Audible vs Audiobookshelf

Audible offers audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals across Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Its catalog includes bestsellers, new releases, exclusive titles, and Originals. In the mobile app, listeners can download titles for offline playback, adjust narration speed, set a sleep timer, and use Car Mode’s larger, simplified controls. The Cloud Player streams titles in a browser on a computer with an internet connection. Free or purchased titles can be played in the app without a membership, but an Amazon account is required. Audible also works with Alexa-enabled devices when both services use the same Amazon account, and supports Android Auto, Android Automotive OS, Apple CarPlay, and Waze. Alexa does not support clips and bookmarks, ratings and reviews, listening logs, or marking titles finished. Plans include Standard at $8.99 a month, Premium at $14.95 a month, and Premium (24 credits/yr) at $229.50 a year. The service was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

Audiobookshelf is a free, open-source media server for audiobooks and podcasts that users host themselves. It supports multiple users with custom permissions and keeps each user’s playback progress synced across devices. Its beta Android and iOS apps support offline listening, alongside web access and Linux and Windows platform support. Users can find and apply metadata and cover art from several providers. Audiobook tools include chapter lookup and editing, metadata embedding, and merging audio files into one M4B. Podcast features include finding shows, downloading episodes automatically, and open RSS feeds for podcasts and audiobooks. Basic ebook support covers EPUB, PDF, CBR, and CBZ, with an ereader and an option to send books to a device such as Kindle. Scheduled backups include the database and metadata-directory cover images, but exclude media files and covers stored with library items. Docker is the recommended installation method. Audiobookshelf does not provide built-in remote access: users must configure a VPN or reverse proxy, and the server uses unencrypted HTTP.