When you think of buying and listening to audiobooks, Audible is probably among the first names to come to mind.
However, the owners of BookBub have stepped in to change the way you shop for audiobooks with Chirp, a free service that notifies readers of limited-time deals on quality audiobooks.
In this post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of using Chirp, how it compares to Audible, and who the platform is best for.
What Is Chirp?
Chirp is BookBub’s audiobook platform that aims to help listeners find deals on quality audiobooks, just as BookBub does for readers with ebooks.
However, while readers can’t purchase ebooks directly from BookBub, listeners can buy audiobooks from Chirp, even if they are not on sale. That’s because unlike BookBub, Chirp is both a sales distribution and listening platform (which means you also must listen to your purchases on the Chirp app).
Chirp for Listeners
When you sign up for Chirp as a listener, you’ll first be asked to fill out a brief survey indicating what types of books you are most interested in.
Based on your preferences, Chirp will send you a daily email with the best audiobook deals for you.
In addition to the daily emails, you can also just browse the site to find other good deals on audiobooks. Browse based on your preferred genres, or check out other categories, such as Popular Deals, Trending Deals Under $2, Highly Rated Deals, and more.
Here’s a sample of what I found in my recommended deals section, to give you an idea of how cheap some of these deals can be:
If you’re not looking for the cheapest of the cheap audiobook deals or you have a specific book in mind, you can search for the book you want, check out Chirp’s featured shelves, or just browse their entire selection by category.
Here’s a sample of best-sellers that aren’t deeply discounted:
Another great feature is that you can add audiobooks to your “Wishlist,” and Chirp will notify you if and when a limited-time deal becomes available for those books.
Drawbacks of Chirp
Here are some minors drawbacks to using Chirp as an author or listener:
Not Available Outside US and Canada
At the time of this writing, Chirp is only available in the United States and Canada, which means authors in other countries will miss out for now.
Only Listen in the App
Because of digital rights management, Chirp users can only listen to the audiobooks they buy from Chirp in the Chirp app.
This is common among most audiobook platforms, but still an inconvenience to consider.
In addition, you can’t buy books directly in the app. You must first make your purchase on their website before the audiobooks appear in your in-app library.
Limited Pricing Options
When it comes to buying audiobooks through Chirp, you have two options: you can either wait for books to be featured and get them at a discount, or you can buy them whenever you want at full price.
Full-priced audiobooks on Chirp could cost the same or more than what you would pay with Audible or another platform. This makes Chirp a good option for audiobook listeners who want to discover great new books at hot rates, but perhaps not so great if you’re looking for a specific book to listen to right now.
Is Chirp Cheaper than Audible?
Chirp can often be cheaper than Audible, but it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you browse Chirp’s featured deals, you can certainly pay next to nothing for great audiobooks, but you’re limited to what’s available during the time that deal is running.
If you are looking for a specific book that doesn’t currently have a deal, you’ll pay close to full-price. For example, I’m interested in listening to My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. On Chirp, it’s currently $17.99.
In contrast, Audible offers you one free audiobook of your choice for a monthly subscription of $7.95, or two for $14.95. If I don’t use a credit, I’ll pay $24.47 for that title on Audible.
Whether Chirp or Audible is better for you depends a lot on whether you’re looking for deals or specific books, as well as how many books you plan to listen to each month.
The good news is that Chirp is free, so you don’t necessarily have to choose between the two. If you have an Audible subscription, you might keep that for when there are specific books you really want to listen to, and use Chirp to catch those too-good-to-pass-up limited-time deals.
Does Chirp Have Free Audiobooks?
Chirp does not have free audiobooks. However, deals can start as low as $0.99, and it is free to sign up for the service.
Chirp: A Viable Alternative to Audible
Chirp has a lot to offer listeners and certainly stands as a strong competitor to Amazon’s Audible. It’s ideal for readers and listeners who want to browse great deals on audiobooks, but you can also find many best-sellers at any time, even if they aren’t part of a featured deal.
To find more great audiobook deals, check out our list of the 10 best websites where you can find free audiobooks.
Have you tried Chirp? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 10 Audiobook Marketing Tips to Help You Reach More Listeners
- AI Narration: The Future for Audiobooks?
- How to Make an Audiobook: A Guide to Self Publishing Audiobooks
- 10 of the Best Websites to Download Free Audiobooks
Kaelyn Barron
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Tracyon September 21, 2023 at 6:16 am
Four of the books I purchased have disappeared. Today, I found out why. Chirp deleted three books while I was looking at the app. Why?
