Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
BookBeat vs Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
What sets them apart
| Compare | BookBeat ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |  Headway: Fun & Easy Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €9.99 | $12.99 |
| Price from | €9.99 | $0 |
| Free trial length | 60 daysHigher | 7 days |
| Access model | Hour cap | Unlimited |
| Titles in the catalogue | 1,000,000Higher | 2,500 |
| Monthly listening cap (hours) | 20 to 100 | Not confirmed |
| Catalogue languages | Not confirmed | English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian |
| Keep titles after cancelling | Not confirmed | No |
| Family profiles | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Student discount | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Markets | AT | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Offline use (Yes).
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Key differences
- Free trial length is higher at BookBeat: 60 days vs 7 days.
- Titles in the catalogue is higher at BookBeat: 1,000,000 vs 2,500.
- Support channels: only BookBeat offers Chat.
- Support channels: only Headway: Fun & Easy Growth offers Email, Phone.
- Content types: only BookBeat offers Audiobooks, Ebooks.
- Content types: only Headway: Fun & Easy Growth offers Summaries.
Our verdict on each
BookBeat
BookBeat suits readers in AT who want audiobooks and ebooks on a single subscription and a set monthly budget. The trade-off is the hour cap: 1,000,000 titles sit behind 20 to 100 hours of listening a month, so heavy readers should measure their habit before signing up.
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth suits readers who want short summaries in a small library rather than long listening sessions. Entry costs $0, so trying it costs nothing, and a catalogue of 2,500 titles keeps browsing quick. Keep after cancel is no, so a subscription ends cleanly.
Score breakdown
| Area | BookBeat | Headway: Fun & Easy Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.3Monthly plan of €9.99 and entry price of €9.99, under the category median monthly price of €11.43. | 9.6HigherEntry at $0, but the paid plan bills $12.99 a month, above Audible at CAD 8.99 and AfriKDP at $3. |
| Offer | 9.3HigherTrial of 60 days, 1,000,000 titles, family profiles, offline listening and a student discount. | 8.8unlimited access, offline use, 7 days free and content limited to summaries. |
| Trust | 8.7Run by BookBeat GmbH, founded in 2015, with support running on chat and help centre. | Not confirmed |
Pick BookBeat if, pick Headway: Fun & Easy Growth if
Pick BookBeat if offer, free trial length, and titles in the catalogue matter most.
Pick Headway: Fun & Easy Growth if cost matter most.
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | BookBeat | Headway: Fun & Easy Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Audiobook, ebook and book-summary apps | 6 of 24 | 8 of 24 |
If neither fits
Nextory has titles in the catalogue at 1,400,000, against 1,000,000 for BookBeat and 2,500 for Headway: Fun & Easy Growth.
Nextory reviewEvery fact side by side
| Fact | BookBeat | Headway: Fun & Easy Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Content types | Audiobooks, Ebooks | Summaries |
| Legal entity | BookBeat GmbH | GTHW App Limited |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | Cyprus |
| Founded | 2015 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Chat, Help centre | Email, Phone, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | BookBeat | Headway: Fun & Easy Growth | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial length | 60 dayshighest quarter | 7 daysbelow the median | 30 days |
| Monthly listening cap (hours) | 20 to 100at the median | Not confirmed | 100 |
| Titles in the catalogue | 1,000,000highest quarter | 2,500lowest quarter | 240,000 |
Median across 19 listed providers.
Pros and cons
BookBeat
Pros
- The free trial lasts 60 days, and BookBeat ranks 1 of 16 brands compared on trial length.
- The catalogue holds 1,000,000 titles, against a category median of 240,000.
- Family profiles are included, so a household can share a single subscription instead of opening separate ones.
Cons
- Support runs on chat and help centre only, with no phone line in the listed channels for anyone who prefers to talk the problem through.
- Access is metered by the hour, hour cap, with 20 to 100 hours a month, so long listening sessions have to be spread across the month.
- The plan is listed for AT only, so readers in other markets see no local price from BookBeat.
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
Pros
- Offline use is supported, so saved summaries open on a train or a flight with no connection at all.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, and phone help places it with the 22.7% of these apps that answer the phone.
- The catalogue is unusually wide for its size, running across English, Spanish and French, so a reader can switch language without leaving the app.
Cons
- Keep after cancel is no, so downloaded summaries and reading progress end with the billing period, while 50% of the apps compared do keep access after cancelling.
- Content types are summaries, so a listener after long-form narration has nothing here to weigh against Audible at CAD 8.99 a month.
- A catalogue of 2,500 titles sits far below the 240,000 median for the brands tracked here, so picking a title is the whole of the choice.
Who each suits
BookBeat
Who it suits
- Readers in AT who want audiobooks and ebooks covered by the same subscription.
- Households planning to share through family profiles and to download titles for offline listening.
- Students with a discount, who can test the service over 60 days before paying.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who would rather not count hours: BookBeat caps listening at 20 to 100 a month, and AfriKDP at $3 a month costs less for light use.
- Anyone outside AT, where Audible at CAD 8.99 a month and Readability at $19.99 a month are the listed comparisons instead.
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
Who it suits
- Readers who want to finish something on a commute, since offline use is supported and the catalogue stays small enough to browse.
- Readers learning a second language, since the catalogue runs across English, Spanish and French.
- Anyone who prefers a phone call to a ticket queue, since support runs on email, phone and help centre.
Who should look elsewhere
- Listeners who want full-length audio, since content types here are summaries while Audible at CAD 8.99 a month is priced around narration.
- Subscribers who want downloads to survive cancellation, since keep after cancel is no against 50% of the apps compared that keep them.
- Price-first households, since AfriKDP at $3 a month comes in well under the $12.99 Headway plan.
Current offers
BookBeat
Current offer
Free trial
60 days free trial: 60 days
30 listening and reading hours included
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
Current offer
Free trial
7-day free trial on yearly plan: 7 days
Yearly plan only, once per app store account, auto-renews unless cancelled before end of trial
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Questions about each
BookBeat
What does BookBeat cost each month?+
The standard BookBeat monthly plan is €9.99, and the starting price quoted for the subscription is €9.99. They are published as separate figures, so the amount at entry and the amount that recurs each month can be weighed on their own terms.
How long is the BookBeat free trial?+
The free trial runs 60 days, and BookBeat ranks 1 of 16 brands compared on trial length. For scale, the median trial in this category runs 30 days.
Headway: Fun & Easy Growth
How much does Headway cost?+
Two figures matter. Entry on the Headway plan starts at $0, so a reader can look before paying, and the paid plan bills $12.99 a month. That monthly figure is the recurring rate, so a renewal looks the same as the first paid period. Budget for $12.99 each month once the trial ends.
Is there a free trial, and how long is it?+
The free trial runs 7 days, which is shorter than the 30-day median for audiobook and reading apps in this group. Long enough to judge the format and a handful of summaries, short enough that a reader who wants a broad sample should start at the free entry point instead.