Scribd Review: A Quick Overview
Here’s Scribd at a glance.
User Experience | Price | Features | Mobile-friendliness |
|---|---|---|---|
9.8/10 | 9.6/10 | 9.8/10 | 9.8/10 |
| What I Like + | What I Don’t Like – |
|---|---|
| ✅ 30- to 60-day free trial | ❌Unlimited access may not actually be unlimited |
| ✅ Best book recommendations | ❌A little bit pricey |
| ✅ Offline reading and listening experience | |
| ✅ High-quality features | |
| ✅ Mobile-friendly |
I looked thoroughly into this platform to determine the quality of this subscription service.
Here are the features I examined.
Free access
Library
Mobile-friendliness
Book recommendations
Content quality
Membership options
Subscription cost
What Is Scribd?
Let’s get to know Scribd better.
Scribd Inc. is an American digital library subscription service that started in 2007.
Trip Adler, Jared Friedman, and Tikhon Bernstam made Scribd happen.
Scribd confidently holds the “Netflix for Books” title as named by Forbes.
Scribd navigates audiobooks and ebooks and upgrades to sheet music, podcasts, case studies, medical reports, business books, etc.
Their features include customization of narration speed and sleep timer on audiobooks while adding bookmarks, notes, and annotations attachments, and personalized font style, size, and color on ebooks.
Who Should Use Scribd?
Consider Scribd if you’re one of the following:
An avid reader looking for a high-quality reading and listening experience online
A student looking for online academic books without the hassle of carrying thick books
A teacher looking for credible information without scanning through multiple books
A musician looking for an all-in-one music sheet library without scanning through pages
A researcher looking for extensive references without browsing through tons of sources online
A news enthusiast looking for unlimited online articles without waiting for newspapers
If you’re not any of the above, I recommend something simpler than Scribd, like Sumizeit, Blinkist, and Libby, which are excellent for casual readers.
Scribd Review
The Scribd free trial offers 30-day unlimited access to all their features.
If you want to enjoy Scribd longer without paying, Scribd has an extended 60-day trial for a limited time.
I like Scribd’s trial experience not because it’s free but because it allows you to check if this subscription service is worthwhile for a longer duration. You can cancel your subscription anytime after the free trial experience to avoid payment if unsatisfied with the service.
Scribd Books
With over a million choices, you won’t get bored with Scribd because you get unlimited listening.
If you don’t find the book you’re looking for in the ebooks and audiobooks section, you can find it by browsing the documents category and looking for a PDF copy.
Scribd Library
The Scribd page (and Scribd App) lets you decide which activities to hover over, including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts, sheet music, and documents. From here, you can choose from over 50 categories.
Topics like self-improvement, LGBTQIA+ fiction, erotica, and identity and culture fiction are on Scribd. These categories are hard to find on other book services.
Scribd Features
Scribd offers impressive features that give users a better reading and listening experience.
With the Snapshot, you can have a bite-sized portion of the book you want to read without committing to the full version.
All their features support pocket devices at your reach without interruptions while reading an exciting chapter as Scribd automatically syncs to where you left off across multiple devices.
Scribd Unlimited
Scribd’s 60 million documents sound like a lot. However, it only has approximately 70,000 titles for books, which is far fewer titles than Amazon, the leading online retail bookstore.
Some users say Scribd limits the books users can access during free trials. Apparently, Scribd imposes these limits to reduce its costs.
This limit is what I mean when I say that Scribd may not actually be providing unlimited access.
Scribd Subscription Cost
Scribd has an exclusive offer with a 2-month free period.
After the trial ends, the Scribd membership option comes at a flat rate of $11.99 monthly plus tax in applicable countries.
Scribd Reviews: Social Proof
Word of mouth is a powerful tool, especially in writing reviews.
Here are a few reviews to give you an idea of what other Scribd users think about the service.
Is Scribd for You?
Scribd may not be the right choice for everyone.
Here are users who can benefit from Scribd.
Avid Readers
If you’re an avid reader, Scribd is the way to go.
With Scribd, you can keep up with the growing popularity of digital publishing. You can easily hold all your favorite books in one device and bring them anywhere.
Scribd accentuates reading with personalization at its finest, as it also lets you adjust the font style, size, and color. Scribd also enhances your listening experience by allowing you to adjust the playback speed.
When reading with Scribd, you can adjust your phone brightness and use the dark mode feature to avoid straining your eyes.
If you like listening to audiobooks and podcasts before sleeping, the sleep timer feature is for you. You can customize the timer to ensure you won’t miss anything from the chapter.
Students
Source Scribd
Some students need help carrying heavy books to school.
Scribd will solve the problem as a single lightweight device can hold more books than you can fit in your bag.
With Scribd’s features, highlighting, bookmarking, and studying (with the read-aloud feature) are more convenient than ever.
You also avoid spending a lot on academic books since most required textbooks are available on Scribd.
Scribd eliminates the use of paper, helping reduce carbon footprints.
Scribd is best suited for students because it enhances their learning capabilities. This subscription service offers various academic books, videos, and documents.
What If You’re Not a Fan of Scribd?
If you don’t think Scribd is for you, try these similar ebook services.
Scribd Review: Additional Info
Here’s some additional info you need to know about Scribd.
Scribd vs. Kindle Unlimited
If you can’t decide whether Scribd or Kindle Unlimited is better, here’s a comparison.
