Self-Hosted Audiobook Server
If you want your own audiobook server, the answer for almost everyone is Audiobookshelf. It is purpose-built for audiobooks and podcasts, it is free, and it has real iPhone and Android apps that sync your place in a book across devices. The rest of this page covers when something else fits: Booksonic if you are already in the Subsonic world, Jellyfin or Plex if you run one of them for video and want one server for everything, and gonic if you want the smallest possible footprint.
Updated 2026-10-01 · by Jonathan Caruso
Top pick
Audiobookshelf
Audiobookshelf is the only option here designed around audiobooks first, and it shows. It reads a folder of M4B or MP3 files, matches metadata and cover art from Audible, iTunes, and Google, and gives you chapters, variable playback speed, a sleep timer, and bookmarks in both the web player and the native mobile apps. Progress syncs per user, so you can start a book on your phone in the car and pick it up on the web at your desk. It is GPL-3.0 with no paid tier, it handles podcasts and ebooks in the same install, and it idles on very little, so a Raspberry Pi or a NAS runs it without complaint. For replacing Audible, nothing else is close.
The options
Audiobookshelf
GPL-3.0, freeA dedicated audiobook and podcast server with a web player and native iOS and Android apps, chapter support, and per-user progress sync.
Visit Audiobookshelf site- Runs on
- Light. Docker. Reads a folder of audio files; happy on a Pi or a NAS.
- Pick it if
- You want the best audiobook experience with mobile apps that remember your place. This is the default pick.
Booksonic
GPL, freeAn audiobook server built on the old Subsonic and Airsonic code, with its own Android app plus any Subsonic-compatible client.
Visit Booksonic site- Runs on
- Heavier. Runs on the JVM, so budget more RAM than Audiobookshelf.
- Pick it if
- You already use Subsonic clients, or you want a server that speaks that API for audiobooks specifically.
Jellyfin
GPL, freeA full media server that handles video and music, and can serve audiobooks shelved in a music or books library.
Visit Jellyfin site- Runs on
- Moderate. Docker. The same box you already use for movies and shows.
- Pick it if
- You run Jellyfin for video and would rather add audiobooks to it than stand up a second server.
Plex
Server is free; Plex Pass is $6.99/month or $249.99 lifetimeA polished media server. The server is free to run, but good audiobook playback needs the third-party Prologue app or Plexamp with a Plex Pass.
Visit Plex site- Runs on
- Moderate. Docker or a native install on most platforms.
- Pick it if
- You already live in Plex for everything else and will pay for the apps that make audiobooks usable.
gonic
GPL-3.0, freeA tiny Subsonic-compatible server in Go with podcast support that serves audiobooks through Subsonic and OpenSubsonic clients.
Visit gonic site- Runs on
- Tiny. A single Go binary or a small container.
- Pick it if
- You want the smallest, simplest server possible and are fine using a generic Subsonic app to listen.
How to choose
Decide first whether audiobooks get their own server or ride along with something you already run. If audiobooks are the point, run Audiobookshelf and stop reading. It handles chapters, speed, sleep timers, and bookmarks the way an audiobook listener expects, its apps sync your position across devices, and it costs nothing. The only reason to reach for Booksonic or gonic over it is that you are already committed to Subsonic clients and want a server that speaks that API; both work, but neither matches Audiobookshelf's dedicated apps, and Booksonic's Java stack asks for more RAM to do less.
If you already run Jellyfin or Plex for video, adding audiobooks to it is tempting, but go in with clear eyes. Neither treats audiobooks as a first-class format: in both, you shelve them as music and lean on a companion app (Finamp for Jellyfin, Prologue or Plexamp for Plex) to get decent playback and resume. Plex also gates the good mobile experience behind a Plex Pass or a paid third-party app, while Audiobookshelf gives you better apps for free. If you are weighing the two servers for media generally, the Jellyfin vs Plex comparison covers that call. Whichever route you take, run it in a container (Docker or Podman both work) and point it at a tidy, well-named folder, because every server here lives or dies on how cleanly your files are tagged. If your library is mostly ebooks rather than audio, the self-hosted ebook library roundup is the better page.
The verdict
Run Audiobookshelf. It is free, it is built for audiobooks instead of bending a music library into the shape of one, and its iPhone and Android apps sync your place across devices the way Audible does, which is the whole reason to self-host in the first place. Choose Booksonic or gonic only if you are already committed to Subsonic clients and want a server that speaks that API, accepting weaker apps in return. Add audiobooks to Jellyfin or Plex only if you already run one for video and value a single server over the better audiobook experience; with Plex, budget for a Plex Pass or the Prologue app to make playback usable, and see Jellyfin vs Plex if you are picking between the two for media in general. Run whichever you choose in Docker, and if your collection is mostly ebooks rather than audio, start from the self-hosted ebook library roundup instead.
FAQ
Is there a self-hosted audiobook server available?
Yes. Audiobookshelf is the standard answer: a free, open-source server built specifically for audiobooks and podcasts, with a web player and native iPhone and Android apps that sync your listening position across devices. It runs in Docker and is light enough for a Raspberry Pi or a NAS. Booksonic, Jellyfin, Plex, and gonic can all serve audiobooks too, but Audiobookshelf is the one designed for the job.
Is there an audiobook server similar to Plex?
Audiobookshelf is the closest thing to a Plex-style experience built for audiobooks: a clean library view, cover art and metadata matching, and polished mobile apps. You can also use Plex itself, since the server is free, but audiobooks are not a first-class format in Plex. You shelve them as music and add the Prologue app or Plexamp (which needs a Plex Pass) to get proper resume and chapter playback.
Can I listen to my Audible books on a self-hosted server?
Only after they are DRM-free. Audible files are locked to your account, so a self-hosted server will not play them as downloaded. People convert their purchases to plain M4B or MP3 first, then import those into Audiobookshelf, which plays DRM-free files cleanly with full chapter support. The legal footing for stripping DRM varies by country, so that part is on you.
Does Audiobookshelf have an iPhone app?
Yes. Audiobookshelf has official apps for both iOS and Android, available from the App Store and Google Play, plus the browser player. The apps download books for offline listening and sync your position back to the server, so you can switch between your phone and the web without losing your place.
How many hours is a 300-page audiobook?
Roughly nine to eleven hours. The rough rule publishers use is about a minute and a half to two minutes of narration per page at a normal reading pace, which puts a 300-page book in that range. Dense nonfiction runs longer; fast fiction runs shorter. Any server here lets you speed playback up if that is too slow.
Can ChatGPT or AI create an audiobook?
Text-to-speech tools can narrate a book you own the text for, and the quality has gotten good, but that is a separate step from hosting. A self-hosted audiobook server like Audiobookshelf does not generate narration; it organizes and streams the audio files you already have. If you make an AI-narrated file, you would import it the same way you import any other M4B or MP3.
Audiobookshelf or Plex for audiobooks?
Audiobookshelf, unless Plex is already running your whole media setup. Audiobookshelf gives you better audiobook apps for free, with proper chapters, speed control, and cross-device sync out of the box. Plex can do it, but only well once you add Plexamp with a Plex Pass or the paid Prologue app, so you end up paying for an experience Audiobookshelf hands you for nothing.