Spotify Audiobooks: How They Work and Can You Get Them as MP3?
The 15-hour Premium allowance, how to listen offline, why audiobooks won't convert like songs, and where to get audiobook files you can keep.
Spotify now has a big audiobook library, and Premium includes some listening time every month. What it doesn't include is a way to save those books as MP3 files. Here's how Spotify audiobooks work, how to listen offline, why they can't be converted like songs, and where to get audiobook files you can actually keep.
How Spotify Audiobooks Work
According to Spotify's audiobooks page, Premium includes "15 hours of audiobook listening time on Premium, every month," drawn from a catalog of over 700,000 titles. The fine print, from Spotify's support page:
- Who gets the hours: Premium Individual subscribers, and the plan manager on Family and Duo plans. Other Family and Duo members don't share the manager's hours, and Premium Student doesn't include any.
- How time is counted: by the length of the book at normal speed, whatever speed you actually listen at. Replaying a chapter uses more time.
- Unused hours expire at the end of each month and don't roll over.
If 15 hours isn't enough, there are three ways to get more:
| Option | What you get | Price (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Audiobooks+ add-on | 15 extra hours every month, on top of Premium | $11.99/month |
| Top-up | A one-time block of extra hours, valid for 12 months | Varies |
| Buy the book | Unlock one title; listening to it doesn't use your hours | Per title |
| Audiobooks Access (no Premium) | 15 hours a month without a music subscription | $9.99/month |
Prices are from Spotify's audiobooks page and can change. Audiobooks+ arrived in the US in August 2025, and top-ups are used only after your monthly and add-on hours run out, per Spotify.
How to Listen to Spotify Audiobooks Offline
You can download an audiobook inside the Spotify app to listen without a connection. Spotify says downloads are "available on both Premium and free," but you download the whole book, not individual chapters. The download stays inside the app: you can't move it to another player, and it isn't a file you own. Spotify states that it and its partners "retain ownership of the Audiobook content even after you unlock or access it."
One practical detail if you plan to buy titles: purchases happen on the web player at open.spotify.com, not inside the iPhone app. On Android, Spotify emails you a link to finish the purchase.
Can You Download Spotify Audiobooks as MP3?
Not with our converter, and not through Spotify itself. Spotify's audiobooks are licensed from publishers and protected with DRM, so they only play inside the Spotify app. Our free Spotify to MP3 converter works with songs, albums and playlists only; audiobook links aren't supported.
You'll find paid desktop programs that say they can convert Spotify audiobooks to MP3 or M4B. They work around Spotify's protection, which goes against Spotify's terms and puts you in a legal gray area even for personal use. If what you really want is an audiobook file that plays anywhere, the options below are cleaner and often cheaper.
Audiobooks You Can Actually Keep
- Libro.fm: sells audiobooks as DRM-free files. Its help page says you can download "DRM-free files (MP3s or M4B format)" and play them in any media player. Purchases also support independent bookstores.
- LibriVox: free public-domain audiobooks read by volunteers, with more than 21,000 titles you can download and keep. Great for classics.
- Your local library: apps like Libby let you borrow audiobooks free with a library card. You don't keep the files, but it costs nothing.
- Buying direct: some authors and small publishers sell DRM-free audiobooks straight from their own sites.
Playing Audiobook Files on Other Devices
DRM-free audiobooks usually come as MP3 (one file per chapter) or M4B (a single file with chapter markers that remembers where you stopped). MP3 plays on everything, including cheap clip-on players and car stereos. M4B works well in Apple Books and most audiobook apps but not on every basic MP3 player. To copy files to a player, see our guide to putting music on an MP3 player; the same steps work for audiobooks. For how the formats differ, see audio formats explained.
Is Spotify Worth It for Audiobooks?
If you already pay for Premium and finish around one book a month, the included 15 hours are a genuinely good extra. Heavy listeners will hit the cap quickly, and at that point Audiobooks+ or a dedicated audiobook service may make more sense. Either way, remember that nothing you listen to on Spotify is yours to keep; if owning your books matters, buy DRM-free.
Want your Spotify music as files you keep? Songs, albums and playlists convert to MP3 free.
Open the Spotify to MP3 converter →Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours of audiobooks do you get with Spotify Premium?
15 hours a month on Premium Individual, and for the plan manager on Family and Duo plans. Premium Student doesn't include audiobook hours, and unused time expires at the end of each month.
Can I download Spotify audiobooks as MP3?
Not through Spotify or our converter. Spotify audiobooks are DRM-protected and only play inside the Spotify app. For MP3 audiobooks you can keep, buy DRM-free titles from a store like Libro.fm or download free public-domain books from LibriVox.
Can I listen to Spotify audiobooks offline?
Yes. You can download a whole audiobook in the Spotify app for offline listening. The download stays inside the app and can't be moved to another player.
Does listening faster use fewer audiobook hours on Spotify?
No. Spotify counts time by the length of the book at normal speed, no matter what speed you listen at. Replaying chapters also uses time.
What is Audiobooks+ on Spotify?
An add-on for Premium that gives 15 extra audiobook hours every month. In the US it costs $11.99 a month, on top of Premium.
Do I keep Spotify audiobooks I buy?
You can listen to unlocked titles in the Spotify app, but Spotify says it and its partners retain ownership of the content, and you don't get a file you can move elsewhere.