What Storytel actually does
Storytel is a Stockholm-based subscription service that combines audiobooks and ebooks in a single app, founded in 2006 by Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since 2021.
The core product
Rather than charging one flat price for unlimited access, Storytel runs hour-based tiers, so casual listeners pay less than heavy ones:
- Flex
- Premium
- Unlimited
It also offers a Family plan that gives up to six people their own profile and hour allowance under a single bill. Its catalog spans roughly 40 languages, and audiobooks and ebooks live in the same app and library rather than requiring separate services, which fewer competitors in this category actually do. The app runs on Android and iOS; there is no desktop client or web player for reading or listening, only account management.
Signing up and starting to listen is immediate, with a free trial (length varies by market and promotion, commonly 14 to 45 days) before monthly billing begins, and no fixed-term contract locking users in afterward.
What's new or notable
The detail worth calling out is Storytel's ownership structure: its shareholder base is widely spread among European holders, with the largest block - a founder-linked group - holding 11.68% of shares and votes, and the next-largest holder, EQT Public Value, a Swedish investment fund, at close to 10%.
No single or non-European entity controls the company, which is a meaningful point of difference from audiobook competitors owned by larger, non-European conglomerates. Combined with its 40-language catalog, that makes Storytel a genuinely useful pick for readers who move between languages or live outside the US/UK-centric release cycle most audiobook services are built around.
Who should use Storytel
Great fit if…
- You want audiobooks and ebooks in one app — Storytel combines both in a single subscription and library rather than splitting them across separate services.
- You read or listen in more than one language — a catalog spanning roughly 40 languages suits multilingual readers better than US/UK-centric audiobook services.
- You want a household plan with separate profiles — Family gives up to six people their own profile, recommendations and hour allowance instead of one shared queue.
- You prefer a widely-held, Europe-based company — Storytel is publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm with no single or non-European controlling shareholder.
Skip it if…
- You need a desktop or web listening experience — the app is mobile-only (Android and iOS); there is no desktop client or web player for actually reading or listening.
- You listen or read heavily every month — below the Unlimited tier, listening hours are capped, so heavy users either need the pricier Unlimited plan or have to track remaining hours.
- You're outside Storytel's supported markets or need instant access to major new US/UK releases — catalog size and new-release timing vary a lot by country, and cross-border or multilingual users may need more than one country's subscription to get everything they want.
Pricing in detail
Storytel's Swedish pricing page lists four consumer plans, distinguished mainly by monthly listening hours and number of accounts.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Flex | 99 kr/month | One account with 20 hours of listening per month, with the ability to roll over up to 100 unused hours, plus unlimited podcast listening. |
| Premium | 169 kr/month | One account with 100 hours of listening per month and unlimited podcast access. |
| Unlimited | 249 kr/month | One account with unrestricted listening hours and unlimited podcast access. |
| Family | From 239 kr/month | 2 to 6 accounts, each with its own 100-hour monthly allowance and unlimited podcasts. |
| Student | 84 kr/month | Discounted plan for verified students with 100 hours of listening per month and unlimited podcasts. |
Where it falls short
- Hour limits are a real, everyday constraint — below the Unlimited tier, running out of listening hours mid-book is a practical problem, not a theoretical edge case, and requires either upgrading or carefully tracking remaining hours.
- Mobile-only app — there is no desktop client and no web player for actually reading or listening, only browsing and account management, which is a real limitation for anyone who prefers reading on a larger screen.
- Catalog is split by country — what's available varies substantially between markets, and new English-language releases from major US publishers often arrive months or years later than on competitors, so cross-border listeners may need more than one country's subscription.
Privacy & data
Storytel is headquartered in Sweden, an EU member state, and is publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm with a widely spread European shareholder base - the largest holder controls under 12% of shares and votes, and no single or non-European entity controls the company.
That ownership structure and EU location mean Storytel operates under GDPR for its European users, which is a genuine point in its favor relative to audiobook services headquartered or majority-owned outside the EU.
We were not able to independently verify further specifics of Storytel's data retention or third-party sharing practices beyond what its EU location and public listing imply, so readers with strong privacy requirements should check Storytel's own privacy policy directly.
How we checked this
This entry is based on Storytel's own Swedish website (storytel.com/se/sv), last checked on 2026-09-05, along with Storytel's public shareholder disclosures related to its Nasdaq Stockholm listing. Plan names, prices and features above reflect what Storytel's official pages state at the time of this check rather than hands-on use of every tier; pricing and catalog availability vary by country and can change over time, so readers outside Sweden should confirm current figures for their own market directly on Storytel's site before subscribing.