I’ve had an Audible membership for years. Started because I wanted to read more but couldn’t find the time. Between work, driving the kids around, and the general chaos of life with two kids, sitting down with a physical book wasn’t happening as much as I wanted.
Audible Originals changed how I think about the platform. They’re not regular audiobooks. They’re exclusive productions, some with full casts and cinematic sound design, that you can’t get anywhere else. Think Netflix originals, but for your ears.
Here’s what they actually are, which ones are worth your time, and whether the membership makes sense for you.
Jump to:
- What Are Audible Originals?
- Audible Plans Explained
- Best Originals Worth Listening To
- Originals for Kids and Families
- Can You Keep Them After Canceling?
- Audible vs. the Competition
What Are Audible Originals?
Audible Originals are audiobooks, podcasts, and audio dramas produced exclusively by Audible Studios. They’re only available on Audible, similar to how Netflix Originals only live on Netflix.
They come in several formats:
- Full audiobooks written specifically for audio
- Celebrity readings of classics (Rosamund Pike reading Pride & Prejudice, for example)
- Full-cast audio dramas with cinematic sound design (The Sandman is the best known)
- Exclusive podcast series
- Short-form content (30-90 minutes) and long-form productions (multiple hours)
The key difference from regular audiobooks: publishers produce standard audiobooks and sell them through multiple retailers. Audible produces Originals themselves and keeps them exclusive to their platform.
One thing worth knowing: Audible Originals and Audible Exclusives are not the same thing. Originals are produced by Audible Studios. Exclusives are third-party audiobooks locked into Audible-only distribution through their ACX platform, which offers authors higher royalties for going exclusive. The distinction matters if you care about supporting independent bookstores, since Exclusives can’t be purchased through Libro.fm or your local shop.
Audible Plans Explained
Audible has three tiers. Here’s the honest breakdown:
Free (no membership) costs nothing. You get access to a rotating selection of free audiobooks and Originals with just an Amazon account. Most people don’t know this option exists.
Audible Plus runs $7.95/month. No credits. You get unlimited streaming from the Plus Catalog, which includes thousands of Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts. The catch: you don’t own anything. Cancel your membership and you lose access to everything.
Premium Plus (1 credit) is $14.95/month. You get everything in Plus, plus one monthly credit to buy any title from the full 475,000+ catalog. What you buy with credits is yours forever, even after canceling. You also get 30% off additional purchases.
Premium Plus (2 credits) is $22.95/month. Same deal, two credits instead of one.
Annual plans exist too. The 12-credit annual plan ($149.50) brings the per-credit cost down to about $12.46, which is solid.
Which plan makes sense? If you just want to browse Originals and don’t care about ownership, Plus is fine at $7.95. If you want to build a library you keep forever, go Premium Plus. I use Premium Plus because I like owning the books I’ve listened to.
Best Audible Originals Worth Listening To
I’ll skip the generic “top 50” list. These are the ones I’d actually recommend to another dad who likes stories.
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is the crown jewel of Audible Originals. Full-cast audio drama of Gaiman’s legendary graphic novel series. James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Andy Serkis, Riz Ahmed, Michael Sheen. Three acts, 11+ hours total. If you’ve ever been curious about The Sandman but didn’t want to commit to the comics, start here.
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi won the 2017 Audie Award for Best Original Work. Short (about 2 hours), punchy premise: when people are murdered, they come back to life. Great for a single commute.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. A software engineer dies and wakes up as a self-replicating space probe. Funny, nerdy, and surprisingly emotional. Audible named it their Best Sci-Fi of 2016. The whole Bobiverse series is worth going through.
How Not to F*ck Up Your Kids Too Bad by Stephen Marche. An Audible Original aimed directly at fathers. Covers screen time, discipline, conversations about hard topics. The one “parenting book” on this list that doesn’t feel like a parenting book.
Moriarty: The Devil’s Game stars Dominic Monaghan (Lost, Lord of the Rings) and Billy Boyd. Sherlock Holmes universe told from the villain’s perspective. Multiple Ambie Award nominations. If you grew up on Sherlock Holmes, this is a fresh take.
The Left Right Game is based on a viral Reddit story. Sci-fi horror about a mysterious road that doesn’t exist on any map. Genuinely creepy. Good for late-night listening after the kids are in bed.
There Is No Antimemetics Division. SCP Foundation sci-fi about entities that are impossible to remember. Audible’s Sci-Fi Audiobook of the Year 2022. This one is weird in the best way.
