Audiobook Hosting

I want to get away from audible to save money and for privacy. I would like to keep buying audiobooks if possible and host them on my server to stream to my android phone.

I have an unraid plex server at home. Suggestions for hosting and streaming solutions?

Update: I ended up going with audiobookshelf. I love it so far and it does everything I need. More importantly (for me anyway) it's not reliant on a $17/mo audible subscription. Please reach out over DM if you find this post in the future and have trouble getting audiobookshelf to work on unraid!

38 points · 23 comments · view on lemmy.world

23 Comments

leraje@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 3y (3 replies)

Audiobookshelf got an android app too.

Kata1yst@kbin.social · 7 pts · 3y

Jinx.

vagrantprodigy@lemmy.whynotdrs.org · 5 pts · 3y

It's really good too.

Protegee9850@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y

And iOS app too! It’s awesome.

Matt@lemmy.one · 21 pts · 3y

Audiobookshelf works great and is very easy to setup using Docker. I get most of my audiobooks through Downpour. They have a subscription that gives credits to redeem for audiobooks similar to Audible, but they are drm-free. I download the audiobooks and move them to my NAS that has Audiobookshelf running on it. Audiobookshelf has a web client and apps for Android and iOS (TestFlight beta).

Kata1yst@kbin.social · 15 pts · 3y

Audiobookshelf all the way.

hutchmcnugget@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Thanks for the responses! Sounds like audiobookshelf is the way to go.

Riktastic@laguna.chat · 3 pts · 3y

Audiobookshelf is da bomb! You are going to have a great time while installing it, using it and sharing it with friends and family.

If you need help just send me a DM.

mrclark@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 3y

Like everybody else here said...audiobookshelf is da bomb. I had an audible subscription for a while and found myself without the time to really listen to enough audiobooks to make it worthwhile so I cancelled. I know I could still access the audiobooks I purchased but I'm always concerned with these companies suddenly having a disagreement with a publisher and nuking a whole pile of media I paid for so I figured out how to download my purchased audiobooks locally to be listened to via audiobookshelf. Worked great.

curioushom@lemmy.one · 7 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Not what you're asking for and others have provided a lot of options... but if you still want to support authors and get DRM-free audio books, check out https://libro.fm. It works like Audibe credits and easy to pause and resume membership (more cost effective than buying books retail and you can buy extra credits). They also support a local brick and mortar book store of your choice with your purchase.

hutchmcnugget@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y

I'm just looking at this now, supporting a local bookstore is pretty cool

RotaryKeyboard@lemmy.ninja · 5 pts · 3y (2 replies)

Sounds like you may have already settled on audiobookshelf, but Plex can easily be used to host all of your audiobooks. You just use a music library.

Someone wrote a great walkthrough here.

hutchmcnugget@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y (1 reply)

I'll probably try both! Thanks

FalseLight@lemmy.one · 2 pts · 3y

If you’re on iOS, Prologue is the best mobile audiobook experience: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/prologue/id1459223267

Audiobookshelf is also very good (and free).

FermatsLastAccount@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3y

I'd also reccomend audiobookshelf. I'm running it using Docker on a VPS.

It has an option for ebooks too, but I don't like the ebook interface, so I use Kavita for those.

nerdria@kbin.social · 3 pts · 3y (3 replies)

Everyone loves audiobookshelf, but since you mentioned Plex, I thought I'd let you know that you can use Plex to host your audiobooks too.

Here's a guide:

https://github.com/seanap/Plex-Audiobook-Guide

I use Prologue for IOS to listen to them.

Scrath@feddit.de · 1 pts · 3y

Just wanted to kention that plex does not detect chaptee marks in m4b files and will not keep your progress if you switch to some other media.

Those are the 2 reasons I personally switched to Audiobookshelf. Which coincidentally is also a lot better at managing audiobook metadata since plex mostly treats audiobooks as music.

thereddevil@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 3y (1 reply)

I have a plex setup too, using Prologue.

I never listen to audiobooks using Plex, and prologue manages listening state just fine for me.

ZeroNamesLeft@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y

I use an iphone, and this is my set up too. Does android have a prologue app?

Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Tagging along on this question, is there a reasonably simple way to rip audible books to a non-proprietary/drm format?

justcallmelarry@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y

In @nerdias comment in this thread about setting up plex for audiobooks, there is also a section with a link about de-drm’ing your audible books.

I havent troed it out myself, just stumbled upon it while checking out the thread, but I thought I’d point it out.

rafadc@hackers.surf · 1 pts · 2y

Audiobookshelf user here. Definitely is the best solution at this moment.