Absorb vs AudioAmber
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Absorb
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.
- Offline listening
- Chapter navigation
- Sleep timer
- Playback speed control
- Home screen widgets
- Listening statistics
- CarPlay support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Absorb is a free, open source audiobook and podcast player built for Audiobookshelf, a self-hosted media server for your personal book library. Connect to your own Audiobookshelf server and enjoy your audiobook collection with a clean, polished mobile experience built specifically for iOS. Features: Stream or download books for offline listening Full playback controls with chapter navigation, sleep timer, and playback speed Home screen widgets for quick playback controls Listening stats and streaks to track your progress Bookmarks with notes Series tracking and discovery Light and dark mode CarPlay support And much more!!! Absorb is built by a solo developer and is completely free with no ads, no subscriptions, and no data collection. Your library stays between you and your server. Requires a self-hosted Audiobookshelf server. Visit audiobookshelf.org to learn more.
AudioAmber
Access thousands of classic audiobooks from LibriVox, read by volunteers. Enjoy a distraction-free listening experience with a modern player, background playback, and adjustable speed. Browse by genre or curated lists to discover timeless literature.
- Thousands of classic audiobooks
- Distraction-free player
- Background playback
- Adjustable playback speed
- Sleep timer
- Bookmarks and progress tracking
- Browse by genre
Read full descriptionHide full description
AudioAmber brings you thousands of classic audiobooks from LibriVox — read aloud by volunteers around the world. Listen to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Sherlock Holmes and many more timeless works, beautifully delivered in a clean, modern player designed for uninterrupted listening. KEY FEATURES • Thousands of classic audiobooks from LibriVox.org • Beautiful, distraction-free player built for audio • Background playback with lock-screen controls • Sleep timer and adjustable playback speed • Bookmarks and listening progress across chapters • Browse by genre: literature, history, philosophy, poetry, drama • Curated discovery: Popular Classics, Recently Added, For You • Personal library and favorites • Dark mode by default ABOUT LIBRIVOX All content is sourced from LibriVox.org, a non-profit volunteer-driven project recording public-domain audiobooks since 2005. All recordings are in the public domain and freely redistributable. AudioAmber is an independent reader app and is not affiliated with LibriVox.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Absorb at 97% against AudioAmber's 0%. Absorb also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.0) and ads (none vs shown). AudioAmber's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Absorb holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Absorb has 164 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Absorb's written reviews are positive against 0% of AudioAmber's.
Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, AudioAmber daily. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Absorb | AudioAmber |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (164 ratings) — better | 2.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 97.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 164 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nathan Poulson | Mindaugas Ramanauskis |
Customer experience
Absorb
AudioAmber
In-app purchases
Absorb
No in-app purchases
AudioAmber
No in-app purchases
