Audiobookshelf vs Bookmate

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.

Bookmate is a subscription service for reading electronic books and listening to audiobooks, available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its catalog lists 1,800,000 books and 100,000 audiobooks in 16 languages, and it describes a free collection of 50,000 books. Readers can upload their own FB2 or EPUB files for use on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, then adjust brightness, font, and background color. Social features let users follow friends’ reading, share books and quotes, and create or subscribe to themed bookshelves. Audiobooks can be saved for offline listening and synchronized across devices so listeners can resume where they left off. Bookmate lists a free plan and a seven-day trial; the Premium plan is listed at free. The subscription page describes monthly and annual options but does not show their prices. An account is limited to one person and no more than three devices. Books cannot be downloaded and distributed outside Bookmate.