Comparison

LAABS Audio vs Chapter

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

Head to head
About

LAABS Audio

Features
Read full description

LAABS Audio is the iPhone player Audiobookshelf deserves. Stream and download from your own server, then go further: read along with the narration, layer ambient sound under any book, and save the passages you love as audio clips. Audiobookshelf comes first, but it isn't the only way in. Got audiobooks that aren't on your server? Import them from Files or iCloud Drive and they sit right alongside your library. AMBIENT AUDIO Make every book sound the way you like it. Layer rain, a crackling fire, brown noise, soft music, or any audio file of your own quietly beneath the narration. - Import tracks from your iPhone or iCloud Drive - Each book remembers its own ambient track, volume, and place in the loop - See and scrub the ambient track's position while it plays - Ambient sound pauses and resumes with your book automatically AUDIO CLIPS Turn a great line into something you can keep and share. - Long-press a sentence in Read-Along and tap to grow your selection โ€” that's a clip - Or set an exact start and length to the second in the clip editor - Preview a clip without losing your place in the book - Add a title and notes - Export clips as M4A audio files to share anywhere (downloaded books) - Get the words of any clip as text, taken from the book's transcript when there is one - Export every clip from a book as one tidy document, in book order, with your notes - Bookmark and clip podcast episodes too YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR SERVER - Connect directly to your Audiobookshelf server and switch between accounts and libraries quickly - Stream over Wi-Fi or cellular, or download for offline listening - Progress syncs automatically, even after listening offline - Audiobooks and podcasts, side by side YOUR HOME, YOUR WAY - Continue Listening, Recently Added, and Discover shelves - Create your own shelves or turn Audiobookshelf playlists into Home shelves - Reorder or hide any shelf - Progress, favorites, and download status at a glance FIND & ORGANIZE - Search by title or author; filter by genre, tag, favorite, finished, or ebook - Sort by author, title, date added, duration, or publication date - Browse Series, Collections, and Playlists, and edit Collections and Playlists BOOKS BEYOND YOUR SERVER Built for Audiobookshelf first, LAABS Audio also plays audiobooks that aren't in your Audiobookshelf library. - Import m4b, m4a, mp3, aac, wav, or flac files from Files or iCloud Drive - Imported books get their own Home shelf and Library section, and show up in Continue Listening, search, and CarPlay - Bookmarks, clips, Ambient Audio, speed, and sleep timer all work the same - Chapters, cover art, and details are read from the file, and you can edit them - No server yet? Start with your own files and connect Audiobookshelf whenever you're ready READ ALONG AS YOU LISTEN - Follow the words as the narrator speaks them, with the current sentence and word highlighted - The page scrolls itself; scroll away to look around and jump back with one tap - Tap any sentence to hear it from there - Choose text size, highlight style, and where the current line sits on screen - Transcribe a whole audiobook right on your iPhone (iOS 26) โ€” nothing leaves your device - Export a finished transcript as an EPUB LISTEN ANYWHERE - CarPlay - Siri and Shortcuts: play, pause, resume, search your library, bookmark, and set a sleep timer by voice - Home Screen widget that starts your book even when the app is closed - Speeds up to 4ร—, automatic rewind after a pause, and a sleep timer that can stop at the end of a chapter - Configurable lock-screen controls No subscription and no data collected. Optional one-time tips help support development. Requires iOS 17.4 or later. Library features require an Audiobookshelf server running version 2.3.0 or later; your own imported audiobooks work without one. On-device transcription requires iOS 26.

About

Chapter

Features
Read full description

Chapter turns your own audio files into a beautifully organized audiobook library. Import whole folders or individual files and keep every chapter together as one book. BUILT FOR YOUR OWN AUDIOBOOKS - Import folders or files: MP3, M4A, M4B and more - Covers, titles, authors and chapters load automatically from file metadata - Organize with categories, or group books your own way with custom Collections - Grid or list view, light and dark mode, plus a home screen widget showing what you're listening to BUILT FOR LISTENING - Resume exactly where you left off, even after restarting your phone - Real chapter numbering, bookmarks with notes - Playback speed from 0.8x to 2.5x - Sleep timer, including "stop at end of chapter" - Background playback with lock-screen and widget controls SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Sign in with Apple or Google to keep your library, bookmarks, listening progress and audio files in sync across every device you own, over Wi-Fi. ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION Your first audiobook is free forever. Unlock unlimited books with a single one-time purchase - no subscription, ever. PRIVACY FIRST No ads, no tracking, no analytics. Your books stay yours. Privacy policy: https://kubasova.com/chapter/privacy Questions or suggestions: support@kubasova.com

Screenshots

LAABS Audio4 screens
Chapter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Chapter at every 3 weeks against LAABS Audio's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. LAABS Audio sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Chapter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LAABS Audio ships an update every 2 months, Chapter every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
LAABS Audio versus Chapter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLAABS AudioChapter
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS17.4 โ€” better18.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size93 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMark MccoidKubikom s.r.o.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

LAABS Audio

One-time3
  • Listener Tip$1.99
  • Patron Tip$4.99
  • Audiophile Tip$9.99
1 purchases

Chapter

One-time1
  • Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is LAABS Audio free?
LAABS Audio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chapter free?
Chapter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LAABS Audio or Chapter have ads?
Neither LAABS Audio nor Chapter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LAABS Audio or Chapter?
LAABS Audio ships an update every 2 months, and Chapter every 3 weeks. Most recently, LAABS Audio was updated on November 13, 2026 and Chapter on November 6, 2026.

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