Yes. LibriVox audiobooks are completely free. There is no subscription, no trial, no account and no ads. You can stream them, download them and share them.
Why they're free
LibriVox is a volunteer project, started in 2005, that records books whose copyright has expired. Two things make the audiobooks free:
- The books are in the public domain. LibriVox only records texts that are out of copyright in the United States, such as classics by Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle or Mark Twain. Nobody owns them anymore, so nobody needs to be paid to read them aloud.
- The recordings are given away. Volunteers donate their time, and LibriVox releases every recording into the public domain. That means the audio itself also belongs to everyone.
LibriVox is a non-profit. It doesn't sell anything or show ads, and it covers its small running costs through occasional donation drives. The Internet Archive hosts the audio files for free.
Where you can listen
- On librivox.org: stream chapter by chapter or download the whole book as MP3 files, an M4B audiobook file or a podcast feed.
- In apps and sites that use LibriVox recordings: because the audio is public domain, other services can offer it too. On AudioAZ, for example, you can stream LibriVox books in a continuous player on the web or in our free iOS and Android apps, with no account. See LibriVox vs AudioAZ for how the two compare.
Is there any catch?
There are two things to know:
- Copyright outside the US. "Public domain" depends on the country. LibriVox checks US law. Some books are free in the US but still protected elsewhere, usually because the author died less than 70 years ago (for example, some early 20th-century authors in the UK and EU). If you are outside the US, check your local rules before downloading or sharing those titles.
- Volunteer narrators. Quality varies. Some readers are professional-sounding, others are learning. Popular books often have several recordings, so you can pick a voice you like.
Watch out for sites that charge for LibriVox recordings or bundle them as a "free trial" of a paid service. You never need to pay for a LibriVox audiobook.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to create an account? No. Neither LibriVox nor AudioAZ requires an account to listen.
Can I download LibriVox audiobooks? Yes. Every book page on librivox.org links to downloadable files, and you may keep them.
Can I use LibriVox recordings in my own project? Yes. The recordings are public domain, so you can reuse them, even commercially.
Where should I start? Try a short classic like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or browse our lists of free mystery audiobooks and free audiobooks for kids.