What does each kind of reading app cost in Q4 2026?
Pick the job first and the price follows. Borrowing is $0 with a library card, an ebook or audiobook catalog costs $7.99 to $11.99 a month, an audiobook you keep costs about $15 a credit (as little as $9.56 on Audible's 24-credit year), tracking is free with optional tiers up to $80 a year, and a recap of a book you already own costs $1.40 to $4.99 with Magic Bookmark or nothing extra inside a Kindle ebook. US prices, checked 4 November 2026, before tax.
Summary for Best Reading Apps. The full study, with its dataset and method, is published at its canonical URL.
By the Best Reading Apps editors · Published 4 November 2026 · Checked 4 November 2026 · Desk research
How much does each reading job cost?
Prices below come from each provider's official pricing page or its US App Store listing, read on 4 November 2026.
| Job | Cheapest option | Typical paid option |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow ebooks and audiobooks | Libby, Hoopla: $0 with a library card | Not needed |
| Read from a catalog | Kobo Plus Read: $7.99 a month | Kindle+: $11.99 a month |
| Listen from a catalog | Kobo Plus Listen: $7.99 a month | Spotify Audiobooks Access: $9.99 for 15 hours |
| Own audiobooks | Chirp deals from $1, no subscription | Audible or Libro.fm: $14.95 to $14.99 a credit |
| Track your reading | Goodreads: free | The StoryGraph, Hardcover, Fable: $49.99 a year |
| Recap where you are | Kindle Recaps: no separate fee, Kindle ebooks | Magic Bookmark: $1.40 to $4.99 a book, first free |
| Listen to any text | Speechify free tier | Speechify Premium: $29 a month or $139 a year |
How do monthly subscriptions compare?
What each plan gives you differs: catalog access (Kobo Plus, Kindle+), listening hours (Spotify), a set number of titles a month (Everand) or credits you keep (Audible, Libro.fm). Compare the unit, not just the price.
Which price facts matter before you subscribe?
- Where you pay matters. Audible Premium is $14.95 on audible.com and $15.99 in the iPhone app's purchase list; Audible Standard is $8.99 versus $9.99.
- Everand changed shape. Standard is still $11.99 a month but now includes one title a month; Plus ($16.99) adds three and Deluxe ($28.99) five.
- Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+. Same $11.99 a month, up to 20 titles at a time.
- Audible Plus is closed to new members. It is still $7.95 a month for people who already have it.
For every plan in one table, see our reading app price index, and for listeners, what one audiobook really costs.
What about families?
Family pricing in the index is thin. Spotify Premium Family ($21.99 a month for up to 6 accounts) includes 15 audiobook hours for the plan manager only. Bookly sells a Pro family plan at $9.99 a month on the App Store. Yomu, the maker of Magic Bookmark, also publishes YOMU - Family Reading Habits, which is free for tracking with optional Family Rewards at $9.99 a month or $95.99 a year (its App Store listing, checked 2 November 2026). See reading apps for kids.
How was the index built?
We read every plan a US reader can see on each official pricing page and every item in each app's US App Store purchase list, and a script confirmed that each price appears in the quoted source text. Cost per credit is the plan price divided by the credits it includes. Prices change without notice and differ by country, so the app's own page is the final word.
Questions
- What is the cheapest reading subscription?
- Kobo Plus Read or Kobo Plus Listen at $7.99 a month in the US. Libby and Hoopla are free with a library card.
- Which audiobook app is cheapest per book?
- Chirp deals start at $1 with no subscription. Among credit plans, Audible's 24-credit annual plan works out at $9.56 a credit if you use every credit.
- Do recap apps need a subscription?
- No. Magic Bookmark charges per book, and Kindle's recaps are included with eligible Kindle ebooks.
- Where is the full data?
- The full index, with every plan, its source and the exact text we read the price from, is published on our sister site Best Book Apps.
Sources
- Alegria Media and Consulting Ltd. (bestbookapps.com), Reading app price index, Q4 2026, read 4 November 2026.
- Rakuten Kobo, Kobo Plus eBook & Audiobook Subscription (US), read 2 November 2026.
- Amazon News, Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+: Everything you need to know (updated 22 October 2026), read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Everand: Audiobooks & Ebooks, read 2 November 2026.
- Audible, Membership Plans & Pricing, read 4 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts, read 2 November 2026.
- Spotify, Spotify Audiobooks (US), read 2 November 2026.
- Libro.fm, Audiobook membership, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Magic Bookmark: Book Recaps, read 4 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), YOMU - Family Reading Habits, read 2 November 2026.
- Apple App Store (US), Bookly: Book Tracker, read 2 November 2026.