Should you read it or listen to it? Search any book.
Read vs Listen decides whether a book is better on Kindle or on Audible using the same thirteen checks every time, and sets out the reasons so you can judge for yourself.
The shortlist: read it or listen to it?
All six shortlisted novels, checked against the same thirteen questions. Four are better read and two are better listened to.
Everyone's talking about
These are the books in every group chat and the big sellers, with the format to pick for each.
A narrator for each viewpoint and praised performances, with nothing confirmed that points to print.
One narrator, one viewpoint, praised voices and a 480-page book, with nothing confirmed that points to print.
One viewpoint, one narrator and an Audie-winning reading, with nothing confirmed pointing to print.
A full cast and a long book (640 pages in print), with nothing confirmed that points to reading.
A full cast of named actors and a long book, with nothing confirmed that points to print.
Jumping timelines and three or more viewpoints read by one narrator, with nothing confirmed that points to listening.
Three accounts nested inside one another and read by a single narrator, in formal prose, with nothing confirmed pointing to audio.
Two eras in very short alternating sections and lyrical prose, with nothing confirmed pointing to audio.
Literary prose and a nonlinear story, with nothing confirmed that points to audio.
Several viewpoints and a jump between 2001 and the present, all read by one narrator, favour reading. Only the length, over 400 pages, favours audio.
Guides
Ranked, researched and kept up to date.
The best Christmas audiobooks
Ranked, with who narrates each, how long it takes and which edition to buy.
Gift guide
Book gift ideas for 2026
What each book is about, and whether to give the book or the audiobook.
Comparison
Audible vs Kindle: which one for which book?
What each costs, including Kindle+, and the test that tells you which suits your book.
Ranked guide
The best full cast audiobooks
Full cast, sound design, multi-narrator and dramatisations, ranked and told apart.
Browse by genre
Every verdict uses the same thirteen questions
Six checks favour the audiobook and seven favour the printed book. They measure what most people find easier to follow in each format, not whether the book is any good.
- No paid placements or sponsored verdicts
- Some links earn a small commission, at no cost to you
- Commission never changes a verdict
Leans towards reading
- Jumping timelines
- Three or more points of view, one narrator
- Story depends on images or layout
- Many similar-sounding names
- Literary or dense prose
- Narration criticised
- Maps, family trees or footnotes
Leans towards listening
- Full cast or produced audio
- Read by the author
- Single point of view and narrator
- Award-winning or praised narration
- Unfamiliar names or dialect
- Long book
Want to set your own criteria for read vs listen?
The Read vs Listen app will let you switch off the checks that don't match how you read, so every verdict is tuned to your taste.
Free to use. Emails about the app only. What the app will do →
