I’ll give you a straightforward breakdown from the perspective of someone who hunts for deals and skips most
Impulse purchases. Free trials are your best friend for audiobooks, and I've used them to listen to books like 'Endure' without paying full price. Audible usually offers a 30-day trial with a credit that covers one premium audiobook; if 'Endure' is in their catalog you can claim it with that credit. Sometimes you'll find it under Audible Plus which means you can stream it without using the credit, but that depends on the publisher’s choices.
Scribd is another smart move — their trial gives access to a lot of audiobooks and
e-books for a flat trial period, though availability rotates and some high-demand titles can be limited. If you prefer supporting indie stores, Libro.fm offers a similar credit-based trial and gives you the feel-good of supporting local bookstores. Libraries are a
quieter, often-overlooked route: Libby/OverDrive and Hoopla let you borrow
audiobooks free with a library card, and I’ve picked up nonfiction heavy-hitters that way. Also keep in mind Google Play and Apple Books usually sell audiobooks à la carte without a trial, so they aren’t the best bet if you want a free listen.
Practical checks: look at return policies (Audible lets you swap within limits), preview samples, and watch the trial expiration so you can cancel if you don’t want ongoing charges. For me, using a trial plus the library catalog is the balanced approach — I get a high-quality listen and I don’t feel guilty about subscription baggage.