Isn’t it fascinating how 63% of people listen to audiobooks while commuting? The use of an audiobook app like Audible is not limited to commuting; people love listening to stories, novels, podcasts, and much more while doing their household chores, driving, or simply relaxing. This rise in the popularity of audiobooks makes it a smart move to invest in an app like Audible.
Building an app like Audible can prove to be a game-changer, as it becomes an integral part of a population’s routine. If we express this in numbers, we can say that 7 out of 10 people listen to audiobooks while they multitask. That’s a good enough reason to join the trend and build an app like Audible.
Are you ready to get started? Read this blog and discover how to build an audiobook app like Audible. Explore everything from features and tech to steps and tips.
Audiobook Market Trends and Growth Stats
- As per a report by Market.Us, the Global audiobooks market is expected to reach about US$39.1 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 25.7% from 2024 to 2033.
- Ibis World states that Audible dominates the audiobook market with a 63.4% share.
- According to Statista, the number of readers in the audiobook market is expected to be around 1.8 billion by 2030.
- Statista also highlights that on a global scale, the United States is expected to lead the audiobook market in revenue, projected to reach US$4.26 billion by 2025.
What is Audible?
Audible is an audiobook platform that allows its users to listen to books online. It is owned by Amazon and provides over 200,000 audio programs. An audiobook app like Audible caters to a diverse audience with its global presence and multiple language options. You might think that Audible is only for readers, but that’s not the case. It offers a platform for both authors to publish their creations and the users to explore those creations.
Why is Audible So Popular?
The secret potion to Audible’s magical market hold is the ecosystem it provides to its users. Audible provides more than audiobooks; it offers a variety of content like podcasts, stand-up comedy, interviews, radio shows, and much more. It has a massive library with audio voiceover by professional voice actors and even celebrities.
Audible is not limited to online access; it offers download options to offer the same experience to users accessing it without the internet. Apart from this, Audible provides flexible subscription plans, a personalized user experience, and multi-device access. Hence, it’s no surprise that in the current day scenario, people prefer an audiobook app like Audible over flipping pages.
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Must-Have Features for an Audiobook App Like Audible
Developing an app similar to Audible means building a platform where users can listen to books. Here are some must-have features that you should add to your Audible clone app to make it stand out:
| Feature | Function |
| User Registration and Profile Management | Allows easy profile creation through Email, Google Account, or Contact Number. Maintains users’ reading history, favourite books, downloads, and Queue list. |
| Smart Search and Filters | Allows users to search for audiobooks by name and author. Filters allow shortlisting based on genre and status. |
| User-Friendly Audio Player Controls | Provides audio player controls like playback speed, play and pause buttons, skip and rewind options. Also gives additional options like highlighting and bookmarking. |
| Audiobook Preview | The audible clone app should offer a preview. The preview will offer the user an interesting summary along with ratings and reviews of the audiobook. |
| AI-Powered Personalization | Integrating AI features will help in recommending books, authors, and genres based on readers’ preferences and history. |
| Push Notifications | Adding push notifications to your Audible clone app will send reminders to users. Reminders can be about continuing a pending chapter, new audiobook drops, offers, and discounts. |
| Voice Assistance | The voice assistance feature will help users access the audiobooks even when they are driving or cleaning. |
| Cloud-Based Backup | Does not limit access to one device only. Users can access their audiobooks from anywhere and on any device. The app will keep track of their profile activity across devices. |
Steps to Build an Audiobook App Like Audible
Eager to turn your app idea into reality? Here are the steps you need to follow to build an app like Audible:
Step 1: Define the Concept
The very first step of defining the concept builds a roadmap to follow throughout the development process. In this step, you will start by identifying the objective, the customers’ expectations, and the solution you plan to implement.
Step 2: Feature Listing & Tech Stack Selection
Once you have a clear vision of the concept of your Audible clone app, start listing the features you want in it. Start with features like a search bar, a dashboard, filters, AI integration, voice assistance, etc. After listing the features, decide on the tech stack you would use to build these features.
Step 3: Design the UI/UX
The user interface and user interaction are the link between the software and the user. Make sure that you design the UI/UX in a way that it’s easy to use and intuitive. A good UI/UX design retains users and keeps them interested in exploring the application.
Step 4: Begin the Development Process
Once you’ve designed the UI/UX and gathered the required tech stack, start the process of building your Audible clone app. Develop the frontend and backend structures and implement the additional features that you want to include in your audiobook app. Connect the frontend structures with the backend and ensure that everything works as planned.
Step 5: Testing
After you’ve developed your application, test every feature and stage of the app. Ensure that everything from the registration page to the audiobook history stage works seamlessly. If you encounter any bugs during the testing process, work on fixing them.
Step 6: Deploy
Once you’ve tested your application thoroughly, deploy the application. Launch it across platforms like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. You can also consider a soft launch to gather feedback and work on it, and then go for a full-scale launch.
