Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Audible vs. Learning Ally vs...?

There's another discussion happening here about recommended audiobooks... which made me want to ask you: where do you GET your audiobooks?

We are close to maxing out the audiobook CDs at our library and am looking for new ways to get audiobooks. I seek high-level books with clear readers and high quality for listeners with CAPD/dyslexia.

I have considered:
1. Librivox. Has awesome classics and is easy to use and is FREE. The volunteer readers are of quite varying quality.
2. Audible.com Seems easy to use and I really like the dramatic and clear quality of the readers. Not sure how expensive it is in reality, because there are several different levels of subscription.
3. Learning Ally. Pretty good selection. Can't hear samples or see who readers are, so I am not sure of quality. $119/year flat fee.

Do you use any of these? I have seen positive comments about Learning Ally from several on this board. Why did you choose Learning Ally over other options?

Which services have special additional services (e.g. DAISY format files, or a set-up that allows you most easily to follow in a book version).

Are there other services you'd recommend?

Anything else I should consider?

Seeking any advice regarding selection, quality, cost... and anything else about which I should be thinking but don't know about yet:)

Thank you!

Have you investigated digital downloads from your local public library? For us, this is a regional program with a good selection of titles now available. It is a tradeoff though - on the one hand it is free (if you ignore our outrageous property taxes), on the other you may have to wait in a queue for copies to become available AND the majority of the books are in WMA format (vs. MP3), which sucks for Mac OS users.

Thanks, amylou. We have tried the public library downloads. Some problems with this included really long wait times, we can only check out a few things at a time, there's a rotten interface (truly confusing and lots of errors), and, as you said, we are limited to the ones in mp3 format since we use a Mac with OSX. So the audio downloads from the library are, right now, not a great solution.

I think this will significantly improve in upcoming years, but am looking for a good solution in the meantime:)

Hi laurel, I've used both Learning Ally and Audible. Here's a short comparison.

The basic Audible membership is $7.49 for the first 3 months, then $14.95 each month after that. This adds up to $157 for the first year and $179 each year after. This membership gives you one book download per month. Any additional audiobooks must be paid for, with most books within the $20-30 range. They are professionally narrated, but not DAISY compatible. They can be played on a computer, Android app, or Apple app.

Learning Ally membership is $119 per year and allows you to download as many audiobooks as you want. They have over 75,000 volunteer-read titles in their library. They are recorded in professional recording studios and checked for quality. In addition to numerous genres of pleasure reading, the library also contains the world�s largest selection of audio textbooks. The audiobooks can be played on a DAISY device, computer, or Apple app.

Hope this helps!

Thanks, DyslexiParent! I appreciate your review!

You mentioned that you have used both Learning Ally and Audible... which did you settle on, or do you still use both?!

We are all enjoying the audiobooks, so this has been fun for the whole family:)

Laurel

I ended up going with Learning Ally because it�s more cost effective and we�ve been able to find almost all the books my daughter needs. She listens to them by herself on her iPhone, but we also like playing them aloud in the car on road trips.

Thanks, DP. Sounds like you've got a good set-up! Enjoy!