Audible Launches $8.99 Standard Subscription Plan

Amazon-owned Audible launched a new subscription tier on Tuesday, introducing the Standard plan priced at $8.99 per month in the United States. The offering, which expands access to audiobooks and podcasts, is now available in the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France, with testing underway in additional markets.

The Standard plan provides subscribers with one monthly credit to select any audiobook from Audible's catalog of over 900,000 titles. Users can stream or download these selections for playback, but access ends if the subscription is canceled, unlike the company's existing Premium Plus plan. That higher-tier option, at $14.95 per month, allows permanent ownership of chosen audiobooks. The Standard plan also grants unlimited, ad-free listening to a curated library that includes Audible Originals and approximately 200 popular titles previously available through Wondery, such as the podcasts "Dr. Death" and "American Scandal." Several series, including "The Shrink Next Door," "Dying for Sex," and "Ghost Story," are now exclusive to Audible members.

Audible officials described the new plan as a response to diverse listening habits among consumers. "By...