Scribd
Price: $11.99 monthly (plus applicable taxes)
Availability: Available worldwide
Support Team: Email
Free Trial Period: 30-days (60-day limited offer)
Accessibility: Unavailable on e-readers
Top Feature: Snapshot
Kindle Unlimited
Price: $9.99 monthly
Availability: Not available worldwide
Support team: Email, Phone, Live Chats
Free trial period: 30-days
Accessibility: Available on e-readers
Top feature: Massive library
Kindle Unlimited is noticeably cheaper than Scribd, but availability could be an issue for avid readers who live in areas where Kindle Unlimited is unavailable.
Scribd vs. Audible
Here’s how Scribd and Audible compare.
Scribd
Price: $11.99 monthly
Audiobooks per month: Unlimited
Audio Quality: Good – 32kbps
Audible
Price per month: $14.95
Audiobooks per month: 2
Audio Quality: Excellent – 64kbps
With the Audible subscription, you get to own the books with lifetime access, while on Scribd, you only rent the library access without having lifetime access. Nevertheless, Scribd’s unlimited access offer makes it preferable to Audible.
If you want to learn more about these two tools side by side, check this guide about Scribd vs Audible, where I do a more in-depth comparison.
Scribd Family Plan
Scribd has no family plan membership option; you’ll pay the same rate as other users even if more than one user is accessing Scribd. For Apple-purchased Scribd accounts, iCloud allows a one-to-one system where the subscriptions are accessible for up to 6 devices.
Scribd Annual Subscription
There’s no Scribd yearly membership, meaning you must pay each month independently. The Scribd price for one year is $11.99 times 12 months or $143.88 (plus applicable taxes).
Scribd Pricing
Scribd charges you $11.99 monthly after the 30-day free trial period. The service only has one membership option, and you can cancel your subscription anytime.
Scribd Price Increase
The cost of Scribd has increased from $8.99 to $11.99 monthly.
Some users say it’s because of inflation, but an increase would be a non-issue for content-hungry readers.
How to Download Books on Scribd
To download books on Scribd for offline access, follow these steps:
Click on the cover of the book you want to download.
On the book’s summary page, find the “Download” button.
Locate the downloaded titles by clicking the bookmark icon on the navigation menu (bottom of the screen).
Make sure to turn on the “Downloaded” toggle.
Once on, you’ll find the list of your downloaded titles.
Scribd Unsubscribe / How To Cancel Scribd
Here’s how you cancel your Scribd subscription. The cancellation process varies for each payment method.
Follow these steps if you paid through a credit or debit card, PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.
Open a web browser and log in to your account on the Scribd website.
Go to the Your Account page.
Find the Subscription & Payment Details section and click End My Subscription.
Read and review the cancelation confirmation before proceeding.
You’ll see a confirmation message on the screen and receive a notification via the email address registered to your Scribd account if you successfully canceled your account.
If you paid through iTunes or App Store, follow these steps:
On Mac:
Open the App Store on your Mac device.
Click on the sign-in button or click your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Click View Information at the top of the window.
Scroll to locate Subscriptions, then click Manage.
Find Scribd and select Edit on the options.
Click Cancel Subscription to confirm your cancelation.
On iPhone or iPad:
Open the Settings menu on your device.
Tap your Apple ID.
Tap Subscriptions and select Scribd.
Tap Cancel Subscription to confirm your cancelation.
If you paid through Google Play, follow these steps:
On a laptop or computer:
Go to the Google Pay website and sign in to your Google Account.
Click My Subscriptions.
Look for Scribd and click Manage.
Select Cancel Subscription and click Yes to confirm your cancelation.
On an Android device:
Open your Google Play App.
Tap your profile icon on the top-right corner of your screen.
Tap Payments & Subscriptions, then tap Subscriptions.
Find your Scribd subscription.
Press Cancel Subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Scribd Legit?
Yes. Scribd is a legit company. Scribd has been running since 2007 and has served over 80 million subscribers.
Is Scribd Safe?
Yes. Scribd is safe for all users. Scribd fully complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other applicable laws.
Is Scribd Worth It?
It depends. Scribd is worth it if you’re a student or avid reader looking for unique features and access to many collections.
How Does Scribd Work?
Once you subscribe, Scribd lets you access over 60 million documents, including ebooks, digital books, music sheets, podcasts, and magazines. You can access Scribd’s collection online and download documents for offline access.
How Many Books Do You Get a Month With Scribd?
Scribd claims to provide an unlimited listening experience to audiobooks.
However, many reviews say that Scribd throttles and limits access if you consume more than four books monthly.
How Much Does Scribd Cost?
A Scribd monthly subscription costs $11.99 (plus applicable taxes).
How Much Is Scribd Per Month?
The Scribd monthly fee costs $11.99 (plus applicable taxes) after the 30-day free trial.
What Is the Downside of Scribd?
One downside of Scribd is that when you cancel your subscription, you’ll lose access to your saved audiobooks.
The Bottom Line
Scribd is ideal if you’re an avid reader. If not, it’s better to rely on free library services instead.
Scribd’s worth depends on your reading habits, needs, preferences, and budget.
Scribd is an excellent service. The features provided a smooth experience, and the drawbacks were minor.
If you’re an avid reader but prefer audiobooks over ebooks, learn more about the best audiobook apps to find one that fits your needs and budget.
