Audiobookshelf
Hacker ApprovedRanked 4 of 5 media servers by recommenders
Free, self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts, praised as solid and easy to run, with a native Android app. Critics mention inconsistent progress saving and a weak ebook page-turning UI.
Free, self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts, praised as solid and easy to run, with a native Android app. Critics mention inconsistent progress saving and a weak ebook page-turning UI.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 17
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 17 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 17 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Solid, praised as excellent
“I use it for podcasts, audio books, & ebooks. It's great!”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage” “Most of the stuff I use is free and excellent.”
Comment from 8 Aug 2026 in “Improving GPT-5.6 Sol in ChatGPT—and expanding access for free users” “audiobookshelf was just as good (IMHO better)”
Comment from 1 Jul 2026 in “I Don't Maintain My Homelab” - Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “State of the Fin 2026-01-06 – Jellyfin”
- Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What self-hosted apps do you use daily?”
Audiobooks and podcasts
“Relatively easy to self-host, can do podcasts, audiobooks, ebooks, comics.”
Comment from 14 Apr 2026 in “WiiFin – Jellyfin Client for Nintendo Wii” “I use it for podcasts, audio books, & ebooks. It's great!”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage” “I listen to a bunch of audiobooks, so Audiobookshelf.org”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7?” - Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Jellyfin founder Andrew leaves team”
Ebooks alongside audiobooks
“Relatively easy to self-host, can do podcasts, audiobooks, ebooks, comics.”
Comment from 14 Apr 2026 in “WiiFin – Jellyfin Client for Nintendo Wii” “I use it for podcasts, audio books, & ebooks. It's great!”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage” Native Android app
“Audiobookshelf has a native android app, not sure about desktop, I only use it on Android.”
Comment from 14 May 2026 in “The Emacsification of Software” “Audiobookshelf on Android”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: eBook to audiobook narration with realistic AI voices”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Inconsistent progress saving
“It doesn't save progress consistently and the UI for page flipping leaves a lot to be desired.”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage” Weak ebook page-flipping UI
“It doesn't save progress consistently and the UI for page flipping leaves a lot to be desired.”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Bookshelf – Self-hosted eBook library that runs on object storage”
Other media servers people recommend
The four most recommended other media servers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jellyfin | 385 | 133 | 74% | 13 | 1 yr28 owners | Approved |
| Plex | 219 | 218 | 50% | 13 | 10 yrs42 owners | — |
| Emby | 20 | 15 | 57% | 9 | — | — |
| AudiobookshelfThis page | 17 | 1 | 94% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Plex Media Server | 15 | 13 | 54% | 8 | — | — |
What people said
16 of the 20 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I listen to a bunch of audiobooks, so Audiobookshelf.org”
“Things I like to host: Audiobookshelf”
“I literally use all of these now daily.”
“It's constantly refusing to start playing, or pausing for a really long time before playing.”
“It doesn't save progress consistently and the UI for page flipping leaves a lot to be desired.”
“I use it for podcasts, audio books, & ebooks. It's great!”
“it was either Calibre/CalibreWeb, Audiobookshelf, or a few alternative readers”
“Most of the stuff I use is free and excellent.”
“Audioookshelf for audiobooks and podcasts”
“audiobookshelf was just as good (IMHO better)”
“Audiobookshelf on Android”
“Audiobookshelf has a native android app, not sure about desktop, I only use it on Android.”
“Relatively easy to self-host, can do podcasts, audiobooks, ebooks, comics.”
“combined with good bluetooth earbuds and a local server like Audiobookshelf”
“Audiobookshelf - Audiobooks”
“Check out audiobookshelf, it's quite solid”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.