# Alternatives to Audiobookshelf

Self-hosted audiobooks and podcasts.

Audiobookshelf ranks #7 of 11 in Media servers, with an Alt Score of 46. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 6 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/audiobookshelf/
Category: Media servers

## Where Audiobookshelf stands out

- **Mobile sync/downloads** — 3 of 7 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: People who own or collect audiobooks and podcasts (including personal rips or downloads) and want to run their own media server instead of relying on commercial apps like Audible.
- **What you get**: A self-hosted server for organizing and streaming your audiobook and podcast library, with metadata fetching, per-user libraries, and progress tracking. Native apps for iOS and Android sync playback position, bookmarks, and listening progress across devices. It's free and open-source, so there's no subscription and full control over your data.
- **How it works**: You deploy the server yourself (commonly via Docker) on a home server or NAS, point it at your audiobook/podcast files, and it scans and organizes them with metadata. You then connect via the web UI or mobile apps to browse and stream your library, with progress synced back to the server.

## Profile

- **License**: GPL-3.0 (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Emby](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/emby.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Jellyfin](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/jellyfin.md) | 91 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 3 | [Kodi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kodi.md) | 78 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Navidrome](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/navidrome.md) | 60 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 5 | [Calibre-Web](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/calibre-web.md) | 46 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [Komga](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/komga.md) | 46 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [Kavita](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kavita.md) | 42 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 8 | [Plex](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/plex.md) | building | Proprietary | ? |
| 9 | [Stremio](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/stremio.md) | building | ? | ? |
| 10 | [Universal Media Server](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/universal-media-server.md) | building | ? | ? |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Media servers checklist | Audiobookshelf | Emby | Jellyfin | Kodi | Navidrome | Calibre-Web |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Starts at | ? | $4.99/mo (or $119 lifetime) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Transcoding (hardware) | ? | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| Live TV & DVR | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mobile sync/downloads | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | Yes | Partial |
| Multi-user profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Metadata scraping | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music support | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Photos support | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | No |
| Plugin ecosystem | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| Client apps (TV platforms) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No |
| Fully offline / no account | Yes | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Audiobookshelf. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: GPL-3.0 — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/blob/master/LICENSE> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE”
- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Fully open-source, including the android & iOS app (in beta)”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — <https://audiobookshelf.org/docs/category/installation/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Docker is the recommended way to run Audiobookshelf.”
- **Live TV & DVR**: No — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server”
- **Mobile sync/downloads**: Yes — <https://www.audiobookshelf.org/docs/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Companion android and iOS app w/ offline listening (in beta)”
- **Multi-user profiles**: Yes — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Multi-user support w/ custom permissions”
- **Metadata scraping**: Yes — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Fetch metadata and cover art from several sources”
- **Client apps (TV platforms)**: No — <https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf-app> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Mobile application for Audiobookshelf”
- **Fully offline / no account**: Yes — <https://audiobookshelf.org/docs/faq/server/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Like most self-hosted applications, it is designed to run on your local network.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/