TL;DR — Quick Summary
Deploy Audiobookshelf for self-hosted audiobook and podcast management. Progress tracking, multi-user, mobile apps, and Docker. Free Audible alternative.
What Is Audiobookshelf?
Audiobookshelf is the self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Manage your library, track progress, fetch metadata, and listen from any device.
services:
audiobookshelf:
image: ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
container_name: audiobookshelf
restart: always
ports:
- "13378:80"
volumes:
- /media/audiobooks:/audiobooks
- /media/podcasts:/podcasts
- abs-config:/config
- abs-metadata:/metadata
volumes:
abs-config:
abs-metadata:Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Progress sync | Track across all devices |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android with offline playback |
| Metadata | Auto-fetches from Audible, Google Books, OpenLibrary |
| Multi-user | Separate libraries per user |
| Podcasts | RSS feed management + auto-download |
| E-books | EPUB/PDF reader built in |
| Sleep timer | Configurable in mobile apps |
| Chapters | M4B chapter support |
Audiobookshelf vs Alternatives
| Feature | Audiobookshelf | Plex | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audiobook focus | ✅ Native | Plugin | Limited |
| Progress tracking | ✅ Precise | Basic | Basic |
| Mobile apps | ✅ Dedicated | ✅ | ✅ |
| Podcasts | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| E-books | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Resource usage | Low (~100MB) | High | Moderate |