Storytel, Mofibo and Nextory: How the Danish Audiobook Subscription Affiliate Programs Compare

Short answer

Storytel and Mofibo aren't two competing audiobook and e-book subscriptions in Denmark — they're the same company under one Danish brand name. Storytel Group acquired the Copenhagen-founded Mofibo in 2016, then merged its own Danish app into Mofibo from April 2019, so a Danish reader who signs up for "Storytel" today actually lands on Mofibo. Nextory, a separate, Stockholm-founded company, is the real independent competitor in the Danish market. Neither platform has a confirmed, Denmark-specific affiliate commission rate on a primary source in this research — both programs run through third-party affiliate networks that only reveal the actual current terms after an approved application.

Storytel and Mofibo: why they aren't two products to compare

Mofibo was founded in Copenhagen in 2013 as an independent Danish audiobook and e-book service. Sweden's Storytel acquired Mofibo in 2016, for a price reported — consistently across several independent secondary sources — at roughly DKK 100 million (around €13.5 million at the time). Storytel and Mofibo then ran as two separate apps in the Danish market for a few years.

That changed on 2 April 2019, when Storytel itself announced a full merger of the two platforms. Quoted directly from Storytel's own press release: "As of today, both of Storytel Denmark's two apps will appear under the brand name Mofibo." Storytel's then-CEO Jonas Tellander explained the decision as combining Mofibo's strong local brand recognition with Storytel's own content and technology. The consequence is clear-cut and still holds today, confirmed directly on mofibo.com as part of this article's research: there is no separate, Danish "Storytel" product to compare Mofibo against — it's the same subscription, the same library, the same company behind it, marketed under whichever name has historically had the strongest recognition with Danish consumers.

That also means any link or mention aimed at a Danish audience should point to mofibo.com, not Storytel's international storytel.com site — the latter isn't the product a Danish user actually lands on or signs up for.

Nextory: the actual independent competitor

Nextory was founded in Stockholm in 2015 and runs its own, separate audiobook and e-book service across several markets, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Spain and Brazil. Unlike Mofibo, Nextory is neither Danish-founded nor acquired by a Danish party — it's a Swedish company, the same as Storytel itself, just without the Danish brand history Mofibo brings with it. Nextory is therefore the real, competing service in the Danish market — not Storytel under its own name, which doesn't exist as a separate Danish product today.

Comparison: what's actually confirmed

Neither row above should be read as a final verdict on program quality — only as a record of what could be confirmed directly this pass. See how to evaluate whether a retailer's affiliate program is worth a creator's time for the general five-point checklist this research also follows here.

How the affiliate access actually works: both run through third-party networks, not a self-serve page

Neither storytel.com, mofibo.com nor nextory.com has, in this research, a clear "become an affiliate here" page on its own primary domain, of the kind affiliate influencer marketing: how the model works describes as the most common, self-serve setup. See also choosing an affiliate tracking network for how the major global networks are generally structured. Instead, both programs surface through third-party affiliate networks and directories:

• Mofibo/Storytel: Adtraction lists country-specific Storytel program pages (the same pattern the network uses for its other country-specific advertiser listings), and Danish affiliate directories such as adfinder.dk reference an active Mofibo campaign with a CPA-based payout for free sign-ups. This research could not load Partner-ads's own program page directly (access blocked), so the current Danish rate could not be confirmed there.
• Nextory: Adtraction also lists country-specific Nextory program pages (a confirmed pattern from other markets, e.g. a standalone "Nextory AT" page for Austria), and secondary sources cite a flat per-lead rate for the German market specifically — a figure that doesn't automatically transfer to the Danish program.

The key point is that both programs require an approved application with the relevant network before the real, current Danish rate becomes visible — see open vs application-only affiliate programs for why that isn't unusual in itself: several other named programs already covered on the Academy (Airbnb's Creators program, for one) share the same trait of only revealing the rate after approval.

Decision framework

IF you're building content for Danish listeners and want to mention "Storytel" → use the Mofibo name and mofibo.com in the actual link, since that's the real product a Danish user lands on and signs up for.

IF you already have access to Adtraction or Partner-ads (two confirmed active Danish networks, covered elsewhere on the Academy) → check both dashboards directly for the current Mofibo and Nextory listings, rather than applying to an entirely new network just for this vertical.

