Self-host Audible

Audiobook subscription / playback · Category: video, audio & courses

Audible is Amazon's audiobook store + listening app — bookmarks, sleep timer, variable speed, sync across devices. The self-hostable replacement is essentially one mature project (Audiobookshelf) that owns this niche; secondary options exist but have noticeably less polish.

Audible pricing anchor: Audible Plus $7.95/mo; Premium Plus $14.95/mo (1 credit/mo + access).

Audiobookshelf advplyr/audiobookshelf alive

GitHub: ★ 12.7k · last commit 4d ago · 1021 open issues
License: GPL-3.0
Setup time: 10min docker run
Monthly cost: $5 VPS or run on a NAS; storage scales with library (audiobooks are 200-500MB each).

Migration sketch. Run `docker run -d -p 13378:80 -v $HOME/audiobooks:/audiobooks -v $HOME/podcasts:/podcasts -v $HOME/abs-config:/config ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf`. Owned (DRM-free) Audible files: convert .aax to .m4b with the `OpenAudible` desktop tool or `inAudible-NG` (one-time per book; needs your Audible activation bytes). Drop .m4b into the audiobooks folder; Audiobookshelf pulls metadata from Audible's public catalogue. Native iOS and Android apps stream and download for offline.

Good fit forAudible-leaving listeners with a backlog of purchased books — recovers chapter markers, cover art, and progress sync across devices.

Weak atDoesn't help with future content — you still need to source audiobooks (Libro.fm DRM-free purchases, library Libby borrows, or your own narration backups).

Booksonic-air popeen/Booksonic-Air dead

GitHub: ★ 225 · last commit 3.1y ago · 50 open issues
License: GPL-3.0
Setup time: 20min docker-compose (Java app)
Monthly cost: $5 VPS or home server.

Migration sketch. Pull `popeen/booksonic-air`. It's a fork of Airsonic (Subsonic-API) tuned for audiobooks. Drop converted Audible .m4b files into the configured library folder; play via the web UI or any Subsonic client with audiobook support (e.g. Substreamer, DSub).

Good fit forUsers already running a Subsonic-ecosystem stack who want audiobook-shaped UX (chapter nav, resume position) on the same client.

Weak atLess actively developed than Audiobookshelf; UI feels older; weaker metadata fetching.

In a terminal? npx os-alt audible prints this table — how the CLI works →