Comparison

abstand vs Fable Frog

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

Head to head
About

abstand

This app unifies your audiobooks and podcasts into a single library. Listen to both long-form books and episodic shows seamlessly, with offline downloads for uninterrupted enjoyment. Track your listening habits and stay motivated with built-in achievements.

Highlights
  • Unified audiobook and podcast library
  • Offline downloads
  • Listening habit tracking
  • Achievements and motivation
  • Designed for Audiobookshelf servers
Features
Read full description

Your Audiobookshelf library: audiobooks and podcasts in one place. Abstand is built for listeners who don’t want to switch libraries. Connect to your Audiobookshelf server and browse audiobooks and podcasts side by side. All-in-1 library Audiobooks and podcast shows live together. Continue listening, browse your catalog, and switch between long-form books and episodic shows without leaving the app. Auto-download Save what matters offline. Download audiobooks and podcast episodes for travel, commutes, and spotty connections—ready when you are, not when the network is. Achievements Turn listening into progress you can see. Track your habits, level up, and stay motivated with achievements that reward real time spent with your library. Made for Audiobookshelf Fast, focused, and designed for iPhone and iPad. Your server, your content, your pace. Download Abstand and listen the way your library was meant to work: one app, every story.

About

Fable Frog

This app offers a premium listening experience for your self-hosted audiobooks. Enjoy advanced playback controls, library management, offline downloads, and detailed listening statistics. It's designed with accessibility and privacy in mind, connecting seamlessly to your Audiobookshelf server.

Highlights
  • Variable speed and volume boost
  • Sleep timer with shake to extend
  • Chapter navigation with durations
  • Bookmarks with notes
  • Per-book playback settings
  • Offline downloads with smart management
  • Listening statistics and charts
  • CarPlay and widget support
Features
Read full description

The best way to enjoy your audiobooks. Fable Frog is a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf — built from the ground up for a premium listening experience. Connect to your self-hosted server and enjoy your library with a beautiful, feature-packed player designed for how you actually listen. PLAYBACK THAT JUST WORKS • Variable speed (0.5x – 3x) and volume boost up to 200% • Sleep timer with presets, custom duration, or end of chapter • Shake to extend your timer without opening your phone • Chapter navigation with durations at a glance • Bookmarks with notes up to 5,000 characters • Per-book playback settings that remember how you like each title • AirPlay streaming to your favorite speakers YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • Browse by books, authors, series, narrators, or genres • Filter by progress and genre, sort by title, author, date added, duration, or last listened • Instant search across your entire library • Follow series and track upcoming releases automatically • Create custom playlists, rate and review books • Alphabetical index for jumping through large collections OFFLINE DOWNLOADS Download books and listen anywhere — no connection needed. Smart Downloads automatically grab your next listen and clean up finished titles. Wi-Fi only mode keeps your data plan safe. LISTENING STATISTICS Understand your listening life with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly charts. See genre breakdowns, top series rankings, speed savings, finished book trophies, and fun facts about your habits. CARPLAY A dedicated driving interface built for safe, distraction-free listening in the car. Large touch targets, simplified controls, and quick access to recent and library books. WIDGETS Lock screen widget with a circular progress gauge for your current listen. iOS 18 Control Center widgets for quick play/pause without leaving what you're doing. MAKE IT YOURS • 20 themes including 3 accessibility-optimized options • Custom app icons (Neon, Sunset, Forest) • 6 text size levels from XS to XXL • Customizable lock screen widget icons • Configurable skip durations and player controls BUILT FOR EVERYONE • Full VoiceOver support with comprehensive labels and adjustable controls • Voice Control compatible — navigate by voice • Dynamic Type support — text scales to 200%+ with in-app size slider • Accessibility themes: High Contrast (AAA), Blue-Orange (CVD), Pink-Teal (CVD) • Differentiate Without Color support — shapes and icons supplement color • All themes validated for WCAG AA contrast standards • Respects Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency system settings • Car mode with extra-large touch targets • Siri integration for hands-free playback control PRIVACY FIRST No analytics. No telemetry. No tracking. No ads. Your data stays between your device and your server — nothing else. Credentials are stored exclusively in the iOS Keychain. CONNECTS TO YOUR SETUP • Username/password and OIDC authentication (Keycloak, Authelia, Authentik, and more) • Custom HTTP headers for reverse proxies (Caddy, Nginx, Traefik) • Multi-library support on the same server • Automatic token refresh and session management Available in 15+ languages with full RTL support. Requires a self-hosted Audiobookshelf server (v2.x). Fable Frog is an independent third-party client and is not affiliated with the Audiobookshelf project. Terms of Service: https://fablefrog.app/terms Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stddla/ Privacy Policy: https://fablefrog.app/privacy

Screenshots

abstand3 screens
Fable Frog4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: abstand at 5.0 against Fable Frog's 4.3. abstand also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Fable Frog's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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. Fable Frog sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.00 per year. abstand asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

abstand holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

abstand ships an update every 3 weeks, Fable Frog every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
abstand versus Fable Frog: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterabstandFable Frog
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel GoletzPaul DeVito

Customer experience

abstand

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Fable Frog

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

abstand

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Fable Frog

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Annual$8.001 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$12.00

Questions

Is abstand free?
abstand is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fable Frog free?
Fable Frog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, abstand or Fable Frog?
abstand is rated higher. abstand averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Fable Frog averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do abstand or Fable Frog have ads?
Neither abstand nor Fable Frog shows ads.
Which is updated more often, abstand or Fable Frog?
abstand ships an update every 3 weeks, and Fable Frog every 9 days. Most recently, abstand was updated on September 14, 2026 and Fable Frog on September 10, 2026.

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