Free Audiobooks on Spotify: Everything Students Need to Know

Smashing your reading goals just got easier — and cheaper.

If you love books but struggle to sit down and actually read them, audiobooks are a game-changer. Whether you're commuting to uni, grinding at the gym, or just lying in bed with your eyes closed, an audiobook lets you get through stories without the screen time.

The catch used to be cost — individual audiobooks aren't cheap, and dedicated platforms like Audible require yet another subscription. But Spotify has quietly become one of the best free audiobook options around, and if you're already paying for Premium (or the student plan), you might already have access to more than you realise.

Here's everything you need to know.

How does Spotify audiobooks actually work?

Spotify now hosts a library of over 300,000 audiobooks. More than 250,000 of those are included in the free monthly allowance for Premium subscribers — so you're not just getting access to a handful of titles.

Here's how it breaks down by plan:

Free Spotify users: No free audiobook hours. You can purchase individual titles outright, but there's no monthly allowance.
Spotify Premium (Individual, £12.99/month): 15 free hours of audiobooks per month included. Once you hit the limit, you can top up with an extra 10 hours for £9.99, or buy the audiobook outright.

Can students get Spotify audiobooks for free?

Sort of — but with an important catch.

Spotify Premium for Students costs £5.99/month (after a free one-month trial), which is less than half the standard Premium price of £12.99. However, the student plan is currently focused on music and podcasts, and does not include the 15-hour monthly audiobook allowance that comes with the standard Premium plan.

If audiobooks are a priority for you, the standard Individual Premium plan is what you need. But if you're mainly in it for the music and want to dip into an audiobook occasionally, the student plan still lets you purchase individual audiobooks on top of your subscription.

Worth knowing: Student Beans sometimes has Spotify deals, so check there before subscribing.

How to start listening to audiobooks on Spotify

Open the Spotify app (mobile or desktop)
Use the search bar and select "Audiobooks" as the content type, or browse directly from the Search page
Find a title and hit play — Premium subscribers will use their monthly hour allowance automatically
Add titles to your library to keep track of what you want to listen to

The best audiobooks on Spotify right now

Not sure where to start? Here are some of our top picks across genres — all available as part of the Premium audiobook library.

Fantasy & Romantasy

Fantasy books tend to be long, which makes them perfect for audio. Great options include:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
Babel by R.F. Kuang
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

Thrillers

For those who like their stories tense and twisty:

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara
The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas
Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse
The Switch by Lily Samson

Horror

Not for the faint-hearted — but brilliant with good headphones:

You Like It Darker by Stephen King
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

Romance

Perfect for commutes and cosy evenings:

Happy Place by Emily Henry
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
In Memoriam by Alice Winn

All-time bestsellers

If you're not sure where to start, you can't go wrong with these:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Mythos by Stephen Fry
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Tips for getting the most from your 15 hours

Download audiobooks over Wi-Fi and listen offline to save mobile data
Increase playback speed to 1.25x or 1.5x — you can get through books faster without losing comprehension
Use the sleep timer if you like falling asleep to audiobooks (it stops playback automatically)
Check your monthly usage in the app so you don't accidentally burn through your allowance in one go

Want more to read?

Check out our Rory Gilmore reading list for even more book inspiration. And if you need quality headphones to actually enjoy your audiobooks, we have tech student discounts worth checking out.

Unlock even more with Student Beans

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