this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2025
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Heads up Overdrive.Inc is american (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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The largest commercial provider of ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital content such as streaming videos in the world, a 2023 report estimated its market share as perhaps being upwards of 90%.

This company notably powers the Libby app for borrowing books.

The headquarters is located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

Are there any European alternatives available?

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[โ€“] rbn@sopuli.xyz 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

For audio books I can recommend Thalia.de. They offer a monthly subscription plan ('Hรถrbuchabo') where you pay 7,95โ‚ฌ for one audio book per month. All audio books I've been looking for so far were included, even those that sell for 40โ‚ฌ+. You don't need an app, all downloads are plain MP3s without DRM that you can keep forever and the subscription can be cancelled any time. If you don't get an audio book in one month, you'll get credits, so you can get two audio books the month after.

Overall, a very fair deal from my perspective.

[โ€“] jlow@beehaw.org 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Be aware that Thalia is like Germany's Amazon competing out small, independant booksbops woth unfair methods for decades. I've boycotted them since the 2010's.

[โ€“] rbn@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Is there a better German platform for audio books though? Sure, you could buy physical CDs and rip them but that's extra work and IMHO not ideal from an environmental perspective.

I used OverDrive in the past when they still offered plain MP3s but its successor Libby isn't for me. I'm forced to use their app, I have to block the audio book for everyone else, have to rush through as I can only borrow it for two/four weeks etc.

[โ€“] jlow@beehaw.org 1 points 6 months ago

I recently discovered

https://www.hoebu.de/

Haven't bought from them yet but it seems like their stuff is drm-free? And they also sell ebooks? Unfortunately it seems like you can only pay via Paypal though ๐Ÿ‘Ž