Reading this I did a brief search and Kobo looks sort of interesting in offering combined book/audiobooks. A subscription for 1 book a month at $9.99 with no option to buy more credits means I'll be spending a bit more but the extra convenience might be worth it.
EDIT: Audible's media integration and volume levels have been sort of broken on Android for a year now so I've been vaguely meaning to switch and this is just a prompt.
I don't personally listen to audio books, so hopefully someone can chime in with some helpful alternatives?
From a quick search though, it looks like https://libro.fm/ is where I would start looking with an Audible alternative as it seems to align with my ideals and has a decent selection. There does seem to be a good few options though so have a look yourself if nobody has further suggestions :)
> You appear to be accessing the site from outside the United States or Canada. While a credit card from the USA/Canada is required to purchase a monthly membership, it is possible to buy a gift membership from anywhere in the world.
It's incredible how far behind the Audiobook world is from Podcasting.
The only company trying something different is Pushkin. I think that may be the start of a Audiobook revolution.
I don’t have an answer for a general audible competitor because I too use audible. However I do purchase directly from one studio that I’m a fan of, Soundbooth Theater. There may be other groups with a similar set up, but I’m not aware of any (nor have I looked though)
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobooks
EDIT: Audible's media integration and volume levels have been sort of broken on Android for a year now so I've been vaguely meaning to switch and this is just a prompt.