Comparison

HydraShelf vs Voca Player

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

Head to head
About

HydraShelf

Features
Read full description

HydraShelf è un client iPhone per Audiobookshelf pensato per accedere in modo rapido alla tua libreria audio personale. Collega il tuo server con la tua API key e ritrova subito librerie, contenuti recenti, statistiche di ascolto e progresso reale del tuo account. Puoi esplorare la libreria, cercare nuovi podcast, aggiungerli al server e scaricare episodi direttamente sul telefono.

About

Voca Player

Stream audiobooks from your personal media server, including local files, Plex, or Audiobookshelf. Enjoy features like companion file playback, offline downloads, and customizable playback controls. Organize your entire library with ease and enjoy a privacy-focused listening experience.

Highlights
  • Stream from personal media servers (Local, Plex, Audiobookshelf)
  • Companion file playback (maps, liner notes, PDFs)
  • Offline downloads with one-time purchase
  • Apple Watch transfer and controls
  • Adjustable playback speed and sleep timer
  • Gapless playback and chapter navigation
Features
Read full description

Voca is a beautifully simple audiobook player for your own media server. Connect to Audiobookshelf, Plex or files on your device and start listening in seconds, at home or on the go. Stream from your own server Voca connects directly to your Audiobookshelf or Plex server, or plays audiobooks stored on your device. No third-party cloud. No subscriptions. Your library, your way. Pick up where you left off Home shows what you're listening to, the next book in each series you're reading, your downloads, your Reading List, recent additions, a few discoveries, and the books you've finished. Your Reading List syncs across your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Live captions Turn on captions to see the narration as it's read, scrolling like lyrics with the sentence being spoken highlighted, in place of the cover on iPhone and beside the player on iPad and Mac. The text is made on your device as the book plays, so your audio never leaves it. Extras built in Companion files stored alongside the audio, such as maps, liner notes, author commentary, or the full text of the book as a PDF or EPUB, appear with your audiobook. Open them beside the player and read along while you listen. Take it offline Unlock unlimited downloads with a single one-time purchase. Download your audiobooks, with their chapters and extras, and listen anywhere with no internet connection. You can even send books to your Apple Watch and leave your phone at home. Built for listening • Gapless playback across multi-file audiobooks • Lock Screen, Control Centre and CarPlay controls • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, and a Play or Pause control for Control Centre and the Action button • Bluetooth headphone support: single press to skip 30 seconds, double press to jump chapters • Playback speed from 0.5× to 3.0× • A scrubber that follows the current chapter, with a tap to switch to the whole book • Sleep timer by time, at the end of a chapter, or after any number of chapters • Double-tap the cover art to move between chapters Every screen Voca adapts to iPhone, iPhone Duo, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon, putting the player beside your chapters or documents when there's room. On Mac and on iPad with a keyboard, Playback and Go menus come with shortcuts. On Apple Watch, play books sent from your iPhone and follow along from your watch face. On Apple TV, browse your library while you listen, with your current book in the Top Shelf. Your whole library, beautifully organised Browse thousands of books in a fast, searchable grid, arranged A to Z, by author, series, genre and collection. With Audiobookshelf, a Series tab shows the series you're in the middle of, the next book in each, and every series in reading order. Privacy first Voca collects nothing. Everything stays between your device and your own server. Requirements Voca needs your own Audiobookshelf or Plex server, or audiobooks stored on your device. It includes no audiobook content. Offline downloads, and sending books to Apple Watch, require a one-time in-app purchase. Live captions need iOS 27 or later on a device that supports on-device transcription.

Screenshots

HydraShelf4 screens
Voca Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HydraShelf at none against Voca Player's 1. HydraShelf also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). Voca Player's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 1). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Voca Player sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HydraShelf asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HydraShelf ships an update daily, Voca Player every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HydraShelf versus Voca Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHydraShelfVoca Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 5 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS1717.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFederico SebastianiLV-223 PTY LTD

In-app purchases

None

HydraShelf

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Voca Player

One-time1
  • Offline Playback$4.99

Questions

Is HydraShelf free?
HydraShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Voca Player free?
Voca Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HydraShelf or Voca Player have ads?
HydraShelf shows ads; Voca Player does not.
Which is updated more often, HydraShelf or Voca Player?
HydraShelf ships an update daily, and Voca Player every 5 days. Most recently, HydraShelf was updated on October 31, 2026 and Voca Player on November 5, 2026.

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