Comparison

Fable Frog vs Recto Audiobooks

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Fable Frog

This app is a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf, offering a premium listening experience for your self-hosted audiobook library. Enjoy features like variable playback speed, sleep timers, offline downloads, and detailed listening statistics. It also includes a deals feature to track Audible prices and a dedicated Carplay interface.

Highlights
  • Variable playback speed and volume boost
  • Sleep timer with presets
  • Chapter navigation with durations
  • Bookmarks with notes
  • Per-book playback settings
  • Offline downloads with smart management
  • Listening statistics and charts
  • CarPlay and widget support
Features
Read full description

The best way to enjoy your audiobooks. Fable Frog is a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf — built from the ground up for a premium listening experience. Connect to your self-hosted server and enjoy your library with a beautiful, feature-packed player designed for how you actually listen. PLAYBACK THAT JUST WORKS • Variable speed (0.5x – 3x) and volume boost up to 200% • Sleep timer with presets, custom duration, or end of chapter • Shake to extend your timer without opening your phone • Chapter navigation with durations at a glance • Bookmarks with notes up to 5,000 characters • Per-book playback settings that remember how you like each title • AirPlay streaming to your favorite speakers YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR WAY • Browse by books, authors, series, narrators, or genres • Filter by progress and genre, sort by title, author, date added, duration, or last listened • Instant search across your entire library • Follow series and track upcoming releases automatically • Create custom playlists, rate and review books • Alphabetical index for jumping through large collections DEALS Fable Frog watches Audible prices for the books you want and tells you when one goes on sale. Deals is part of Fable Frog Premium. • Import your whole Audible wishlist with the Fable Frog extension in Safari, member prices included • Choose what counts as a deal: a percent off, a price limit, or cheaper than a credit OFFLINE DOWNLOADS Download books and listen anywhere — no connection needed. Smart Downloads automatically grab your next listen and clean up finished titles. Wi-Fi only mode keeps your data plan safe. LISTENING STATISTICS Understand your listening life with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly charts. See genre breakdowns, top series rankings, speed savings, finished book trophies, and fun facts about your habits. CARPLAY A dedicated driving interface built for safe, distraction-free listening in the car. Large touch targets, simplified controls, and quick access to recent and library books. WIDGETS Lock screen widget with a circular progress gauge for your current listen. iOS 18 Control Center widgets for quick play/pause without leaving what you're doing. MAKE IT YOURS • 20 themes including 3 accessibility-optimized options • Custom app icons (Neon, Sunset, Forest) • 6 text size levels from XS to XXL • Customizable lock screen widget icons • Configurable skip durations and player controls BUILT FOR EVERYONE • Full VoiceOver support with comprehensive labels and adjustable controls • Voice Control compatible — navigate by voice • Dynamic Type support — text scales to 200%+ with in-app size slider • Accessibility themes: High Contrast (AAA), Blue-Orange (CVD), Pink-Teal (CVD) • Differentiate Without Color support — shapes and icons supplement color • All themes validated for WCAG AA contrast standards • Respects Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency system settings • Car mode with extra-large touch targets • Siri integration for hands-free playback control PRIVACY FIRST No analytics. No telemetry. No tracking. No ads. Your data stays between your device and your server — nothing else. Credentials are stored exclusively in the iOS Keychain. CONNECTS TO YOUR SETUP • Username/password and OIDC authentication (Keycloak, Authelia, Authentik, and more) • Custom HTTP headers for reverse proxies (Caddy, Nginx, Traefik) • Multi-library support on the same server • Several accounts and servers, with a quick switcher on Home • Automatic token refresh and session management Available in 15+ languages with full RTL support. Requires a self-hosted Audiobookshelf server (v2.x). Fable Frog is an independent third-party client and is not affiliated with the Audiobookshelf project. Terms of Service: https://fablefrog.app/terms Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stddla/ Privacy Policy: https://fablefrog.app/privacy

About

Recto Audiobooks

Features
Read full description

Recto is a native iOS audiobook player built for people who take their libraries seriously. Connect to your Plex Media Server and experience your audiobook collection the way it deserves — with a polished, Apple Music-inspired interface designed from the ground up for listening. Your library. Your way. Recto pulls your audiobooks directly from Plex, giving you complete control over your collection without subscriptions, DRM, or relying on someone else's catalog. If you own the files, Recto makes them shine. Built for Listeners • Elegant, distraction-free player interface • Series and author grouping with rich metadata • Background audio with full lock screen controls • Variable speed playback and sleep timer • Chapter navigation and cover art • Progress tracking across your library Apple-Native. Always. Recto is built entirely with Swift and SwiftUI — no web views, no compromises. It feels like it belongs on your iPhone because it was designed to. More Coming Plex is just the beginning. Additional library sources are on the way for listeners who want even more flexibility. Recto is free to download and use. No subscription. No catch.

Screenshots

Fable Frog4 screens
Recto Audiobooks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Recto Audiobooks at none against Fable Frog's 2. On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Fable Frog sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.00 per year. Recto Audiobooks asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fable Frog ships an update every 6 days, Recto Audiobooks every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Fable Frog versus Recto Audiobooks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFable FrogRecto Audiobooks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaul DeVitoTyler Lutz

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fable Frog

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Annual$8.001 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$12.00
None

Recto Audiobooks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fable Frog free?
Fable Frog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recto Audiobooks free?
Recto Audiobooks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fable Frog or Recto Audiobooks have ads?
Neither Fable Frog nor Recto Audiobooks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fable Frog or Recto Audiobooks?
Fable Frog ships an update every 6 days, and Recto Audiobooks every 9 days. Most recently, Fable Frog was updated on October 31, 2026 and Recto Audiobooks on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons