What is an audiobook app?
An audiobook player application is a web, mobile, or desktop application that enables users to play audiobooks. Audiobook player apps may also feature social sharing features, such as the ability to share book selections with friends and see what others are listening to. The app may include a library for downloading and organizing books in addition to an audio player for playing books while offline.
Audiobook apps are often compared to music streaming apps, audio book reading apps, and podcast apps. The most popular audiobook app is called Audible.
Examples of audiobook apps built with Crowdbotics:
- A mobile app that reads books out loud for children. Children push “play”, audio begins reading out loud. English and Arabic are supported.
What is the typical cost to build an audiobook app?
An audiobook app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. An audiobook app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.
For example, here are some previous audiobook app price quotes from Crowdbotics:
How long does it take to build an audiobook app?
An audiobook app usually takes 167 hours to build. However, an audiobook app can be built in as few as 133 hours, or in as many as 200 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms.
For example, some previous audiobook apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:
Not seeing what you’re looking for?
Crowdbotics has quoted and built hundreds of applications for teams of all sizes. Browse our historical estimates by industry and app type to understand possible costs and considerations.
How to successfully grow your audiobook application
An audiobook app can gain users by offering a free trial, which allows customers to sample the product before making a purchase decision. The app should also provide mechanisms for sharing audiobooks with friends. Asking for reviews and ratings is another effective strategy for increasing downloads, as is partnering with influencers on social media to create awareness around an audiobook app.
Risks and challenges of building an audiobook application
An audiobook app faces legal risks related to the contractual terms between publishers and authors. If a publisher is one of your clients, you will want to ensure that your app does not violate any contractual obligations between them and their authors. You will also want to ensure that you adequately protect the copyright in the books that are offered within the framework of your app. Finally, you will want to avoid potential trademark issues associated with using third party content within your app.
