Audiobooks King is a free, ad-supported iOS application providing access to public domain classic literature audiobooks.
Product velocity
Dormant
Daily rank 🇺🇸
—
Book
Sentiment
3.3
142 reviews
Nemesis
Librivox
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
The app removes the financial barrier of premium subscription services for users who prioritize classic literature over modern releases.
For Readers and listeners interested in classic literature and public domain audiobooks.
Key features
Access to classic literature audiobooks like Pride and Prejudice and Sherlock Holmes. Content catalog serves as the primary acquisition hook for the free-to-use model.
Adjustable playback speed and chapter bookmarking. Retention lever that increases session duration and habit formation.
User-created lists for organizing audiobooks. Increases time spent in-app, expanding potential ad-inventory.
How much does it cost?
The app operates as a free, ad-supported utility for public domain content.
Velocity
Dormant developmentnew contentUX improvementsShow more...
Audiobooks King has been inactive for 337 days, falling well outside the threshold for active development. The latest release, which introduced library management, bookmarking, and social sign-in options, remains the only version in the observed window. Given the lack of updates for nearly a year, the app is currently in a zombie state with no signs of ongoing maintenance or feature expansion.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews frustrated. Users appreciate free access to a wide selection of popular audiobooks provides significant value for budget-conscious listeners and adjustable audio playback speed allows users to customize their listening experience to their personal preference.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Free access to a wide selection of popular audiobooks provides significant value for budget-conscious listeners
- Adjustable audio playback speed allows users to customize their listening experience to their personal preference
- The lack of an automatic progress saving feature forces users to manually bookmark their position
49 of 49 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Audiobooks King
How's the Book market?
Audiobooks King occupies a niche in the free audiobook category, but its 3.32-star rating across 142 reviews reflects significant user dissatisfaction with the latest update. The lack of offline functionality and progress-saving bugs limits its competitiveness against platform-native utilities like Apple Books.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By himalaya-soft
This app dominates the public domain audiobook niche with a massive, established user base and high-frequency content availability.
- Leverages a massive volunteer-driven catalog that dwarfs this app's curated public domain library
- Maintains a high-velocity release cadence that keeps the app relevant in search rankings
- Provides a standardized listening experience that has become the industry benchmark for free audiobooks
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Audiobooks King
Where is it heading?
The free audiobook market is consolidating around stable, high-content platforms, leaving Audiobooks King exposed due to its limited library and technical instability. Without a fix for the progress-saving bugs, the app will continue to lose users to more reliable, ad-free alternatives.
- The 11-month gap since the last major release suggests the app is in maintenance mode, which erodes user trust in future library updates.
- Persistent progress-saving bugs and intrusive ad crashes are driving high churn, which compounds the rating drag already visible on the platform.
The SWOT
- Intuitive interface design provides a lower-friction listening environment than legacy-heavy competitors
- Offline download functionality would address the top requested feature and improve retention
Next best moves
Ship automatic progress-saving logic because it is the top-cited churn driver → recover daily active habit
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's library reduction is a strategic vulnerability…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Offline download functionality (available in ReadEra but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The app remains in a state of development stagnation, with user feedback shifting to emphasize the lack of offline listening and the persistent failure of progress-saving mechanics.
Bottom line
The app must stabilize its core media player to prevent further churn, as the current technical instability outweighs the value of the free library. Addressing progress-saving bugs would unlock the retention potential required to compete with more stable, ad-free alternatives.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 1 market threat, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Audiobooks King free to use?
How does Audiobooks King compare to Librivox?
Does Audiobooks King support offline listening?
What are some free alternatives to Audiobooks King?
Sources
- [1] App Store, source
Report last updated