Step 7: Post Maintenance & Support
After deployment, keep updating the apps with new features to enhance the user experience. Offer support to the users and introduce the latest content to gain a competitive edge. Analyze the performance of each and every area and make the corrections as and when required.
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Technology Stack Required to Build an Audiobook App Like Audible
Here’s a look at the core technologies you’ll need for an audiobook app development:
| Component | Technology |
| Frontend | Java, Swift, Flutter / React Native, React.js |
| Backend | Node.js / Python, Django |
| Database | PostgreSQL / MySQL/ MongoDB / Firebase |
| Cloud Storage | AWS S3 / Google Cloud Storage/ Amazon CloudFront / Firebase CDN |
| AI and ML | TensorFlow/ PyTorch |
| Natural Language Processing | spaCy, GPT, Google Cloud Natural Language API |
| Voice Integration | Google Speech-to-Text API, Apple SiriKit, Dialogflow |
| Payment Gateway | Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal |
| Testing | Selenium/ headspin/ Firebase Test Lab |
| DevOps and Deployment | GitHub Actions / Jenkins, Docker + Kubernetes, AWS / GCP / Azure |
Where to Source Audiobooks for Your App
Are you wondering where to source Audiobooks for your Audible clone app? Worry no more, we have covered this as well. Read and find out:
- Public Domain Audiobooks
You can outsource audiobooks for your app, like Audible, by accessing public domain audiobooks. These audiobook libraries do not need license fees for downloading or hosting content.
- Use Audiobook APIs
Some websites allow free access to audiobooks with the help of application programming interfaces (APIs). You can utilize these APIs and add the third-party audiobooks to your app directly.
- Use AI Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Another way to source audiobooks is to utilize artificial intelligence-generated voice tools. You can simply use the ebooks and turn them into audiobooks using Text-To-Speech voice models.
- Build a Creator Contribution Model
You can build a creator panel and provide a platform for authors and narrators to upload their creations. Offering a share in revenue will keep the contributors motivated and benefit your app as well. Ensure that you offer clear terms and conditions for the creators contributing to the app.
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Best Monetization Strategies for An Audiobook App Like Audible
Building the app is just the beginning. To recover your investment and generate revenue, you will need to monetize your Audible clone app. Here are some revenue models that you can use in your audiobook app like Audible:
Subscription-Based Model
The subscription-based revenue model offers subscription plans to the user. The plans have varied durations and pricing. In this model, you can either go for an unlimited access plan or go for a credit-based subscription plan. An unlimited access plan would give the user access to every audio program after paying a certain amount. As for the credit-based plan, it would provide the user with a fixed number of credits every month to redeem the audio programs.
Pay-Per-Book
Pay-per-book is a very commonly used and simple revenue model. As you can already tell, the user will pay for every book they want to access. The access to an already paid book will be permanent, so if the user pays once to access a book, they don’t have to pay again to continue the chapter or listen to it again.
Freemium Model
The freemium model is also commonly used. Using this revenue model means that the user will have free access to basic content like old audiobooks, public domain audiobooks, and basic features. And to access the premium features and audiobooks, the user will have to pay a certain amount.
Ad-Supported Model
The ad-supported revenue model allows the user to access different audiobooks by earning points. These points will be given to the user when they watch ads. Apart from this, the ad-supported model also displays ads when the app loads or in between chapters.
Creator Revenue Sharing
The creator revenue sharing model allows the creators to upload their creations, be it books or narrations. This will give them a platform to present their creations and generate revenue. You can keep a certain share of the revenue for providing your Audible clone app as a platform.
Corporate & Institutional Licensing
When you build an app like Audible, it’s very obvious that it will have educational content as well. You can sell the educational programs in bulk to institutions and companies for educational and employee learning purposes. This will help you generate revenue by landing long-term contracts.
Final Thoughts
In the current day scenario, traditional reading habits are taking a transitional shift. People are indulging in listening rather than reading, along with multitasking. And this is where audiobook apps play their role. These apps provide a platform for readers to listen to their favorite books without flipping actual pages.
With features like filters, cloud sync, voice assistants, and smart search options, users no longer need to run through a library to find their books. In this case, you can be the next big player in the audiobook market by integrating additional features like artificial intelligence-powered personalization and user-friendly controls. Strike when the iron is hot, build an app like Audible, and gain a competitive edge.
FAQs
Yes, you can build an app like Audible even if you don’t have a tech background. You can hire developers or partner with app development companies to build the application.
Yes, you will need permission from authors and publishers to use their audiobooks in your Audible clone app. Using their creations without permission can attract legal consequences.
The time duration for developing an app like Audible depends on the complexity and the features of your app. A simpler one will take comparatively less time than a feature-packed one.
Yes, it is beneficial. You might think that it’s not a good step, but you can include an offline listening feature in your paid and pro versions. This will help you make money with it.