
Commercials
I absolutely love this app! I have arthritis, very bad, in my phone, so I need to use audiobooks. I do, however, have one huge complaint! I set a timer, so that I can slip off, to sleep, each night. I understand the need to advertise, and have seen many, included with the pictures of books. I don’t mind that at all! But now I find, that as I drop off to sleep, a VERY loud and intrusive, pop up, and wake me. So instead of using this app every night, I must use a library audiobook. Very disappointing! -
Great!
I love this app because there is so much variety and it's all free. I love that it picks up where I left off and I can get there with one click of the resume button. I have only had 1 book out of the dozen I've downloaded that had ads and they were very short and in between chapters so it didn't bother the flow of the book. The content is so diverse. I am part of a smaller Christian denomination but they have multiple books written by pioneers of my church. Truly amazing. Keep up the good work. -
Love
I used & loved this app for years. After not having an apple device for a while I just rediscovered it and I’m so excited (I think you can use it through their website as well though). It’s easier than overdrive because I don’t have to worry about having a time limit and I think it’s a bit more user friendly too. Also great selection for free, especially as I love the classic authors and have found some really unique and educational stuff too. Five stars all the way. -
Absolutely amazing
I LOVE this app! It’s awesome! It has SO many classic books and all for free! And from a ton of really GREAT readers to! Classic books are my favorite but they’re so hard to find now-a-days. And with this I can listen to them anytime anywhere! It’s awesome. And there are books by my favorite authors that o didn’t even know existed! For example did you know that the author of little woman (Louisa may Alcott) wrote a TON more amazing books! I totally recommend this app and make sure to listen to Louisa May Alcotts forgotten classics! -
Great app, ads are too loud
This app is very useful I have enjoyed hours of stories for a while. Many aspects of the app I enjoy but recently they added recorded advertisements which I think harms this app. They are really loud and jarring. I often listen to stories to sleep but the ads are unpredictable and at a different volume than the stories and invariably startle me. I really hope they change this aspect. It has been a really harmful update to this app and makes it less pleasant to use. -
Very Good Book Selection & Easy to Use App
I’ve been using the LibriVox App to listen to various books for a few months now. One of the things I appreciate is the wide variety of books about historical events and or people. One of the things that I like is that once I find a subject that I like, I can then search for other books that are similar. Which is much much better than the App forcing me to look at books that the App thinks I might like. Thank You for this App.
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Still Handy, but Disappointing
I’ve used Librivox for a number of years, through undergrad and grad school, and have found it tremendously helpful as an English major. The voices help liven up the texts and make difficult works much easier to follow. More recently, however, I’ve been disappointed by the addition of advertisements at the end of chapters and such. While they could be much more intrusive, it’s still a disruption to the experience and overall nuisance. Luckily, you can work around them by tapping on the next chapter, but having to do so feels unnecessary. I wish they would have just stuck to having a small visual ad at the bottom of the page. A small matter, which most people probably don’t care about, but enough to make me go to other audio reading providers sometimes. That said, Librivox is still my go-to reader, and it is very helpful overall. -
Great app but new reading speed controls bad
LibriVox used to be the perfect app for free audiobooks, and as a English graduate student, I still use it daily for reading. However, I’m greatly disappointed by the new app update, specifically the changes to the speed settings. You used to be able to change the speed and see how fast you were setting it, but now it’s just a sliding scale with no numbers. The old version also allowed you to go much faster than x2 speed, which honestly is necessary with some of the slower readers (I think the old version went to x2.5 or x3 speed). If they could improve the speed controls I’m sure I’m not the only one who would greatly appreciate it! -
5-Star content, one annoying problem
This review is for the app (LibriVox is one of the best things on the modern internet). Playback and downloading works well. Search algorithm finds what you want most of the time (though having separate entries for different readings of the same book makes things more complicated than they need to be). The only serious problem is ads. Not that they exist. They’re infrequent and generally tasteful. It’s the VOLUME. The ads don’t seem to be scaled to the same volume as the books. Rather, whenever an ad plays there’s a large spike in volume and I’m inevitably startled if I’m wearing headphones. It’s particularly troublesome if you’re listening to a book to help you sleep. -
Fantastic app
