# Spine vs Absorb

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spine at every 8 days against Absorb's every 5 weeks. Absorb's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Spine against 4.9 for Absorb. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 164 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Spine's written reviews are positive against 97% of Absorb's.

Spine ships an update every 8 days, Absorb every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spine | Absorb |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (82 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-reading-tracker/id6759875368/reviews)** | [4.9 (164 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absorb-for-audiobookshelf/id6760673498/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 82 | **164** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 97.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 33 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tanner Flake](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810308106) | [Nathan Poulson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885644242) |

## What reviewers say

### Spine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spine-reading-tracker/id6759875368)

Log your reading progress, create custom tier lists of your favorite books, and discover new titles. Connect with friends to see their reading habits and share recommendations.

**Highlights:** Track reading progress, Create book tier lists, Follow friends' reading, Personalized recommendations, Import Goodreads library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Absorb

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absorb-for-audiobookshelf/id6760673498)

This app provides a streamlined mobile experience for listening to audiobooks and podcasts from your self-hosted media server. Enjoy features like offline playback, chapter navigation, and listening statistics. It's a free, open-source solution with no ads or data collection.

**Highlights:** Offline listening, Chapter navigation, Sleep timer, Playback speed control, Home screen widgets, Listening statistics, CarPlay support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spine free?

Spine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Absorb free?

Absorb is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spine or Absorb?

Spine is rated higher. Spine averages 5.0 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Absorb averages 4.9 from 164 ratings.

### Do Spine or Absorb have ads?

Neither Spine nor Absorb shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spine or Absorb?

Spine ships an update every 8 days, and Absorb every 5 weeks. Most recently, Spine was updated on October 31, 2026 and Absorb on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*