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Audible had a modification of its membership subscription plans, Audible Plus and Premium Plus, in late August 2020. The Premium Plus was a replacement of their prior existing gold and platinum membership plan, while the Audible Plus plan was a new establishment entirely. Now, you may be wondering what the differences between the two plans are and what they offer.
The major difference between the two plans is their subscription fee and membership benefits. Hence, this edge the Premium Plus plan has over the Audible Plus plan.
The Audible Plus plan, established in late August 2020, grants you access to a pool of endless benefits. This includes the streaming of audiobooks, podcasts, medication audios, Audible Originals, and more, available in the Audible Plus Catalog.
In this Audible Plus Catalog, subscribers have access to over 68,000 hours of audio streaming and 11,000-plus books. It is also available for 1 month at $7.95 monthly after the initial 30-day free trial.
Premium Plus was the renamed version of the previous Gold and Platinum membership subscription plans. In addition, it still retains its old qualities and price. The added benefit Premium Plus has over Audible Plus is that it contains all that Audible Plus has to offer. Furthermore, there is unlimited access to all Audible’s features, with a bonus of one credit per month.
You can use that earned credit as an exchange for any book in the Premium Catalog, regardless of its price. But, these Premium offers comes at an increased subscription amount of $14.95 per month. This amount grants you one credit while $22.95 per month grants you two credits.
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus: A Side-by-Side Comparison
| Audible Plus | Premium Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Fee | $7.95 per month | $14.95 per month (1 credit bonus), $22.95 per month (2 credit bonuses) |
| Free Trial? | Yes, grants you a 30-day free trial before your subscription starts counting | Yes, grants you a 30-day free trial before your subscription starts counting |
| Catalog Access | Grants you access to the Audible Plus Catalog only | Grants you access to both the Audible Plus Catalog and Premium Plus Catalog |
| Amount of Available Titles | Over 11,000 titles | Nearly 500,000 titles |
| Credits to Earn | No credit to earn | One credit to earn per month for the $14.95 plan, and two credits to earn for the $22.95 plan |
| Available Discounts | No available discount | Yes, discounts are available exclusively |
| Audio Book Ownership | You can’t own the books forever. They are only available for as long as your subscription lasts. | You can own a book with the exchange credit for the book feature, and the book will stay yours for as long as you want. |
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus: What’s the Difference?
Audible Plus
Pros
- Grants access to over 11,000 books from the Audible Plus Catalog
- Cheaper subscription fee
Cons
- Does not grant you access to your downloaded books after the expiration of your subscription
- You can not own any of the audiobooks
- No available discount offered
Premium Plus
Pros
- Grants you access to books from both the Audible Plus Catalog and Premium Plus Catalog
- Discount of 30% off any selected premium title
- You have full ownership of any book along with the exchange credit for the book feature
Cons
- More expensive
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Price
The Audible Plus monthly subscription fee is cheaper than the Premium Plus, with a monthly subscription fee of $7.95, almost half of what the Premium Plus charges at $14.95 per month.
The Premium Plus monthly fee is well worth the cost because it comes with an added benefit of one credit per month, which you can then use to exchange for any available book. Another benefit the Premium Plus offers is a bonus of a 30% discount on any of its premium audiobook selections.
These additional features in the Premium Plus plan make it better than the Audible Plus plan, even though it is more expensive. So, calculating the subscription fee per year for the Audible Plus plan would be $95.60, which you can choose to pay in one sitting and forget about the renewal for the rest of the year.
For the Premium Plus plan, a full one-year subscription payment would grant you twelve credits at once, which can be used to exchange 12 audiobooks at $149.50. If you are using the Premium Plus plan of $22.95 per month, a full one-year subscription payment would give you 24 credits for exchanging 24 audiobooks at $229.50.
Audible Catalog
Another striking difference between Audible Plus and Premium Plus is the number of available titles in their various catalogs. Audible Plus subscribers are granted access to 11,000+ titles in its Audible Plus Catalog. In contrast, the Premium Plus subscribers are granted access to all available titles in Audible Plus Catalog and its Premium Catalog, reaching up to 500,000 titles.
In these catalogs, you are open to various audiobooks, including fiction, non-fiction, audible originals, exclusive podcasts, and every possible book genre you can think of. A special benefit given to Premium Plus subscribers is that the books available in the Premium Catalog are usually new releases and popular/trending books. This is unlike Audible Plus, where you have access to only older books and classics.
Ownership of Audiobooks and Discounts
The ownership of the content on the Premium Plus plan is made available with the exchange of credit for book option. As a Premium Plus subscriber, you can own a free book from the Premium Plus Catalog monthly without any extra payment. However, this benefit does not apply to Audible Plus subscribers.
Audible Plus subscribers can only access 11,000+ titles from its Audible Plus Catalog for streaming and in-library download, without personal ownership of books. Once your subscription plan expires or is canceled, all your downloaded audiobooks are automatically lost.
As for discounts, there is no discount or exclusive sales offers on the Audible Plus plan. However, in the Premium Plus plan, you are granted a 30% discount on any of their exclusive services.
So, suppose you are not bothered about new releases, discounts, and ownership of books. In that case, you can opt for the Audible Plus plan because it offers just enough books to keep yourself occupied when you need it.
But, if you are a hardcore audiobook reader and can’t just get enough of the services Audible Plus has to offer, then you can upgrade to Premium Plus as it covers the entire library Audible has to offer, with an added benefit of newer book releases and book ownership benefits.
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus: Must Know Facts
- Credits given to Premium Plus users can be held for one year before it expires. That means you can decide to use your credits immediately or keep them for later use.
- As soon as your subscription is cancelled in Audible Plus, you automatically lose all access to your previously selected titles in the Audible Plus Catalog. That means that at the end of your month’s subscription, all audiobooks are taken out of your account without access to be able to listen to them.
- In the Premium Plus plan, audiobooks can be returned by their subscribers if they no longer feel satisfied with them within 1 year after the initial purchase of the book.
- Audiobooks exchanged with credits in the Premium Plus plan are forever owned by you. You can access them outside the app and listen to them for as long as you like.
- Audiobooks in the Audible Plus Catalog are all available for you to borrow. That means you get to listen to an audiobook but not claim ownership unless you can own a book by exchanging your credit for a book in the Premium Plus plan.
- Audible Plus subscribers can also access Premium Plus Catalog only by making a full purchase without a discount.
Audible Plus vs. Premium Plus: Which One is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Regarding the above comparison, it is clear to us that the Premium Plus plan, though on the more expensive side, has better benefits and exclusive services that make up for its price; therefore, the best plan for you to choose is the Premium Plus.
However, if you feel the titles available in Audible Plus are just enough for you and you are comfortable with them, then you can opt for it instead. But, if you’re an avid audiobook listener who loves to keep up with trending books and updates, Premium Plus is your best pick.
