Scribd Uncovered: An Honest, In-Depth Review

This Scribd review shows it is a huge resource of the written word, but if you are looking for unlimited reading and listening to major blockbuster book titles, it does not exist. Scribd is a good unlimited audiobook subscription service but is plagued by limited major book titles and user access throttling.

While Scribd claims to be the Netflix of Audiobooks and the written word, the reality is quite different.

Scribd Review Summary

Our Scribd review and test reveal that Scribd has a huge library of books, audiobooks, and magazines. However, if you are looking for unlimited audiobook access to premium titles, you will be disappointed, as the selection is weak, and access is throttled.

There are a lot of fans of Scribd out there, especially avid readers and audiobook listeners.

Scribd announced something very new in the world of media: flat-rate unlimited access to Audiobooks, eBooks, and Managzine Libraries.

This essentially went viral because, before this announcement, everyone was forced to pay for audiobooks individually.

There is nothing official from Scribd, but I estimate the Audiobook library to contain about 30,000 to 40,000 titles; this is a lot lower than Audible or Audiobooks.com, but I also suspect that the publishers receive a lot less revenue from Scribd, so they are less inclined to release new and best-selling titles.

Features

Pros

★ Unlimited Audiobook Listening
★ $9.95 Flat Rate per Month
★ 100+ Magazines
★ Good Apps for Android & Apple
★ 1,000s of eBooks

Cons

✘ You do not own the books
✘ Limitations on Accessing Popular Titles

Is Scribd Netflix for Audiobooks

Scribd’s business model is very similar to Netflix’s; it licenses content from publishers and pays those publishers per user.

As consumers, we see only a low flat rate monthly subscription charge for a large amount of content.

The monthly subscription is so low because you do not own the books; you are only allowed to access them for the duration of your subscription.

It isn’t easy to compare Scribd for Audiobooks with Audible or Audiobooks.com.

The Scribd library is not as large and does not contain the sheer depth of blockbuster titles, and bestseller titles and popular books are throttled.

In addition, I have found many audiobooks to enjoy, including Tolkien’s entire works and books by my favorite British comedians.

Scribd will become tiresome for the hardcore Audiobookhphile, but it is quite compelling for casual listeners who enjoy magazines and ebooks.

Magazines

Scribd has 100 magazines, which you can access via browser or the app. I was impressed because some good magazines are included in the Scribd subscription.

Flagship magazines like Time, T3, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Newsweek, and Inc are included.

I was very excited to see this, but after reading a few magazines, I realized that the experience is not like reading a magazine.

I do not mean the paper; I mean the layout and editing. The magazine articles are in simple HTML with simple images; some magazines, like T3, were very poorly formatted.

This detracted from the magazine experience.

Pricing Plans

Scribd pricing is straightforward: $9.99 per month for unlimited access to their library of books, audiobooks, and 100+ magazines for the duration of your subscription.

If you stop the subscription, you lose access. For many, this is not a problem; if you listen to many audiobooks and are not interested in building up a library of your own books, then it is a great solution.

I have been with Audible for nearly a decade. I have 255 audiobooks, which cost me approximately $2,500 over that period, but those books are mine for life and my children.

If I had been with Scribd for that period, it would have cost me $972, but I would own nothing. It is like the difference between renting and owning a house.

Scribd Alternatives

If you want to build a library of excellent books that you can keep forever, Scribd is a poor choice. Excellent Scribd alternatives are Audible and AudioBooks.com, which provide cost-effective subscriptions to audiobooks you can keep for life. Compare Audible vs. AudioBooks.com.

Customer Service & Returns Policy

I have seen many complaints online that Scribd is throttling heavy audiobook consumers who consume too many books. Also, I have read that certain bestselling titles are restricted to one or two per user per month or are not even visible to some users.

I have not experienced this, but I can understand that it is a balancing act for Scribd to ensure they earn in revenue what they need to pay to publishers and that some do not abuse the system.

A Large Collection of the Written Word & Music

I must say you could never get bored inside the SCRIBD ecosystem; you can see below the sheer depth of content available for the small monthly subscription.

Scribd App & Device Compatibility

Scribd App Store Rating: 4.5 ☆ Excellent

I have been using the app with my new subscription for two months and have found it an absolute delight. Running on Android and iPhone, the app actually has everything you need to enjoy, such as audiobooks and other media.

Key App Functionality:

• Sleep timer
• Bookmarking & Note Taking
• Sharing
• Playback speed control

Summary

Scribd is recommended; although it cannot compete head-to-head with Audible or Audiobooks.com on audiobooks alone, it provides added value in magazines, eBooks, and even sheet music. So, if you are looking for a good overall written work package, look no further.

Scribd – Key Feature & Benefits Table

SCRIBD
Our Rating	☆☆☆☆
Audiobook Type	Full
Do You Own the Audiobook	✘
Lifetime Access to Books	✘
Audiobooks Collection	40,000 est
Membership /month	$9.99
Membership /yearly
# Audiobooks/month	Unlimited
Cost per book /monthly subscription	–
Cost per book /yearly subscription	–
Subscription Required	Yes
Audio Quality	Excellent
Books Return Policy	Nothing to Return
Customer Support	Email Only
Special Services
eBooks	✔
Magazines	✔
Podcasts
App Store Rating	4.5 ☆
Devices	iPhone, Android, PC
Smart Speaker	✘