Audiobookshelf
Self-hosted server for streaming and managing audiobooks, podcasts and ebooks.
HN commenters like it as a self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts,1234 often running it alongside Jellyfin and Immich on a home server.5678 The main caveats are weak ebook handling9 and an official iOS app that one commenter's household could not get into through its TestFlight beta,10 while one Plex switcher called it crap.11
Why people recommend it
Audiobook server · 3
Commenters list it as their go-to self-hosted app for audiobooks.
“Audiobookshelf: Audiobooks”
“I absolutely love audiobookshelf for audiobooks.”
Show 1 more
“Audiobookshelf - Audiobooks”
Self-hosted stack · 3
It often appears in lists of services commenters run on their home servers.
“Things I like to host: Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, Karakeep, Deluge”
“Audiobookshelf”
Show 1 more
“Audiobookshelf: Audiobooks”
Podcasts too · 2
Commenters use it for podcasts as well as audiobooks, and one also uses it for ebooks.
“Audioookshelf for audiobooks and podcasts”
“I'm a fan of audiobookshelf.”
Solid · 2
Commenters call it solid and say they are fans.
“Check out audiobookshelf, it's quite solid”
“I'm a fan of audiobookshelf.”
Android app · 1
One commenter recommends its app for audiobook playback on Android.
“I recommend Apple Books or Plappa on iOS, or Audiobookshelf on Android.”
Caveats and dissent
Ebook support · 1
One user says it handles epubs poorly, with inconsistent progress saving and a weak page-flipping UI.
“I absolutely love audiobookshelf for audiobooks.”
iOS access · 1
One commenter's wife could not get into the official iOS TestFlight beta, so he built a third-party client.
“a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf, the self-hosted audiobook server”
Quality complaints · 1
One user who left Plex called it crap.
“I switched to audiobookshelf for my audiobooks and I have to say it’s also crap.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage 2 mentions
- Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7? 1 mention
- Ask HN: What self-hosted apps do you use daily? 1 mention
- Jellyfin 12.0 1 mention
- Jellyfin founder Andrew leaves team 1 mention
- Show HN: eBook to audiobook narration with realistic AI voices 1 mention
Also written as audiobookshelf. Data: audiobookshelf.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 11
“Things I like to host: Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, Karakeep, Deluge”
“Audiobookshelf: Audiobooks”
“I switched to audiobookshelf for my audiobooks and I have to say it’s also crap.”
“I absolutely love audiobookshelf for audiobooks.”
“I'm a fan of audiobookshelf.”
“Audioookshelf for audiobooks and podcasts”
“I recommend Apple Books or Plappa on iOS, or Audiobookshelf on Android.”
“a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf, the self-hosted audiobook server”
“Audiobookshelf - Audiobooks”
“Audiobookshelf”
“Check out audiobookshelf, it's quite solid”