Absorb vs Frontiera
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
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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.
Frontiera
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Aplicația cu cărți digitale a Editurii Frontiera, o editură dedicată cărților pentru copii. Poți consulta catalogul nostru și poți alege să asculți audiobookuri sau să vizualizezi cărți în format electronic. Proiect finanațat de Uniunea Europeană.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Frontiera at every 2 weeks against Absorb's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, Frontiera every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Absorb | Frontiera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (163 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 97.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 163 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nathan Poulson | Mihai Uricaru |
In-app purchases
Absorb
No in-app purchases
Frontiera
No in-app purchases