Audible Originals for Kids and Families
This is where Audible gets interesting for parents.
Audible partnered with Disney to release immersive Originals based on Cars, Frozen, and Star Wars, plus 60+ exclusive audiobooks. For younger kids, there’s a Peppa Pig podcast and Sesame Street’s Foley and Friends.
Middle grade picks worth knowing about:
- Letters from Camp (produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, full cast, 3 seasons)
- Stuck by Chris Grabenstein (boy wishes to stay 11 forever)
- Mystwick School of Musicraft (magic school, solid middle grade)
- The House at Pooh Corner (full cast with Dame Judi Dench and Stephen Fry)
The Kids Profile feature is useful. You create a profile in the Audible app, share specific titles from your library, and your kids only see what you’ve shared. No age-inappropriate content leaking through. One membership, the whole family uses it.
My kids are 11 and 13 now, so they’ve aged out of the Disney stuff. But Letters from Camp still holds up, and The House at Pooh Corner is genuinely good at any age.
Can You Keep Audible Originals?
This confuses people, so here’s the simple version.
Streamed from the Plus Catalog: You can listen as long as you’re a member. Cancel and you lose access. You don’t own it.
Purchased with a credit or bought outright: Yours forever. Even after canceling. It stays in your library.
The practical advice: if you find an Original you love, buy it with a credit so you own it. Streaming is fine for browsing and discovery, but ownership matters for the ones you’ll want to revisit.
Audible vs. the Competition
Spotify added audiobooks in 2022 and now has 375,000+ titles. Premium users get 15 hours per month of listening. But there’s no ownership (hours don’t even roll over), and Spotify has no original audiobook content worth mentioning.
Apple Books is purchase-only. No subscription, no credits. You own what you buy. No exclusive audio content.
Libro.fm costs $14.99/month and supports independent bookstores. DRM-free downloads. The ethical choice. But they don’t carry any Audible Originals or Exclusives, on principle. If you want The Sandman or The Dispatcher, Libro.fm isn’t an option.
Bottom line: Audible is the only platform producing significant original audio content. If Originals matter to you, there’s no real alternative right now. If you care more about supporting indie bookstores and DRM-free files, Libro.fm is the better pick. I’ve used both at different times.
What’s Next
Check out our best audiobooks guide for more recommendations beyond Originals.
If you want to try Audible, their 30-day free trial includes access to the full Plus Catalog, so you can test Originals before committing.
For book recommendations across all formats, browse our guides for different age groups and our hardcover vs. softcover guide if you’re deciding between formats.
About These Recommendations
I’m George. I read to my kids for 10+ years before they started reading on their own. My wife’s a therapist who helped pick books that actually matter for development. Everything on this site got tested on our family first.
FAQs
Exclusive audiobooks, podcasts, and audio dramas produced by Audible Studios. They’re only available on Audible and include full-cast dramas, celebrity narrations of classic novels, and original content you can’t find on any other platform.
Many Originals are included in the Plus Catalog, which comes with any Audible membership ($7.95/month and up). Some are available for free with just an Amazon account. Premium titles outside the catalog require a credit or separate purchase.
Only if you bought them with a credit or purchased them outright. Titles streamed from the Plus Catalog become inaccessible when your membership ends. Purchased titles stay in your library permanently.
Most Originals in the Plus Catalog don’t require a credit. They show “Add to Library” instead of a purchase price. Some premium Originals outside the catalog do require a credit or a direct purchase.
Regular audiobooks are produced by publishers and sold through multiple retailers like Libro.fm, Apple Books, and Audible. Originals are produced by Audible Studios and are exclusive to the Audible platform. They often feature full casts, cinematic sound design, and formats that standard audiobooks don’t offer.
Among the highest rated: The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (full-cast drama), The Dispatcher by John Scalzi (Audie Award winner), We Are Legion/Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor (sci-fi), and Moriarty: The Devil’s Game (thriller). For parents, How Not to F*ck Up Your Kids Too Bad by Stephen Marche is worth a listen.
Yes. Audible partnered with Disney for immersive Originals based on Cars, Frozen, and Star Wars. They offer Peppa Pig and Sesame Street content for younger kids. The Kids Profile feature lets parents share specific titles while restricting access to adult content.
Audible offers title ownership through credits, a massive original content library, and kids profiles. Spotify gives Premium users 15 hours of streaming per month with no ownership and no significant original content. Audible has more titles (475,000+ vs. 375,000+) and produces exclusive audio dramas and productions that Spotify doesn’t match.