I love this app and all the volunteers who make it so valuable. There are so many great books on here and many of the volunteer readers do a fantastic job even doing different voices for each of the books characters. Because I work for at least 10 hours a day mostly driving heavy equipment I have lots of time to listen to something but precious little time to read even though I love books. This app has made it possible for me to enjoy literature without sacrificing family time and other after work activities. -
Happy to find this app
We love LibriVox for long car rides. We've been happy with the number of titles from which we can choose, and appreciate that we can hear literary classics we may never have read--nor would have the time to read now. The voice quality varies, but we do get used to the accent, if the reader has one. And only once have we refused to listen to a story because of the reader. We love having an app because we can download ahead of time to avoid using data while on the road. -
Regular librivox user
I’m rating this based on the app itself. It’s glitchy and weird. I wish it was more intuitive and useful for saving books. It often loses where I’m at in a book and I often have to go fish for the same book over and over again. That said- this is a service I did not pay for, listening to books I did not pay for. I’m very thankful for all the volunteers and donors who made it possible, even if it’s a pain sometimes ;) -
Wonderful! But makes my phone hot
Something about this app heats up my phone like nothing I've felt before. But the books are worth! Quality recordings of a variety of writings. Only other thing I don't like is that is pauses/freezes when listening through to the next section. Each time a new one starts, I have to pause and unpause several times for it to start again. -
I love the app but
I love the story but the ads are terrible. I use this to help me sleep and when an ad comes up it spikes up the volume a lot. I have it playing through a speaker and other people on the other side of the house can here it. I try turning my WiFi off to stop the ads but the app turns my WiFi back on by itself and I don’t know how. If this can be fixed it would be amazing. -
Good, free books! Does have flaws but good!
Very good for books, you don’t need a library card or have to wait to get books. Has some books that I probably wouldn’t be able to find in many other places. Does have ads at times after finishing a chapter or two, and doesn’t have a very smooth transition from chapter to chapter. But it’s a good app if you want free audiobooks! -
Great project
This is a fantastic project. Invaluable. The audio advertisements are new and are jarring. I don't mind the visual advertisements because I understand that projects benefit from having money. But the audio ones seem out of place. I'm listening to some amazing piece from hundreds of years ago and then I get blasted with some loud commercial. It's really worth it to consider changing this.
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Don’t bother paying to remove ads...
These public domain books are read by readers with vastly varying skills. Most of what I’ve heard is pretty amateurish, but there are some very good contributions. The jewel in crown, of course, is that the service makes so many great books available to audio readers. You just have to do a bit of searching to find a combination of good book/good reader. The app is moderately intuitive and a bit glitchy. Most disconcerting of all, though, is that payment to remove ads does...nothing. The ads are annoying, at best, and there seems no way to really communicate effectively with the apps designer. Ultimately, though, I’m an avid listener of books, and this gives me another tool in my audio book tool box. -
Please help!
Firstly, I LOVE this app! Thank you for making it possible for me to revisit old classic books and find new ones through your app. Lately, though, it’s been such a chore to open the app and continue with a book. If I don’t happen to finish a chapter before closing the app, it will take me back to the beginning of the chapter when I’m ready to start listening again. It’s very difficult sometimes to fast forward and find my place! This is a relatively new problem (over the last month, I’d say). Is there anyway to fix this? Is there a setting I inadvertently turned on? Thank you for a timely answer! I WILL change my rating to 5 stars when this is fixed!! -
I used to consider this a 4star app...
Because LibriVox is volunteer based, it was never going to be 5 stars—90% of the readers are very good, but there’s that 10% who aren’t. However, due to the sudden appearance of ridiculously loud ads after a mere 30 minutes or so of listening, I’m finding this borderline unusable. I’ve had LibriVox for years (and loved it!) and this issue has only come up for me recently. It makes me sad—and annoyed and startled when I’m using the app to fall asleep. Another free audiobook option bites the dust.... -
Great potential
I *really* appreciate all the work that must go into making all these “books on tape” available and easy to “read” when you can’t do the actual reading yourself. Having said that, my first Librivox book is pretty dense & I need to slow it down to really take it in. But if I slow it down, there’s a horrible echo, which makes it unusable! :( Please fix this; I’m eager to listen & give the app the high star rating it (almost) deserves. -
what’s going on?
