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Audiobookshelf
$9.00 / month with a 7-day free trial and a $1.00 sign-up fee
Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server — your library, your apps, no Audible subscription.
A managed Audiobookshelf instance hosted on ElfHosted. Stream audiobooks and podcasts from your own library to native iOS, Android, and web apps — multi-user, with progress sync across devices. Fully open-source, no subscription required to the upstream project. Bring your own audiobook files and podcast feeds.
The audiobook server that does for your audiobook library what Plex did for your video library. Native apps everywhere, multi-user, and free of any upstream subscription tax.
What is Audiobookshelf?
Audiobookshelf is a fully open-source audiobook and podcast server. Point it at your library files, and it scans, organises, and exposes them via a polished web UI plus native iOS and Android apps. Multi-user accounts mean the household can each have their own progress, bookmarks, and listening history — without sharing one app account.
This product is a hosted Audiobookshelf instance on ElfHosted: a managed server pre-configured with mounts, TLS, and SSO, ready for you to upload (or rclone-mount) your audiobook library and start listening.
Key Features
- 📱 Native apps: official iOS and Android apps with offline downloads, playback-speed controls, sleep timer, and chapter support. Web UI for desktop and TV browsers.
- 👥 Multi-user: per-user progress, bookmarks, and library access. Set custom permissions for the kids, partner, or housemates.
- 🎙️ Podcasts too: subscribe to RSS podcast feeds, auto-download new episodes, and listen alongside your audiobooks in the same app.
- 🔄 Progress sync: start a chapter on your phone, finish it on your tablet — progress follows you across every device.
- 📚 Smart library scanning: reads metadata from M4B/MP3/FLAC files and online databases (Audnexus, Google, MusicBrainz) for cover art, narrator, series order, and chapter markers.
- 🔓 Fully FOSS: no subscription, no telemetry, no ads. The server, both apps, and the entire codebase are open-source.
- 🔄 Updates handled: ElfHosted keeps Audiobookshelf current.
Why Run Audiobookshelf Instead of Just Using Plex?
Plex and Jellyfin can technically serve audiobooks, but they're built around video — chapter handling, narrator metadata, listening-progress sync, and offline downloads on phones are all clunky compared to what Audiobookshelf does natively. If audiobooks are your main use case, the dedicated server gives a noticeably better experience:
- Real chapter navigation in the iOS/Android apps (jump by chapter, not by 30s skip).
- Sleep timer that respects chapter boundaries.
- Listening history and "started but unfinished" tracking that doesn't fight Plex's "watched" model.
- Podcast handling without a third-party plugin.
Plex is still the right pick for video; Audiobookshelf is the right pick for audiobooks and podcasts. Many ElfHosted users run both side by side.
Why Run Audiobookshelf on ElfHosted?
Self-hosting Audiobookshelf is straightforward — until you want the iOS app to reach it from outside your house. Then you need TLS, a reachable hostname, port-forwarding or a VPN, and somewhere to keep the library safe long-term. ElfHosted handles all of that:
- HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain — iOS/Android apps connect from anywhere with no port-forwarding.
- Library storage via rclone-mounted cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive, S3, B2) or upload directly.
- SSO on the web UI; the apps use Audiobookshelf's own user accounts.
- Updates roll out without you touching anything.
Technical Specifications
- 🛠️ Software: Audiobookshelf (FOSS, AGPL-3.0)
- 📱 Apps: official native iOS and Android (offline downloads supported), plus web UI
- 🎙️ Content types: audiobooks (M4B/MP3/FLAC/Opus etc.) and podcasts (RSS feeds)
- 🔑 Subscription: none required — Audiobookshelf is fully FOSS
- 📂 Library storage: bring your own audiobook files; rclone-mount cloud storage or upload directly
- 🌐 Access: hosted on your ElfHosted subdomain with TLS
- 🔄 Updates: handled by ElfHosted
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this come with audiobooks?
No. Audiobookshelf is the server — you bring your own audiobook files. Many users upload books they already own (M4B/MP3 from CD rips, audio files from publishers' direct sales) or use audiobook acquisition tools alongside it.
Does it work on iPhone / Android?
Yes — official native apps for both, including offline download support so you can listen without a connection. The apps connect to your ElfHosted Audiobookshelf URL and authenticate with your Audiobookshelf user account.
Do I need an Audible subscription?
No. Audiobookshelf works with audio files you already own. It does not interface with Audible directly — Audible's DRM blocks third-party access. If your audiobooks are in Audible's DRM-protected format, you'll need to convert them to MP3/M4B first (legality of which depends on your jurisdiction).
Can I use it for podcasts too?
Yes. Subscribe to any RSS podcast feed and Audiobookshelf will auto-download new episodes alongside your audiobook library. One app, both content types.
Do I need to upload all my books, or can I use cloud storage?
Both work. Upload directly via the web UI for small libraries, or rclone-mount a cloud bucket (Google Drive, OneDrive, S3, B2) and Audiobookshelf reads from there.
How does this differ from BookLore or Kavita?
Audiobookshelf is for listening — audiobooks and podcasts. BookLore and Kavita are for reading — ebooks, comics, manga. Different file types, different apps, different use cases. Many users run both sides.
Hosted Audiobookshelf is the audiobook and podcast server for users who want to actually own their listening — your files, your library, native apps everywhere, no upstream subscription. Bring your audiobooks; we run the server.
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Verified owner abetterdaughter (verified owner) –
I was struggling to find a place to put my 500+ audiobooks where I can access them, and now my friends can access them too! This was very easy to set up with some Backblaze cloud storage after following the directions provided and getting some help in the Discord, and now everything is running smoothly. I love Audiobookshelf—the books and user accounts are very easy to edit and maintain, and now I no longer need Audible. What a relief!
easy to use and maintain, excellent for audiobooks and ebooks, helpful discord, setup took a short time
costs $$ (worth it!)