# Absorb vs Tome Player

The clearest difference is rating: Absorb at 4.9 against Tome Player's 3.7. Absorb also leads on ratings volume (164 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Tome Player's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Absorb has 164 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 97% of Absorb's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tome Player's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, Tome Player fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Absorb | Tome Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (164 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absorb-for-audiobookshelf/id6760673498/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tome-player/id6800569638/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **164** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 97.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 65 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nathan Poulson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885644242) | [Brella Health LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789472865) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Tome Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tome-player/id6800569638)

Listen to audiobooks with this application that connects to your existing library. It also offers an optional book club feature to share reading experiences with friends.

**Highlights:** Audiobook listening, Integrates with audio book shelf, Optional book club feature, Social sharing for friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Absorb free?

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

### Is Tome Player free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Absorb or Tome Player?

Absorb is rated higher. Absorb averages 4.9 out of 5 from 164 ratings, while Tome Player averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Absorb or Tome Player have ads?

Neither Absorb nor Tome Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Absorb or Tome Player?

Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, and Tome Player fortnightly. Most recently, Absorb was updated on October 28, 2026 and Tome Player on October 24, 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.*