ACX vs Voices by INaudio vs Author’s Republic vs Spotify for Authors

A fair UK and global English look at the four main ways indie authors get a finished audiobook in front of listeners. ACX is Amazon’s route to Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books. Voices by INaudio and Author’s Republic are wide, non-exclusive aggregators. Spotify for Authors is Spotify’s free direct upload. The big decision is exclusivity: an ACX exclusive deal pays a higher rate but keeps your audio off the wide aggregators for the term. Royalty models changed in 2025–2026 and keep moving, so confirm every rate on the official site before you upload.

	ACX	Voices by INaudio	Author’s Republic	Spotify for Authors
Best fit	Authors who want Audible reach and either a narrator marketplace or a simple DIY upload	Wide authors who want retail, subscription, and library reach (including K–12) without exclusivity	Wide authors who want a large channel list, optional production help, and an alternative to INaudio	Anyone who wants their audiobook on Spotify directly, alongside other channels
Exclusivity	Your choice: exclusive (Audible, Amazon, Apple Books only) or non-exclusive	Non-exclusive	Non-exclusive (leave its Audible/Amazon group unticked if you have an ACX exclusive)	Non-exclusive
Headline rate	New royalty model: 50% exclusive, 30% non-exclusive; membership listening paid from member value split by engagement	You keep 80% of what INaudio receives; partners typically pay 40–50% of list (à la carte), 30–40% (subscription)	You keep 80% of royalties it receives (stated average retailer payout around 50% of net sales)	50% of your suggested retail price on direct sales; Premium listening paid from a shared per-market pool
Upfront cost	Free to list; narrator costs apply if you pay for production	No upfront, setup, or distribution fees	No upfront or subscription fees advertised	Free, no title limit
Reach	Audible, Amazon, Apple Books	Global retail, subscription, library, and K–12 partners	50+ retail, library, and streaming partners, including music streaming services	Spotify listeners in 22 countries
Chirp deals (US/Canada)	No	Yes, via BookBub Partner Dashboard	Yes, via its Chirp Deals tool or BookBub	No
UK authors	Open to UK authors; check tax and payment setup on signup	Open to UK authors; pays in USD by default	Open to UK authors; confirm payout method and thresholds	Open worldwide; royalties paid in USD

Who should choose what?

Choose ACX exclusive if most of your listeners are on Audible and the higher 50% rate plus all-you-can-listen eligibility outweighs losing library and other retail reach. Remember that the legacy royalty model ends by the end of 2026.
Choose ACX non-exclusive plus an aggregator if you want Audible and the wide market: upload to ACX at 30% and send everything else through Voices by INaudio or Author’s Republic.
Choose Voices by INaudio if library and K–12 reach matter, and you like that Spotify for Authors hands off to it for other stores.
Choose Author’s Republic if you want an alternative wide aggregator with a long channel list, music-streaming outlets, and optional production help. Pick one aggregator per title rather than both, to avoid duplicate listings.
Add Spotify for Authors whichever route you take, unless your aggregator already delivers to Spotify for you. It is free and non-exclusive.

Aside: production is a separate decision

None of these distributors records your book for you by default. ACX has a narrator marketplace, Author’s Republic offers production services, and many authors hire a narrator independently. AI or digital-voice narration rules differ by platform and change often, so read each platform’s current policy before you upload synthetic audio.

This page is editorial, not sponsored. See how we monetise. We do not invent rates or promise earnings — verify current royalty terms before you publish.

Tool pages: ACX · Voices by INaudio · Author’s Republic · Spotify for Authors · Chirp