Tom Parron May 23, 2023 at 7:18 pm
I was charged $40.99 for two different books I purchased. Each should have been $4.99. When I try to listen to books, it says that I have no internet connection. I shouldn’t need an internet connection after the book has been downloaded. The only way to contact them is by filling out a form they supply. No phone contact number is available.
I have been using Chirp for years without any problems but after being overcharged, I will discontinue using them until I have been refunded and shown why the problem was created.Susan Gibsonon October 3, 2023 at 3:45 pm
I’m not the only one getting the run around! My credit card has a 94.$ dollar charge on it. I’ve found getting in touch impossible. I’m vision Impaired and this has been frustrating to say the least.
I’ve been a customer for years now hope this is resolved soon.
Azzizaon May 16, 2023 at 6:10 pm
Beware people. I loved using Chirp for over a year now, but they suddenly, without warning, made the app unusable on my device. Now, even though I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on audiobooks, I can’t listen to or even access them anymore.
Jodion April 16, 2023 at 2:16 pm
I really like Chirp. I have been introduced to writers I might never have found otherwise as well as some awesome narrators. While there are no freebies, I find that buying deals on Chirp far outweighs paying $14.95 monthly for two free books. For that outlay, some months I can buy 5-7 books. My main complaint about Chirp is that sometimes I get kicked off the app in the middle of a book. I then have to go back to the app, find the book and start listening again. Not really a biggie.
Nancy Graggon February 21, 2023 at 1:02 am
I love Chirp and have been using it for several years. Sure some of the readers are poor readers, but if you were to purchase the same book anyplace else, you would get the same reader. I normally listen to the sample to see if the reader is so bad you don’t want to listen to them, so I may miss out on good books because of poor readers. But you face that with Audible also.
Darleneon October 23, 2022 at 10:42 am
I love chirp I’m a new comer to Chirp. Before you buy a book on chirp, chirp allow you to listen to part of that book. You have a lot of deals on Chirp from $.99 to full price book $25. $26. It’s free subscription. And because I’m new to Chirp, I buy any book that I want to, but I can listen to it first. I think chirp is a great way to listen to audiobooks. On Chirp I also search books that are full price and that I’ve heard about and they are on Chirp.
Jackon December 19, 2022 at 7:29 pm
While other users have mentioned good and negative features of Chirp I want to add a significant undiscussed feature. In my experience Chirp has NO detected customer service. The email address listed on its web site is non-working; my email sent 3 days ago remains unanswered even though their web site advertises staff reply in 24 hours. Its web site offers no phone number and the phone number found for Chirp on Google is also unattended; callers get a recorded message directing them to use Chirp’s (also) unattended web site. “Chirp” seems to be a misnomer because as far as I can tell they DO NOT CHIRP at all.
Jenon March 29, 2023 at 2:46 am
Wow, Jack, I am so sorry that happened to you. I have had the exact opposite experience. I have contacted Chirp by email at least three times in the past year (once just last evening) and have always heard back either the same day or the very next day. Each time has been a different issue and all have been resolved by following their detailed instructions. Their customer service has been absolutely awesome.
Jodion April 16, 2023 at 2:11 pm
I also was able to contact chirp and heard back from them in a timely manner. The issue was resolved pretty quickly.
Nancy Don April 30, 2023 at 2:08 pm
I purchased a book without listening to the sample, and found I couldn’t understand the reader. I clicked on “contact chirp” and sent a message explaining my problem, and I promptly received a message that my payment was refunded. I am very pleased with the customer service.
Linda Relphon September 21, 2022 at 3:32 am
Sad to say that Chirp is only in the States and Canada. As my PayPal account is linked to an Australian bank account I am missing out on some good deals.
Mary Hawon August 29, 2022 at 10:15 pm
I have noticed a recent lowering of the standard of books offered on “deals”. Very disappointing. The customer takes a risk when choosing books so I have been leery of paying full price. The last 4 or 5 books I’ve ordered were banal, simple juvenile plots and not worth the money, and lose my interest quickly. Most of the narrators are good but the female readers tend to read as though reading to children. Hope some better choices are available soon. I depend on Chirp.
Annon August 27, 2022 at 1:35 pm
Can you or anyone ,tell me how to alphabetize archived books from Chirp? Can’t find any info on the web for this.
