If the videos on gay leather bar sex videosPornhub don't do it for you, there's plenty of visual porn alternatives out there. But there's also an entire world separate from glossy high-production videos or homemade tapes: audio erotica.
Interest in audio erotica has skyrocketed in the past few years, as have apps dedicated to it. While subreddits like r/gonewildaudioand sites like GirlOnTheNethave been around for much longer, the recent flood of millennial- and Gen Z-branded audio erotica offerings is hard to ignore. You may have seen buzz over "Hot Priest" Andrew Scott's new spicy Quinn story on your FYP, for example.
It's easy to see why audio porn made the leap from voice notes to full-on productions. Some women use "mental framing"(fantasizing) to get turned on, according to researchers. But that doesn't mean that men aren't interested, too. They make up half of Quinn's users, founder Caroline Spiegel told Mashable in 2019. Audio allows the listener to drop into a fantasy more easily than watching people have sex on camera. The listener can close their eyes, visualize the scene, and visualize their partner.
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What's more is that visual porn just doesn't work for some people. Spiegel said that her site was born out of discovering audio porn because visual porn didn't appeal to her. Listening to audio porn doesn't evoke the same ethical concerns as watching mainstream porn, for one. Furthermore, many videos display conventionally attractive and oftentimes unattainable bodies — thin, white, able bodied, augmented breasts, labiaplastied vulvas — which can make the viewer feel less than, not sexy.
When you're watching people who look nothing like you have sex, it may be hard to get turned on at all. There's also the knowledge that the people in mainstream videos are performers, which can kill the mood.
As former Mashable reporter Jess Joho wrote, "The best way to describe the vastly different experience between masturbating to visual rather than auditory pornis the difference between anonymous sex versus sex with a significant other."
"Everyone's like, 'oh, the more graphic the better,'" said Spiegel last year, "but actually, I think human desire is more complex than that."
I agree with Spiegel, and the number of audio porn apps and sites that are popping up signals that many others do too. Here's a guide to some of them — for the sake of this list not being miles long, I left out pages on social media (like subreddits and the soundsofpleasureTumblr page), and sites that aren't exclusively about audio porn, such as GirlOnTheNet.
That means this isn't an exhaustive list, but for those interested in dipping their toes into audio porn, this is for you.
Quinn
Quinn is a site and app that offers original and user-submitted stories. Credit: Screenshot: Quinn What to expect: Quinn is like the YouTube of self-insert audio porn. There's a ton of user-generated content; Quinn calls these folks Creators. Anyone — including you! — can apply to be a Quinn Creator. In recent years, Quinn has also released its own erotic fantasies called Quinn Originals with some of the internet's hottest boy/girlfriends. The latest is The Queen's Guard with Andrew Scott. There are hundreds of tags to choose from — from "lesbian" to "dirty talk" to "long distance" — so you can choose what kind of story you'd like to listen to.
Medium: App (iOS and Android) and desktop
Cost: $4.99/month or $3.99/month when billed annually after a one-week free trial
Bottom line: Quinn is a low-cost option for fun erotic stories read by either famous actors or anonymous horny people like you.
Dipsea
Credit: Screenshot: Dipsea 
Credit: Screenshot: Dipsea What to expect: Dipsea releases its own professionally-crafted audio stories weekly and has a library of over a thousand to enjoy now. Offerings include heterosexual and queer stories utilizing cis, nonbinary, and trans voices; there's also some group sex stories. You can find what you want to listen to by browsing the site/app or searching various tags like "BDSM," "sex in public," and others. Dipsea calls itself "HBO for your ears."
Dipsea offers produced stories with ambient sounds that start out with a scenario (say, two strangers at a club, or a couple moving into a new place) that transitions into a sexy scene. Most of the accents are American. The app also has how-to audios, guided solo or partner practices, and self-insert stories (which means it's one voice actor detailing what a character is doing to "you").
Medium: App (iOS and Android) and desktop
Cost: $69.99/year after a one-week free trial
Bottom line: Dipsea is for the user who prefers to be voyeuristic in their audio listening, as most of the stories aren't self-insert.
Bloom
Credit: Screenshot: Bloom 
Credit: Bloom What to expect: Formerly called Audiodesires, Bloom has over 800 stories in English, Spanish, and German. The app has both self-insert stories (called roleplays) and those with two or more voice actors for a more voyeuristic experience. Last year, Bloom debuted AI roleplay chatbots so you can talk with some fan-favorite characters, from a doctor to a dominatrix.
Medium: App (iOS) and desktop
Cost: A selection of episodes (which rotate each month) are available for free. Subscriptions for premium users start at $10.95/month. Bloom Chat (the AI roleplay) costs extra.
Bottom line: Bloom is perfect if you want a mix of self-insert and third-person stories, and if you want the AI chatbot experience.
Emjoy
Credit: Screenshot: Emjoy 
Credit: Screenshot: Emjoy What to expect: Unlike the others above, Emjoy's sole focus isn't on audio erotica. Rather, it advertises itself as an "audio journey to female pleasure." The app has a Wellness section that houses its guided practices, and a Stories section that houses erotic stories. Upon downloading the app, the user picks areas of sexual wellbeing they want to focus on — such as discovering oneself or staying present during intimacy. Similarly to Headspace's "packs," Emjoy's Wellness practices have multiple sessions, as if it were a lesson plan. There's also a Journey tab on the app where you can see what you've already listened to.
Medium: App (iOS and Android)
Cost: $10.99/month after a seven-day free trial
Bottom line: For those who want to explore their own sexuality more and dig into topics like body acceptance and discovering what you're into sexually — as well as listen to erotica — Emjoy is for you.
Ferly
Credit: Screenshot: Ferly 
Credit: Screenshot: Ferly What to expect: Ferly is similar to Emjoy. They have mindful sex practices, which they describe as "podcast-style." When you download the app, you sign up for a program run by a sex and health expert — such as having sex after trauma, or increasing desire for sex. From there, you listen to audio sessions, participate in guided practices, and can even journal about your experience.
Medium: App (iOS only)
Cost: £12.99/month, £39.99/year, or £399.99 for a lifetime membership after a seven-day free trial
Bottom line: I'd consider Ferly more of a self-care app than an audio erotica app, but there are indeed sensual stories for you to listen to.
With these apps/sites, subreddits, and more, there's a wide array of audio erotica available to explore. If visual porn upsets you or just plain doesn't turn you on, consider giving audio porn a shot. Just remember to connect your earphones.
This article was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2024.