Audiary vs ShelfHead

Audiary is the perfect app for audiobook and podcast lovers. Connect to your personal Audiobookshelf server or explore thousands of free audiobooks on Librivox. AUDIARY ASSISTANT • Ask by voice or in writing: "resume Dune", "a thriller under 6 hours" • It knows your library, your podcasts, your listening time and your ratings • It also looks further afield: public domain, Apple Books, the podcast directory • Dictation transcribed on your device, and your past requests are kept MULTIPLE CONTENT SOURCES • Sync with your Audiobookshelf server • Access 15,000+ free audiobooks via Librivox • Import local files (MP3, M4B, M4A) • Subscribe to your favorite podcasts via RSS ADVANCED AUDIO PLAYER • Full controls: play, pause, skip forward/back • Adjustable playback speed from 0.5x to 2.0x • Audio equalizer with 6 presets • Smart sleep timer • Chapter navigation with visual indicators • Bookmarks to mark your favorite passages LISTEN ANYWHERE • Offline mode: download books to listen without connection • CarPlay support for in-car listening • Apple Watch to track your progress • iOS Widgets for quick access • Lock screen controls ORGANIZED LIBRARY • Customizable grid or list view • Filter by status: in progress, finished, not started • Search by title, author, or narrator • Series management with volume ordering • Complete reading history SYNC & BACKUP • Auto-sync progress with Audiobookshelf • iCloud backup of your preferences • Wishlist synced via Apple Reminders • Multi-library support CUSTOMIZATION • Themes: Neon (modern) or Classic (warm) • 7 alternative app icons • Adaptive interface for iPhone and iPad PREMIUM FEATURES • Reading history export (CSV) • Custom themes • Alternative icons Audiary respects your privacy: no personal data is collected. Your books, your data, your control.

ShelfHead is a streamlined player for your self-hosted Audiobookshelf server. It connects straight to the server you run: no ShelfHead account, no middlemen, no ads. Built for people who just want to listen. A clean, focused interface, fast browsing, and playback that remembers exactly where you left off on every device you own. YOUR SERVER, YOUR WAY • Sign in with username and password or SSO (OpenID Connect) • Works behind Cloudflare Access, Authelia and other reverse proxies via custom HTTP headers • Progress, bookmarks and finished status sync back to your server, and a clear prompt appears if two devices disagree LISTEN ANYWHERE • A Downloads tab with cover art, progress, length and size, swipe to play, and Download Health to verify and repair files • Download a single title or a whole series; everything works offline and syncs when you reconnect • CarPlay with series, authors, genres, bookmarks and chapters, an alphabet index for big libraries, and Continue Listening always first • Apple Watch that works with your iPhone nearby or entirely on its own, with its own downloads • Lock-screen, widget and Control Center controls; Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight and Handoff A PLAYER THAT FITS • Variable speed with per-book defaults, volume boost, and bass/treble tone control • Chapter navigation, bookmarks, and sleep timers by duration, end of chapter or a nightly schedule • Listening Profiles for Driving, Sleep and Work; Driving can switch on automatically in CarPlay • An Up Next queue that skips finished books and adds the next in a series A LIBRARY THAT UNDERSTANDS YOU • Browse books, series, authors, narrators, collections and playlists, with search everywhere • Smart filters: Nearly Finished, No Progress in 30 Days, Unplayed in a Started Series, Downloaded but Not Finished, and more • Follow narrators and authors, play podcast episodes, and read ebooks and PDFs with your PDF position synced back to the server • Listening stats, streaks, a swipeable Year in Review, and shareable images colour-matched to the cover Also: optional Face ID or passcode lock, playback history with one-tap undo, full VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support, and a native design with a touch of cassette-deck character. ShelfHead requires an existing Audiobookshelf server (audiobookshelf.org). It plays the library you already host and includes no content of its own. No analytics, no tracking, no advertising: it talks only to the server you configure.