IF you're deciding whether the audiobook-subscription vertical is worth prioritizing right now → use the general five-point checklist in how to evaluate whether a retailer's affiliate program is worth a creator's time — as of writing, both programs here score low on "confirmed rate," which could change once you have an approved application and see the real terms.

IF you find a specific commission figure in a secondary source (e.g. a German or other foreign-market rate) → treat it as a signal of the program's type, not as the Danish rate, until you've confirmed it yourself.

Worked example (hypothetical)

The figures below are invented for illustration — not a confirmed rate for either Mofibo/Storytel or Nextory, and not a Make Influence customer case.

Assume a hypothetical CPA figure of DKK 50 per free trial sign-up (invented, not a real or confirmed rate for either platform). A creator whose content drives 200 trial sign-ups in a month would earn 200 × DKK 50 = DKK 10,000 under that scenario. If instead only half of those sign-ups converted to a paid subscription after the trial, and the program paid DKK 80 per paying customer rather than per sign-up, the math would instead be 100 × DKK 80 = DKK 8,000. The point of the example isn't the numbers themselves, but that a CPA-based program can be built around different triggering events (sign-up vs. paying customer) — and that difference has a real effect on what the same volume of traffic is actually worth. Always confirm which event actually triggers commission directly in the network's own terms before basing a budget or a promise to a brand on an assumed figure.

Common mistakes

• Treating Storytel and Mofibo as two Danish products that can be compared. They've been the same company and the same product in Denmark since April 2019.
• Quoting a foreign-market rate (e.g. a German Storytel or Nextory figure) as the Danish rate. None of the foreign figures found in this research are confirmed to apply to the Danish program.
• Building a business case before an application has been approved. Both programs require network access before the real rate is visible.
• Assuming that no "affiliate" link in storytel.com's or nextory.com's main navigation means no program exists. Both exist — they're just routed through a network, not the brand's own site.

Make Influence's perspective

Make Influence has no documented customer case in audiobook or e-book subscriptions and doesn't run either program itself. It's worth noting structurally, though, that this vertical resembles other named programs this Academy has already covered (Airbnb's Creators program, for one): a real, existing program exists, but the actual, specific rate only becomes visible after an approved application — not something a single research pass can settle definitively. Our general experience is that applying and seeing the real terms is rarely wasted effort, even when research alone can't confirm a rate in advance — but it's a bad idea to promise a brand or plan content around a figure that actually comes from a secondary source in a different market.

FAQ

Are Storytel and Mofibo the same service?

Yes, in Denmark. Storytel acquired the Copenhagen-founded Mofibo in 2016, then merged its own Danish app into Mofibo from 2 April 2019. There's no separate Danish "Storytel" product today.

Can Danish creators sign up directly through storytel.com?

The actual Danish consumer product lives at mofibo.com, not on Storytel's international site. Build content and links aimed at a Danish audience around the Mofibo name.

What does Mofibo/Storytel's affiliate program pay in Denmark?

Not confirmed in this research on a primary network page. Danish affiliate directories point to an active, CPA-based campaign, but the current rate requires an approved application with the relevant network to see.

What does Nextory's affiliate program pay in Denmark?

Same caveat as above — not confirmed on a primary source specifically for the Danish market in this research. A German-market rate was found in secondary sources, but it doesn't automatically carry over to Denmark.

Which network runs the two programs?

Adtraction lists country-specific program pages for both companies, and Danish affiliate directories also point to a Mofibo campaign that may be linked to Partner-ads. Confirm directly in the relevant network's own dashboard, since the setup can change.

Is Nextory a Danish company?

No. Nextory was founded in Stockholm in 2015, the same as Storytel itself. Only Mofibo — the brand Storytel now uses in Denmark — has an original Danish (Copenhagen) founding history.

How does this differ from podcast sponsorships as a way to reach Danish listeners?

It's a completely different model. Podcast sponsorships are a direct, negotiated deal between brand and host, not a performance-based affiliate program with a network rate.

Could an old Storytel link for Danish users break after the 2019 merger?

That's structurally related to the kind of risk affiliate link rot describes generally — when a brand changes its primary domain for a market, there's no guarantee an older link automatically follows unless you confirm it yourself.