You open Borrowbox, find the audiobook you want, and there it is: “42 people ahead of you.” Estimated wait: eight weeks. You check Libby. Same book, same story. So you add yourself to the list, forget about it, and by the time the notification arrives, you’ve already moved on to something else.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Library audiobook apps like Borrowbox and Libby are brilliant in many ways. They are free, they connect you to your local library, and they open up thousands of titles. But they also come with real limitations that can get between you and your next listen.
Why the waiting lists exist
Borrowbox and Libby work on a one-copy-one-user licensing model. Even though audiobooks are digital files, libraries can only lend each copy to one person at a time. When a book is popular, everyone queues for it, just like a physical library.
Local council budgets determine how many copies your library can buy. Some councils are well funded. Others stretch every penny. That means your waiting time depends partly on where you live, which feels unfair when the audiobook itself is sitting on a server somewhere.
The result is a system where you can borrow up to 15 audiobooks at a time on Borrowbox, but often the 15 you actually want are all on hold.
The loan clock is ticking
Once you do get your audiobook, you have about three weeks to finish it. That works for a quick thriller, but a 20-hour biography or a dense history book? You might find yourself racing to finish before it disappears from your library.
You can renew twice on Borrowbox, which helps. But if someone else has reserved the title, renewal might not be available. And on Libby, loan periods vary by library, so you never quite know how much time you have.
For anyone who listens in short bursts during commutes or chores, three weeks can go quickly. There is nothing more frustrating than losing a book halfway through because the loan expired.
Free is great, but is it really free?
It’s important that people get free access to books. We believe in accessibility in every way. But the hidden cost of library apps is time and flexibility. You wait weeks for popular titles. You work around loan deadlines. You browse what is available rather than choosing what you want.
For avid listeners who get through several audiobooks a month, the waiting and the restrictions start to add up. Many end up juggling Borrowbox, Libby, alongside difficult-to-cancel paid subscriptions like Audible to cover the gaps, which means managing multiple apps and paying a monthly subscription on top.
Buy when you want to listen
This is where xigxag comes in. xigxag is a UK audiobook app with a simple idea: buy the audiobook you want, when you want it. No subscription, no monthly commitment, no waiting list.
You own every audiobook you buy. There are no loan periods, no expiry dates, and no risk of losing your book mid-chapter. Listen at your own pace, whether that takes three days or three months.
Prices start at £8.99, and the Listen for Less section always has titles from £3.99. If you are a frequent listener, the pricing model encourages and rewards that: after every five full-price audiobooks, you unlock a £1 discount, up to 20 books per year. The more you listen, the less you pay.
Compare that to Audible, which forces consumers into a subscription to get a good price, typically locking you into £8.99 per month whether you listen that month or not. xigxag only charges you when you actually want a book.
More than just audio
xigxag’s catalogue is built around professional human narration, so every listen sounds the way the publisher intended.
An increasing proportion of audiobooks on xigxag are also available as x-books, which offer an integrated listen-and-read experience. The x-book® format synchronises professional narration with the full published text on screen, so you can follow along word by word, look up words, highlight passages, and search within the book. Look for the x-book® ribbon on the cover image, or use the search filter to show x-books only.
This is especially useful for neurodivergent listeners or anyone learning English as a second language. It turns an audiobook into something closer to a study tool, without losing the pleasure of a great narration.
You do not have to choose one or the other
The smartest approach for many listeners is to use both. Keep Borrowbox and Libby for browsing and discovering backlist titles where availability is not an issue. Use xigxag for the new release you want right now, the bestseller with a 12-week waiting list, or the book your friend just recommended that you want to start tonight. You can even pre-order upcoming titles on the xigxag website, so they appear in your My Books library as soon as they publish.
Because xigxag has no subscription, there is no cost when you are not listening. You will not pay for months you do not use. That makes it the perfect companion to a library app, filling the gaps without adding a recurring bill.
Getting started
You can browse and buy audiobooks at xigxag.co.uk. The full listening experience, including x-books, offline downloads, listening streaks, and your yearly reading challenge, is available through the xigxag app.
If you are coming from Audible and looking for something more affordable, or if you have been relying on Borrowbox and Libby and want instant access to the audiobooks they cannot always provide, xigxag gives you a way to listen on your terms.
No waiting. No subscription. Just audiobooks, ready when you are.
