storytel review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Storytel suits households that read and listen together, with family profiles, offline listening and a catalogue of 1,500,000 titles in one subscription. Readers who want a cheaper single-user plan should compare AfriKDP first, since the monthly fee of SEK 169 sits high for one person.
Key facts
- Best for
- Families and multilingual households who want audiobooks, ebooks and podcasts in one plan.
- Price per month
- SEK 169 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price from
- SEK 99 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 30 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Access model
- Hour cap (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Monthly listening cap (hours)
- 100 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Titles in the catalogue
- 1,500,000 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Family profiles
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Offline use
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Student discount
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Markets
- BE, BG, EE, FI, FR, DE, IS, IT, NL, NO, PL, ES, SE, TR, IN, ID, SG, KR, TH, BR, CL, CO, MX, EG, IL, SA, AE (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Storytel AB (publ) (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Sweden (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Content types
- Audiobooks, Ebooks, Podcasts
- Official website
- storytel.com
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- A catalogue of 1,500,000 titles, first among the brands compared here on size.
- Family profiles are included, so several people can use one account.
- Offline downloads are available for travel and commutes.
- A free trial of 30 days gives a long look before the first bill.
- A student discount is offered on top of the standard plans.
Cons
- The monthly price of SEK 169 is higher than $3 at the same billing rhythm.
- Access is limited by a 100 hour cap rather than running without limits.
- Support runs on help centre only, with no live contact listed.
- The entry price of SEK 99 still ranks behind many rivals on affordability.
Who it suits
- Households that share one account through family profiles
- Listeners who want audiobooks, ebooks and podcasts in the same app
- Readers who plan around a listening allowance rather than unlimited access
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants unlimited listening, since access sits under a 100 hour cap
- Readers who want live phone support, as support runs on help centre only
- Price-first single users who may find $3 easier to justify
What it does well
Storytel bundles listening and reading in one subscription, with audiobooks, ebooks and podcasts all included. The catalogue holds 1,500,000 titles, which is the widest range among the apps compared here, so a family rarely runs out of material. Family profiles let several people use the same account with their own libraries, and offline downloads mean titles travel without a connection, handy on commutes. A student discount is available, and the free trial runs 30 days, long enough to work out whether the habit sticks. One limit to keep in view: access follows a 100 hour cap, so listening time each month is bounded rather than open ended.
Where it sits among rivals
On size, Storytel leads the field with 1,500,000 catalogue titles, ranking first out of 20 brands compared. The 100 hour cap is also the most generous of the 4 brands on that measure, so the cap that exists at all is a mild one. The free trial of 30 days ranks third out of 16, ahead of most of the field. Price is where it lags. The entry figure of SEK 99 places it tenth of 24, and the monthly price of SEK 169 sits sixteenth of 22, so the plan reads as a premium subscription rather than a budget one.
Pricing
The subscription is billed monthly at SEK 169, with a lower entry point of SEK 99 for a lighter plan. Both figures sit above the monthly rates charged by Readability and AfriKDP, which price a single reader's access at $19.99 and $3. Because the plan covers a whole household through family profiles, the monthly figure works differently from a single-user price: the cost per person falls as more profiles are added. Worth setting the monthly rate against the trial first, then deciding at renewal whether the catalogue and the hour cap are worth the continuation.
Who runs it
Storytel is operated by Storytel AB (publ), headquartered in Sweden. Its service spans a wide set of markets across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, though pricing and the catalogue differ by country. Support is handled through a help centre, which is where account, billing and device questions are answered. Anyone signing up outside their home market should check that the local price and catalogue match what they expect before the first bill arrives.
How storytel compares
9.0 vs 9.0
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.6
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 8.7
Where storytel is available
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does Storytel cost a month?+
The standard plan is billed at SEK 169 each month, with a lower entry plan starting at SEK 99. Both prices cover the full catalogue of 1,500,000 titles and the family profiles feature, so the tier mainly changes how much you can listen rather than what you can read.
Is there a free trial?+
Yes, Storytel offers a free trial of 30 days. That trial ranks third among the 16 brands compared on this measure, which makes it one of the longer evaluation windows in this category. The trial is long enough to test both the 100 hour cap and the app before the first payment.
Does Storytel limit how much I can listen?+
Access is governed by an hour cap of 100 hours rather than being unlimited. The 1,500,000 titles stay available, but total listening time is bounded, so heavy listeners should check the cap against how much audio they get through each month.
Can several people use one Storytel account?+
Yes, family profiles are included, and each person can keep their own library and picks within the subscription. With 1,500,000 titles shared across profiles, one account can cover a household more cheaply than a single-reader plan. Offline downloads are also supported, so profiles can listen on the move.
What content does Storytel include?+
The subscription covers audiobooks, ebooks and podcasts in the same app, which lets a reader move between formats without a second account. Offline downloads are available for titles you want to keep on a device. Podcasts sit alongside the 1,500,000 titles, so the app works as a listening habit as well as a reading one.
Which countries does Storytel run in?+
Storytel operates across a broad set of markets in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, and the company is Storytel AB (publ) in Sweden. Because the catalogue and pricing vary by country, the monthly figure of SEK 169 is tied to the Swedish market. Check the local price before subscribing elsewhere.
How do I get help from Storytel?+
Support runs through a help centre, which is the route for account, billing and device questions. The help centre is the only support channel listed, so there is no live chat or phone line named for the service. It suits quick self-serve questions; anything complex takes a written reply.
Does Storytel offer a discount for students?+
Yes, a student discount is offered alongside the standard plans. Applying it is worth doing before the 30 day trial ends, since the trial is the natural point to decide on the paid tier. The discount is separate from the entry plan priced at SEK 99.
Sources
- storytel.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Markets
“Choose your country”
- support.storytel.com/hc/sv checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Kontakta support”
- storytel.com/se checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Access model, Titles in the catalogue, Content types, Family profiles, Monthly listening cap (hours), Offline use, Price from, Price per month
“100 timmar/månad”
- storytel.com/se/c/studentrabatt checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Student discount, Free trial length
“50% studentrabatt”
- storytelgroup.com/sv/om-oss checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity
“huvudkontor i Stockholm, Sverige”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
storytel
Families and multilingual households who want audiobooks, ebooks and podcasts in one plan.