Comparison

Audiobook Player SmartBook vs Plex Dash

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Audiobook Player SmartBook

Easily play your downloaded MP3 audiobooks on your phone. This app remembers your listening progress, allows for adjustable playback speed, and can shorten silences for more efficient listening. Import your library via cloud services or a local Wi-Fi server.

Highlights
  • MP3, M4B, M4A file support
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Shorten silences
  • Save listening progress
  • Sleep timer
  • Cloud and Wi-Fi import
Features
Read full description

Do you have downloaded audiobooks that you want to play easily on your phone? Do you want to bring your best books with you everywhere you go? Then download and try SmartBook, the best audiobook player on the market! It remembers where you stopped listening and track your overall status in the book! There is the ability to change the speed or shorten the silences to listen to the books more efficiently. You can import your audiobooks using the browser of your computer or using cloud services. The app has this features: • Supporting MP3 files • Supporting M4B and M4A files • Access to 11 000 books to download for free • Adjust playback speed • Automatic book cover loading from the books folder • Saving the place where you stopped listening • Smart Pauses – Helps you remember the context • Sleep Timer​ • Supporting remote control from Control Center and Lock screen • Adding and removing files via cloud services or local Wifi server • Supports Siri shortcuts Shorten silences – Shorten the silences between the words, so you

About

Plex Dash

Monitor your Plex Media Server in real-time. Track streams, DVR recordings, and server resources with detailed graphs. Manage media artwork and refresh libraries directly from your device.

Highlights
  • Real-time playback status
  • DVR recording monitoring
  • Bandwidth and resource graphs
  • Top media and user history
  • Artwork management
  • Library refresh
  • Server log inspection
Features
Read full description

** You'll need a Plex Media Server and an active Plex Pass to use this app ** ** From the same people who brought you the Plex app ** ** PS - If you’re new to Plex, download the Plex app first ** Pop quiz, hotshot: how many streams is your Plex Media Server dishing out RIGHT NOW? What’s your most-watched movie in the past month? Is that CPU you picked up from a sketchy eBay vendor up to the task? More importantly, are you sure that’s the best poster for Speed (1994)? Plex Dash is a tool created by obsessive Plex Media Server admins for obsessive Plex Media Server admins. Get real-time status of playbacks, DVR recordings, Sync conversions, and more. Monitor bandwidth and server resources with sexy graphs. Dig deeper and learn about top items or individual user history. Fix up artwork. Refresh libraries. Inspect nerdy media details. If it all goes south, check out the raw server logs. MASTER YOUR MEDIAVERSE Who’s streaming what right now? Plex Dash answers in spades. Gorgeous Now Playing tiles keep you apprised of all the latest shenanigans, across all of your servers. Put that giant iPad to great use by duct-taping it to the wall (landscape, duh); lean back, pet your hairless cat, and keep an eye on your empire. DIVE UNDER THE HOOD Server up to something? DVR recording? Media Optimizer doing its… optimizing? You get a chonky lightning bolt to make sure this doesn’t go unnoticed. ONE-HANDED CURATION Browse and change artwork from the palm of your hand while checking out at your local co-op. It’s like that other swipey app, but with less risk of disease.

Screenshots

Audiobook Player SmartBook4 screens
Plex Dash4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Plex Dash at 81% against Audiobook Player SmartBook's 38%. Plex Dash also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Audiobook Player SmartBook's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Audiobook Player SmartBook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Plex Dash asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plex Dash holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plex Dash has 2.2K ratings behind it against 255, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Audiobook Player SmartBook's written reviews are positive against 81% of Plex Dash's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Audiobook Player SmartBook versus Plex Dash: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudiobook Player SmartBookPlex Dash
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (255 ratings)4.6 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.6% of reviews81.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2552.2K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeleprompter LLCPlex Inc.

Customer experience

Audiobook Player SmartBook

All ratings255 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral5.9%
Negative18.4%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral12.9%
Negative49.4%

Plex Dash

All ratings2,151 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews592 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

Audiobook Player SmartBook

From 255 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy WiFi import feature for transferring audiobooks from computer
  • 📚 Supports multiple audio formats and large file sizes
  • ⚡ Fast playback speed options up to 3x without quality loss
  • 🎵 Remembers playback position across sessions
  • 📁 Organizes books into separate folders automatically

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes, especially when deleting audiobooks
  • 🐛 Playback position inconsistency between pause methods
  • 🐛 Playback skips back 15-30 minutes randomly
  • 🐛 Unstable playback speed fluctuations
  • ❌ Single audio file upload limitation (doesn't handle multi-file folders well)

Plex Dash

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Useful for monitoring server status
  • 🚀 Convenient mobile access to server information
  • 💡 Ability to change artwork remotely
  • 🔒 Works seamlessly with Plex account
  • 👍 Easy to set up and use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to web interface
  • 🔍 Clunky navigation and user interface
  • 🔍 Lacking advanced server management features
  • 🔍 Slow to update or refresh server information

Bugs and requests

Audiobook Player SmartBook

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App crashes when deleting audiobooks
  • Playback position not saved correctly when pausing from lock screen vs. in-app
  • Playback skips back 15-30 minutes randomly
  • Playback speed fluctuates unstably
  • Upload feature closes when selecting another file
Show 12 more
  • Some M4B files not recognized despite format support
  • Chapter information not displayed correctly
  • Book cover not embedded or displayed
  • Book doesn't appear in library after successful upload until app is minimized/maximized
  • WiFi import fails with cryptic error messages
  • Downloaded books sometimes fail to play
  • App becomes unresponsive during downloads
  • Pause button from notification widget works inconsistently
  • Audio skips and cuts out during playback
  • Pro version upgrade button doesn't respond
  • Sample book fails to play
  • Chapters appear scrambled when imported via zip file

Requested features

16 requests
  • Bookmark/save specific locations in audiobooks
  • M4B chapter support and chapter recognition
  • Dark mode theme
  • Sleep timer functionality
  • Ability to add files to already-created books
Show 11 more
  • Book cover display in bookshelf view
  • Custom rewind and skip forward time settings
  • Graphic equalizer for audio adjustment
  • Direct iTunes integration
  • Direct file access from iPhone/iPad storage
  • Batch import without zipping files
  • App launcher integration with 3rd party launchers
  • Auto-pause when other apps speak
  • Better book organization and sorting options
  • Browse/search without knowing title beforehand
  • Arabic language support

Plex Dash

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Difficulty connecting to server or finding servers
  • Crashes when viewing server graphs
  • Inaccurate or incomplete playback history

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to manage users and permissions
  • Integrate more server administration functions
  • Improve library browsing and media details
  • Provide more detailed playback statistics
  • Add support for GPU monitoring
Show 1 more
  • Allow remote server control and updates

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Audiobook Player SmartBook

One-time1
  • Pro mode$9.99
None

Plex Dash

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Audiobook Player SmartBook free?
Audiobook Player SmartBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plex Dash free?
Plex Dash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Audiobook Player SmartBook or Plex Dash?
Plex Dash is rated higher. Audiobook Player SmartBook averages 4.1 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Plex Dash averages 4.6 from 2.2K ratings.
Do Audiobook Player SmartBook or Plex Dash have ads?
Neither Audiobook Player SmartBook nor Plex Dash shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Audiobook Player SmartBook or Plex Dash?
Audiobook Player SmartBook ships an update monthly, and Plex Dash monthly. Most recently, Audiobook Player SmartBook was updated on October 17, 2026 and Plex Dash on October 18, 2026.

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