librivox Seems to have really slept… Like no one’s at home on my end the store. Are you just a shell now to get people to sign up for audible? Or the horrendous other ads that blast through the box for listening to? After I finish this book I think I’ll be moving on to other sites for my free classic audiobooks… I’ve listen to you guys for years but between the hands and the glitches… But not worth it and that’s even for free. sad. -
Hello
This is such a good book app I mean I think that everyone she gets up just don’t listen to what I would do is just change the ad because like this in the night time and I hear it like an ad for them to wake up so I will just cancel out the Advil to possibly do that but yes please cancel all the ads because it’s just when you’re sleeping in here so hard but some people might not like it for raising kids and I listen to this is not a good -
Great website, not great app realization
LibriVox is awesome! But this app has some bugs. Number 1 problem for me is that I cannot get the books to play continually from chapter to chapter. The playback always stops at the end of every chapter & I have to wake up my phone & have the app open in order for it to go on to the next chapter. And the time it takes for this process between chapters is a real drag. Sometimes up to 1 minute.
Filter Reviews
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Better audiobook options out there
1. After I’ve downloaded a book (I’ve tried multiple), I am suppose to be able to listen to it offline. This is not the case. When I try to do this, it makes it seem like the book(s) haven’t been downloaded, yet they show up in my library. 2. Not enough selection overall. I especially enjoy self-help books and there just aren’t that many to choose from.
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Terrible
Should have Category of whose reading Tried 3 books and three readers were so bad I stopped looking for audio books Would not buy again -
Very annoying
. I don't like this app because of all the “classic’s” and as we all know that classics are books that do not make any sense -
Went from great, to crap
I really like this app. I use it almost every day. But out of nowhere it won’t play any books, and shows me a message asking if I’m connected to the internet?? Obviously. Such a shame -
Plays political ads every few minutes
I’ve used this app for a while and loved it. Then they started selling ads which cut in every few minutes. -
Terrible App
The content is great but the app is a complete mess and seems very dated. Loud political ads in between chapters. -
Even downloaded books poised with commercial
It used to be a clean and great audiobook place and narrators record n upload benevolently. But either McGuire sold and left or he need money but the commercial added on each chapter make the books unlistenable and turn the place into a cheap house. -
Needs work
Keeps crashing, also, FAA books are out of date -
One ad too many: NRA
I concur with a previous reviewer about the ads: If you don't like them, you can buy the Pro version. That's fine: But I can also choose to boycott both apps if I see an ad from the National Rifle Association on the free app, and let other users know why I'm doing it. (On the NRA homepage, there are pictures of backpacks and a knife, but no firearms at all. I wonder why.) -
Monetizing other people’s work is not okay
This is NOT an official LibriVox app—there isn’t one. There are ads here, which means they’re monetizing a resource created to avoid monetization. Not okay. -
Please add this feature...
I would like to request that a option to be able to sync bookmarks between devices cross platform. If I am reading on my iPhone and continue on the app on my android phone I would be able to just continue the book.!That would be a great feature to have when listening to a audiobook Thank you.
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Better audiobook options out there
1. After I’ve downloaded a book (I’ve tried multiple), I am suppose to be able to listen to it offline. This is not the case. When I try to do this, it makes it seem like the book(s) haven’t been downloaded, yet they show up in my library. 2. Not enough selection overall. I especially enjoy self-help books and there just aren’t that many to choose from.
No reviews available
- You'll have access to 24,000+ audiobooks in the palm of your hand that can be streamed or downloaded for later use
- An audiobook that is easy to use with stop playback, sleep timer, unlimited bookmarks, and it even remembers the last page you read
- Improve your listening skills at the correct volume with a built-in volume normalization setting
Reviewed by Chris on February 13, 2018
More by BookDesign LLC
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LibriVox Audio Books
1M+ Downloads24,000 free audio books!CostFreeFreeIn-App Purchases$1.99 per item$0.49 - $2.49 per itemCouponsNo CouponsWhat Users Said228 said “free books”148 said “easy to use”121 said “free audio books” -
LibriVox Audio Books Supporter
10K+ Downloads24,000 free audio books and no ads!Cost1.992.99In-App PurchasesNoNoCouponsNo CouponsWhat Users SaidNo Data Available -
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Release Notes
8.1.1
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LibriVox Audio Books
Last Verified: 04/15/2021
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