Comparison

Audiobook Player SmartBook vs Helmarr

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

Helmarr

Manage all your self-hosted services from a single, native iOS interface. Seamlessly integrate and control applications like Sonarr, Radarr, and Unraid with advanced features and customization.

Highlights
  • Unified experience for multiple services
  • Smart multi-network connectivity
  • Deep customization options
  • Home screen widgets
  • Unraid control
  • Push notifications
  • SSH & SFTP access
  • Download management
Features
Read full description

Helmarr provides a unified, native iOS interface for your self-hosted services. Stop relying on responsive web UIs and manage your entire stack in an app where your services actually work hand-in-hand. Currently supported: Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, Unraid, SSH (+SFTP), Tautulli, Jellystat, Overseerr, Jellyseerr, Seerr, qBt, SABnzbd, NZBGet, Wizarr, Prowlarr, Transmission, Deluge. Key Features: - A Truly Unified Experience: Your stack shouldn't feel like separate silos. Helmarr brings Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Seerr, and Tautulli together. Browse your library, approve requests, and view active streams in one seamless interface. - Smart Connectivity: Full multi-network support allows you to define primary and fallback hosts. Helmarr automatically switches between your LAN IP and WAN/DNS address depending on where you are. - Make It Your Own: Deep customization options let you tweak the app to your liking. Change accent colors, rearrange your tab bar, and set custom headers to match your personal aesthetic. - Home Screen Widgets: Keep an eye on your download queue, upcoming releases, or server stats at a glance without even opening the app. - Unraid Control: Real-time monitoring of Shares, Parity status, Disks, and Warnings. Start/Stop Docker containers and VMs instantly. - Push Notifications: Stay in the loop with configurable alerts for grabs, successful imports, and critical health checks. - Terminal & Vitals: Full SSH & SFTP access with live resource monitoring (CPU/RAM/Net). Manage processes and containers via command line. - Download Management: Remote control for SABnzbd and NZBGet. Pause, resume, reorder queues, and set speed limits on the fly. - Release Browser: Don't just rely on automation—search, filter, and manually grab specific releases with ease. - Onboarding: Generate and manage user invites via Wizarr. Website: https://helmarr.com/ Terms of Service: https://helmarr.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://helmarr.com/privacy

Screenshots

Audiobook Player SmartBook4 screens
Helmarr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Helmarr at 4.8 against Audiobook Player SmartBook's 4.1. Helmarr also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 38%) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Audiobook Player SmartBook's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Helmarr sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Helmarr holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 255 and 193 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Audiobook Player SmartBook's written reviews are positive against 76% of Helmarr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Audiobook Player SmartBook ships an update monthly, Helmarr weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Audiobook Player SmartBook versus Helmarr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudiobook Player SmartBookHelmarr
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (255 ratings)4.8 (193 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.6% of reviews75.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings255 — better193
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB170 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTeleprompter LLCFlorian Ernst

Customer experience

Audiobook Player SmartBook

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

Helmarr

All ratings172 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews145 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative16.6%

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

Helmarr

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Audiobook Player SmartBook

One-time1
  • Pro mode$9.99
19 purchases

Helmarr

Subscriptions3
  • Helmarr Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ultra Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Helmarr Pro Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
One-time16
  • Bazarr$3.99
  • Deluge$4.99
  • Plex$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Transmission$4.99
  • NZBGet$4.99
  • Lidarr$4.99
  • Unraid$4.99
  • SABnzbd$4.99
  • Tautulli$4.99
  • Sonarr$4.99
  • Radarr$4.99
  • Seerr$4.99
  • qBt$4.99
  • Prowlarr$4.99
  • Helmarr Pro - Lifetime$29.99
  • Lifetime Pro$34.99

Questions

Is Audiobook Player SmartBook free?
Audiobook Player SmartBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Helmarr free?
Helmarr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Audiobook Player SmartBook or Helmarr?
Helmarr is rated higher. Audiobook Player SmartBook averages 4.1 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Helmarr averages 4.8 from 193 ratings.
Do Audiobook Player SmartBook or Helmarr have ads?
Neither Audiobook Player SmartBook nor Helmarr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Audiobook Player SmartBook or Helmarr?
Audiobook Player SmartBook ships an update monthly, and Helmarr weekly. Most recently, Audiobook Player SmartBook was updated on October 17, 2026 and Helmarr on October 21, 2026.

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