Best audiobook players for iPhone, compared
There is no single best audiobook app. It depends on where your books come from. Here is an honest guide to the main options and when each one fits.
Quick answer
- You own DRM-free files, use several sources, and want stats, Apple Watch and CarPlay: Abookio.
- You buy from Audible: Audible's own app. Audible books are DRM-protected and can't be played elsewhere.
- You use an Audiobookshelf server: the official Audiobookshelf app or a third-party client such as Abookio, BookPlayer or Prologue, depending on the features you need.
- You use Plex or Audiobookshelf: Prologue is a dedicated client for both servers; Abookio also supports both alongside local files and cloud drives.
- You just want a simple free player for local files: BookPlayer is a popular open-source option; Abookio's free tier is another.
- You buy from Apple: Apple Books.
The options
Abookio
An iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and CarPlay player for audiobooks you own. Plays M4B, M4A, MP3 and FLAC from local files, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, pCloud, Box, Audiobookshelf, Plex and Jellyfin in one library. Per-book speed, smart rewind, skip silence, sleep timer, listening stats, live transcripts and recaps (Apple Intelligence devices). No account, no analytics. Free to start; Pro is a one-time purchase; the self-hosted integrations are also available as a separate one-time add-on.
BookPlayer
A well-known open-source audiobook player for iPhone, focused on files you import yourself.
Audiobookshelf (official app)
The companion app for the self-hosted Audiobookshelf server. A natural choice if Audiobookshelf is your only source.
Prologue
An iPhone audiobook player for Plex and Audiobookshelf, with offline downloads, playback stats, Apple Watch, CarPlay and widgets.
Apple Books
Apple's store and player. Good for books bought from Apple; also plays some imported audiobook files.
Audible
A subscription audiobook store with its own app and DRM-protected downloads. See why Audible books don't play in other apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best audiobook player for iPhone?
It depends on where your books live. For DRM-free audiobooks from files, cloud drives and self-hosted servers in one player with stats, Apple Watch and CarPlay, Abookio is built for that. For a store with its own catalogue, use that store's app.
What is the best app for Audiobookshelf on iPhone?
Audiobookshelf has its own official app for its server. Abookio also connects natively to Audiobookshelf, and adds local files, cloud drives, Plex and Jellyfin in the same library.
Is there a free audiobook player for iPhone?
Yes. Abookio's core player is free for local files, and some other players are free too. See the comparison above.
Try Abookio free.
An audiobook player for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and CarPlay. No account, no tracking.
Download on theApp Store