Storytel is a subscription-based mobile app providing audiobooks, ebooks, and podcasts to readers and listeners.
Product velocity
Dormant
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#198
▼4Books & Reference · free
Sentiment
4.4
512k reviews
Nemesis
Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire Storytel for a single-app solution to consume diverse media formats, avoiding the need to manage separate ebook and audiobook subscriptions.
For Readers and listeners seeking a combined library of audiobooks and ebooks across multiple devices.
What does it look like?
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?
Subscription model anchored by a free trial that requires payment method entry.
Velocity
Dormant developmentopaqueShow more...
With only a single release available in the observed data, the development cadence cannot be reliably determined. The latest release contains generic, opaque messaging regarding app experience improvements. There is no evidence of active feature development or live operations. Further data is required to establish a meaningful development trend.
Who built it?
Storytel Sweden AB
2 apps tracked · Books & Reference
Storytel - Audiobooks LibraryUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
The recent review mood reads frustrated. 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.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Weekly average review rating
What users say, by theme
- The extensive library of audiobooks provides a reliable source of entertainment for long-term loyal users
- Unexpected playback position resets and chapter skipping force users to manually search for their progress
50 of 50 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Storytel - Audiobooks & Books
How's 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.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Audible, Inc.
Audible maintains the largest market share and content library in the core audiobook domain, serving as the primary benchmark for user expectations.
- Deep integration with Amazon ecosystem provides seamless cross-device synchronization and purchasing power for users.
- Exclusive production of high-budget 'Audible Originals' creates a content moat that smaller competitors struggle to replicate.
- Advanced playback features like 'Whispersync' allow users to switch between reading and listening without losing their place.
Google Play Books & AudiobooksContender
Everand: Audiobooks & EbooksContender
Audiobooks.com: Books & MoreContenderUnlock 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 Storytel - Audiobooks & Books
Where is it heading?
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.
The SWOT
- Unified library increases time-in-app
- Kids Mode secures family-segment retention
- Multi-device playback supports diverse consumption
- Expand B2B partnerships for educational content
- Implement granular playback controls for power users
Next best moves
Ship playback stability fixes because position resets are the #1 churn risk → stabilize daily active habit
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
Storytel's regional dominance in smaller markets is a…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Real-time collaboration (available in Audible but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The platform is experiencing a decline in user experience due to technical bugs and monetization friction, despite maintaining regional market strength.
Bottom line
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.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 3 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
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