Report updated May 19, 2026
Storytel - Audiobooks & Books
For readers and listeners seeking a combined library of audiobooks and ebooks across multiple devices.
Storytel - Audiobooks & Books is a challenged books & reference app that is available. With a 4.4/5 rating from 511.8K reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate the extensive library of audiobooks provides a reliable source of entertainment for long-term loyal users, though unexpected playback position resets and chapter skipping force users to manually search for their progress remains a common concern.
What is Storytel - Audiobooks & Books?
Storytel is a subscription-based mobile app providing audiobooks, ebooks, and podcasts to readers and listeners.
Users hire Storytel for a single-app solution to consume diverse media formats, avoiding the need to manage separate ebook and audiobook subscriptions.
Current Momentum
vVARY · 4d ago
Zombie- Maintains regional top-5 grossing status.
- Ships performance maintenance updates.
Active Nemesis
Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts
By Audible
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Books & ReferenceNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Access to audiobooks, ebooks, and podcasts.
Isolated interface with parental PIN control.
Support for mobile, tablet, Wear OS, and Android Auto.
How much does it cost?
- Free trial with payment method
- Subscription-based access
Subscription model anchored by a free trial that requires payment method entry.
Who Built It?
Storytel Sweden AB
Providing a global digital library for multi-format consumption, allowing users to switch between audiobooks and ebooks seamlessly.
Portfolio
2
Apps
What other apps does Storytel Sweden AB make?
Explore the full Storytel Sweden AB report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Storytel Sweden AB.
What do users think recently?
Low confidence · 50 reviews analyzed · Based on 50 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate the extensive library of audiobooks provides a reliable source of entertainment for long-term loyal users, but report unexpected playback position resets and chapter skipping force users to manually search for their progress.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What Users Want
How have ratings & review volume moved?
Rating, review sentiment, and total reviews over time, with release markers showing the post-launch impact.
Vertical markers = app releases. Hover any release for the post-release impact delta.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Storytel - Audiobooks & Books?
How's The Books & Reference Market?
How does it evolve in the Books & Reference market?
Storytel holds the #5 Grossing position in over 20 international markets, though it ranks #104 in US Grossing. This regional strength signals a successful focus on local-language catalogs over US market saturation.
Rank progression
232 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
iPusnas competes directly for the Indonesian reading audience by providing a massive digital library and social reading features that mirror Storytel’s core value proposition.
Contenders(4)
iDoyle competes by offering a premium, highly immersive multimedia reading experience that challenges Storytel’s standard audiobook format.
This app competes for the Swahili-speaking audience by focusing specifically on localized audio narration and storytelling.
This app targets the power-user segment of the reading market by focusing on deep customization and local file management.
Gumroad competes by offering a platform for creators to distribute digital books and audio content, challenging Storytel’s role as a content aggregator.
Same space(3)
BookBub competes by acting as a discovery engine that influences where users spend their money on digital books.
Moonlite competes for the family-oriented storytelling market by using hardware-software integration to enhance bedtime reading.
While focused on film, it competes for the same leisure-time budget by offering library management and tracking features.
Compare Storytel - Audiobooks & Books against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Storytel - Audiobooks & Books
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Unified library increases time-in-app
- Kids Mode secures family-segment retention
- Multi-device playback supports diverse consumption
Critical Frictions
- Playback position resets erode daily habit
- Pay-per-title prompts frustrate active subscribers
- Regional content restrictions limit library access
Growth Levers
- Expand B2B partnerships for educational content
- Implement granular playback controls for power users
Market Threats
- Audible's exclusive content catalog
- Google Play Books' native Android distribution
- Rising popularity of serialized audio series
What are the next best moves?
Ship playback stability fixes because position resets are the #1 churn risk → stabilize daily active habit
Playback position resets are the top-cited technical complaint in recent user reviews.
Trade-off: Postpone the new font-weight customization sprint.
Audit monetization logic because pay-per-title prompts for subscribers trigger negative sentiment → reduce refund surge
Users report frustration with being prompted to purchase books individually while maintaining an active subscription.
Trade-off: Pause the annual-tier price test.
A counter-intuitive read
Storytel's regional dominance in smaller markets is a stronger moat than its US rank, as local-language content is harder for global giants like Audible to replicate at scale.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Real-time collaboration (available in Audible but absent here)
- Custom font weight adjustments (requested by users)
Key Takeaways
Storytel secures its market position through a unified hybrid library, but technical instability and monetization friction threaten to drive users to competitors, so the team must prioritize playback reliability to defend the subscription base.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The market for hybrid audio-text platforms is consolidating, and Storytel's reliance on regional strength leaves it vulnerable to global competitors with deeper content moats. Stabilizing the core playback experience is the only way to prevent churn as users evaluate the value of the subscription against pay-per-title alternatives.
Persistent playback position bugs in the latest release erode the daily habit, compounding the rating drag visible on Android.
Aggressive monetization prompts for individual titles create friction that threatens the perceived value of the all-inclusive subscription model.