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Audiobookshelf

Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with cross-device progress sync

Replaces
Spotify
13k Docker GPL-3.0 14 days ago

Overview

Audiobookshelf is an open-source audiobook and podcast server that streams all common audio formats and keeps per-user listening progress synced across devices. It ships native apps for Android and iOS and a fully featured web UI. The server scans your audiobook and podcast directories, fetches metadata from Audible and other sources, and supports multiple library types. Deployment is a single Docker container.

Where it falls short of Spotify

  • No content store or marketplace; you must supply your own DRM-free audiobook files.
  • Podcast discovery is limited to direct RSS URLs; no curated podcast directory.
  • Lacks social features like shared shelves, ratings, or friend activity.
  • Text ebook reading is not supported; audiobooks only (plus podcasts).

We list the gaps honestly so you can decide if the trade-off is worth owning your data.

Tags

audiobooks
podcasts
audio-streaming
self-hosted
media
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