Audiobookshelf is a free, open-source, self-hosted server for organizing, streaming, and syncing your own audiobook and podcast library.
Category
Media & Audio/Video Tools
Pricing
Free (open source), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2021
Free PlanWeb AppiOSAndroidOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
Audiobookshelf is a free, open-source, self-hosted media server for audiobooks and podcasts. It is developed by advplyr and distributed under the GPL-3.0 license, with source code available on GitHub. Users typically deploy it themselves via Docker on their own server or NAS.
Key Features
The server supports multiple user accounts with customizable permissions, synchronizes listening progress across devices, and automatically looks up metadata and cover art. It can discover and auto-download new podcast episodes, generate RSS feeds for audiobooks and podcasts, and run scheduled backups.
Audiobookshelf also supports ebook formats including EPUB, PDF, CBR, and CBZ, and can send ebooks to devices such as Kindle.
Platforms
Access is available through a web browser client, plus companion Android and iOS apps (currently in beta) that support offline listening. The project is commonly deployed via Docker.
Key Features
Self-hosted audio server — Runs on your own infrastructure, commonly deployed via Docker.
Multi-user support — Multiple accounts with customizable permissions per user.
Cross-device progress sync — Listening progress is tracked and synced across devices per user.
Metadata and cover art lookup — Automatically fetches metadata and artwork from multiple sources.
Podcast auto-download — Discovers podcasts and automatically downloads new episodes.
Ebook support — Supports EPUB, PDF, CBR, and CBZ formats, including sending books to devices like Kindle.
Companion mobile apps — Android and iOS apps (beta) with offline listening support.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source with no paid tiers
Full ownership and control of your media library via self-hosting
Actively developed with a large community (10,000+ GitHub stars)
Supports both audiobooks and podcasts in one server