# Absorb vs Athene Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Absorb at 4.9 against Athene Reader's 4.3. Absorb also leads on ratings volume (157 vs 6) and review sentiment (97% vs 80%). Athene Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Absorb has 157 ratings behind it against 6, 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 80% of Athene Reader's.

Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, Athene Reader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Absorb | Athene Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (157 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absorb-for-audiobookshelf/id6760673498/reviews)** | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/athene-reader/id6811711454/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **157** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **97.4% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 65 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nathan Poulson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885644242) | [Aditya Sreedhar](https://appshunter.io/developer/6811711456) |

## 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


### Athene Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/athene-reader/id6811711454)

Organize and read your digital books from various sources. Customize your reading experience with adjustable fonts, colors, and layouts. Listen to your books, take notes, and even ask questions about the content with an AI assistant.

**Highlights:** Import books from various sources, Customizable reading interface, Text-to-speech functionality, Note-taking and highlighting, AI-powered content questions, Offline dictionary, iCloud Sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Absorb free?

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

### Is Athene Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Absorb or Athene Reader?

Absorb is rated higher. Absorb averages 4.9 out of 5 from 157 ratings, while Athene Reader averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do Absorb or Athene Reader have ads?

Neither Absorb nor Athene Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Absorb or Athene Reader?

Absorb ships an update every 5 weeks, and Athene Reader every 2 days. Most recently, Absorb was updated on October 22, 2026 and Athene Reader on October 5, 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.*