Instead of Audiobookshelf
Audiobookshelf alternatives
Audiobookshelf gives people a free, open-source server for audiobooks and podcasts they manage themselves. It supports multiple users with permissions, synchronizes playback across devices, and offers metadata and cover-art lookup. Chapter editing, metadata embedding, and M4B merging help organize files. Podcast downloads, open RSS feeds, basic ebook formats, scheduled backups, and beta mobile apps with offline listening extend it beyond a simple player. Web, Android, iOS, Linux, and Windows access are available.
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LibriVox
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+4Free public-domain audiobooks and broad catalog access — LibriVox offers volunteer-recorded public-domain books with downloadable files, RSS, BitTorrent, and a catalog API.
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Sora
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWebStudents borrowing school and library digital content — Sora connects students to school collections and, where available, public libraries rather than managing a personal audiobook server.
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Bookmate
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWebSubscription reading with large ebook and audiobook catalogs — Bookmate combines subscription access to hosted books and audiobooks with social shelves and personal FB2 or EPUB uploads.
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BookPlayer
Free plan AndroidiPhoneMacPlayback-focused listening to DRM-free audiobook files — BookPlayer focuses on local DRM-free playback and can connect to Audiobookshelf or Jellyfin, rather than replacing their servers.
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Hoopla
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWebLibrary-borrowed audiobooks and mixed digital media — Hoopla provides instant public-library borrowing for audiobooks, ebooks, comics, video, music, and magazines instead of personal hosting.
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Libby
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWebBorrowing ebooks and audiobooks from local libraries — Libby uses library-card borrowing and curated catalogs, with adjustable reading tools and audiobook speed controls instead of self-hosted files.
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Audiobooks.com
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 9
AudiobooksNow
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 10
Apple Books Digital Narration
Free plan Web - 11
Chirp
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb7.3 Visit site - 12
Kobo Books
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 13
BorrowBox
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 14
Kuku FM
Free plan AndroidiPhone7.0 Visit site - 15
Loyal Books
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 16
Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks
Free plan Web6.9 Visit site - 17
SimplyE
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 18
plappa
Free plan iPhoneMac - 19
Prologue
Free plan iPhoneMac - 20
Ubook
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWeb - 21
Audible
Free trial AndroidiPhoneMac+2 - 22
BookBeat
Free trial AndroidiPhoneWeb - 23
The Palace Project
Free plan AndroidiPhone - 24
Everand
Free trial AndroidiPhoneWeb
Choosing another app can make sense if server administration is inconvenient or if you want access to a ready-made catalog instead of managing media files. Audiobookshelf requires your own VPN or reverse proxy for remote access, serves unencrypted HTTP, and its backups exclude media files and some covers. Compare each option’s catalog source, ownership rules, reading or playback tools, offline access, device coverage, and whether it replaces a self-hosted library or simply provides a different way to listen.