Do Audiobooks Count on 75 Hard? Reading Rules Explained
No, audiobooks don't count on 75 Hard. Here's the official reading rule from Andy Frisella and what the science says about listening vs reading.
You’re halfway through your morning commute with an audiobook playing. That counts toward your 10 pages today, right?
No, it doesn’t. The reasoning is worth understanding, though, because it tells you a lot about what this challenge is actually testing.
Do audiobooks count on 75 Hard? The short answer
No. Audiobooks do not count on 75 Hard.
75 Hard, the mental toughness program created by Andy Frisella, requires you to physically read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction self-improvement book every single day. Listening to those pages instead of reading them doesn’t satisfy the rule.
If you swap reading for listening, you’ve technically failed that day’s task. And on 75 Hard, a failed task means you restart from Day 1.
The official reading rule, word for word
Frisella lays out five daily tasks for 75 Hard. Reading is the fourth, and the language is specific.
You must read at least 10 pages each and every day. The material has to be non-fiction, educational, or focused on self-improvement. And you have to read it. Audiobooks are explicitly excluded.
Notice what the rule doesn’t say. It isn’t “paper books only.” It’s “you have to read the pages.” That distinction matters for the most common follow-up question.
What about a Kindle or e-reader?
E-readers count. A Kindle, a tablet, the Kindle app on your phone, all of it is fine, because you’re still reading the words with your eyes.
The line isn’t drawn between paper and digital. It’s drawn between reading and listening. Anything you read visually is in bounds, and anything you consume as audio is out.
Why audiobooks don’t count (the logic behind the rule)
If a Kindle counts, why not an audiobook? You’re still taking in the same words.
The answer is that 75 Hard isn’t a comprehension challenge. It’s a discipline challenge.
Frisella has been clear that the program is about doing hard things consistently, not optimizing for convenience. Sitting down to read 10 pages requires you to stop, focus, and give the task your full attention. You can’t do it while driving, folding laundry, or walking the dog.
Audiobooks are easier to fold into dead time. That’s exactly why they don’t count. The rule removes the easy option on purpose. The friction is the point.
So the reading task isn’t really about absorbing information. It’s about proving to yourself that you’ll carve out deliberate, undistracted time for something every day for 75 days, no matter what.
But isn’t listening the same as reading? What the science says
The people arguing “listening is reading” have a point worth taking seriously.
In 2019, researchers at UC Berkeley published an fMRI study in the Journal of Neuroscience. Led by Fatma Deniz of the Gallant Lab, the team mapped how the brain processes language. They found that the brain’s semantic maps, the regions that handle meaning, are nearly identical whether a person reads a story or listens to it.
Your brain builds roughly the same understanding either way. Comprehension across the two modes is comparable. What print holds onto is reader-controlled pacing and the small, frequent backward eye movements (re-reading a phrase to catch a nuance) that support deeper inference.
So if your goal is learning, audiobooks are a legitimate way to absorb a book. The science backs that up.
But that’s a different question than the one 75 Hard is asking. The science is about whether you understand the material. The rule is about whether you’ll sit down and do the focused work. Listening is a fine way to learn, and it still doesn’t satisfy a challenge designed around deliberate, hands-on discipline.
Once you separate those two ideas, the rule stops feeling arbitrary. It isn’t a judgment on audiobooks. It’s a boundary that keeps the task hard.
What you can do instead (legit alternatives)
You’ve basically got two honest paths here, and neither one involves bending the official rules.
Path one: stick with the strict rule
If you’re committed to 75 Hard as written, keep it simple. Grab a physical book or load up a Kindle, and read your 10 pages of non-fiction every day. Self-improvement, business, psychology, health, history, anything educational works. Save the audiobooks for your commute as a bonus, not as your 10 pages.
Path two: choose a challenge where audiobooks count
Maybe the rigid physical-reading rule isn’t what you’re after. That’s a reasonable call, especially if your real goal is building a daily learning habit rather than testing your willpower.
Softer variations exist, though they don’t all loosen the reading rule. 75 Soft, created by fitness coach Stephen Gallagher, scales back the workout demands but keeps a similar reading task: 10 pages a day of non-fiction, with most versions still asking you to physically read rather than listen. If audiobooks are the whole point for you, a reading-focused challenge like 75 Booked is the better fit. It’s built around daily reading sessions and explicitly counts audiobooks, fiction included. Or you can simply define your own version where listening counts.
The trick is deciding upfront which version you’re running, then tracking it consistently so you don’t argue with yourself about what counts on Day 40.
That’s where a flexible tracker helps. Reset75 lets you define your own daily tasks and pick strict restarts or forgiving mode. You can set a “Read” task that means physical reading for a by-the-book 75 Hard run, or define your own version where listening counts and missed days don’t send you back to Day 1. The app adapts the rule to your goal instead of forcing one interpretation on you.
If you want help mapping out which challenge fits, our 75 Hard vs 75 Soft comparison breaks down the differences side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do audiobooks count on 75 Hard?
No. Andy Frisella's official rules require you to physically read at least 10 pages a day, so audiobooks don't count.
Does a Kindle or e-reader count on 75 Hard?
Yes. The rule is that you must read the pages, so e-readers and Kindle are fine. Only audio is excluded.
How many pages do you have to read a day on 75 Hard?
At least 10 pages every day, with no skipped days.
What kind of books count for 75 Hard?
Non-fiction, educational, or self-improvement material. Fiction does not count.
Why don't audiobooks count on 75 Hard?
The program treats reading as a discipline task. Physically reading removes the easier option and forces focused effort.
Can you listen to audiobooks on 75 Soft?
Usually no. 75 Soft eases the workout rules but keeps a similar reading task of 10 pages of non-fiction, and most versions still expect physical reading. For an audiobook-friendly option, look at a reading-focused challenge like 75 Booked, or set your own custom rule in a tracker.
Is listening to a book as good as reading it?
For comprehension, research from UC Berkeley in 2019 shows brain processing is nearly identical. The difference is pacing and re-reading control, not whether you really took in the material.
What happens if I listen to an audiobook on 75 Hard?
Under the strict rules you would have to restart, since audiobooks don't satisfy the daily 10-page reading task.