The Best Online Bookstore & Audiobook Alternatives To Amazon

Easily support local bookstores with all your physical and audiobook purchases. These two online platforms connect everyone with their local, independent bookstores, boosting your local economy and supporting your community.

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You’ve probably heard of Bookshop.org or Libro.fm by now. But if you’re not actively using them, here’s why it’s worth making the switch today

Bookshop.org

Bookshop is a B corporation that supports independent bookstores through online sales. They compete with Amazon and give customers who prefer shopping online an alternative to support their local bookstore from their computer. To date, they’ve raised over $40 million for independent bookstores! Customers can either select the specific bookstore they want to support with their purchases or allow their purchases to support a broader pool of funds shared with independent bookstores. 

I’ve been using Bookshop for years, and they’ve always had the books I wanted to purchase. They have a small shipping fee, unlike Amazon. However, they offer discounts on certain books to keep prices comparable to Amazon’s. Further, supporting local bookstores is an investment in our communities and a diverse economy. If you can, supporting local and independent bookshops is well worth the small shipping cost. 

Libro.fm

Libro.fm offers a huge range of audiobooks. They work with local bookstores to sell audiobooks on their behalf and return a portion of the profits to the bookstores. I have been using Libro for a while.

It’s the only audiobook app I use. For the same price as Audible, you can choose from a huge selection of audiobooks. I definitely recommend checking it out and making the switch if you are an Audible user. To get started (or make the switch), sign up via this link to get two books for the price of one and use code “HONESTLY” at checkout.

All in all, you can finally cut ties with Amazon when it comes to books. Instead of supporting a company that is gobbling up small businesses, forcing independent bookstores to close their doors, and weakening local business environments, put your dollars in the registers of local and independent book mavens. 

P.S. If you want used books, I also like Better World Books, which uses its proceeds to support literacy programs and the world.