Listening Library vs Audissey

The Listening Library app allows you to play audiobooks no matter where you decide to self-host them! With support for iCloud, Google Drive, Jellyfin, Plex, Audiobookshelf, and just locally on your phone, you just need this one app to get to all of your books. Listening Library has full audio control widgets, a customizable sleep timer, listening stats, the ability to stream or download the audiobook, and more! To be completely transparent, while local files, iCloud, and Google Drive are all free with the your download, if you want to use any of self-hosted servers (Jellyfin, Plex, and AudioBookShelf) you will be asked to pay a small, one-time fee via an In-App Purchase. However, If we add new sources behind the In-App Purchase, you will automatically get them!

Audissey turns web fiction into audio you can listen to anywhere — on your commute, while cooking, or with the screen locked. Paste a chapter link from Royal Road or similar sites, and Audissey imports the story, cleans the text, and reads it aloud with natural text-to-speech. Build a personal library, organize stories on shelves, and pick up right where you left off. LISTEN YOUR WAY • Import stories from web URLs or pasted text • Play, pause, and skip chapters with lock-screen controls • Adjust playback speed to match your pace • Read-along mode highlights text as it’s spoken • Ambient listening screen for a calm, hands-free experience SMART LIBRARY • Auto-import checks for newly published chapters • Automatically split massive, single-page stories (like Project Gutenberg books) into manageable chapters • Search across stories and chapters • Organize novels into custom shelves • Track read progress chapter by chapter • Syncs seamlessly across devices BUILT-IN AUTHOR SUPPORT When a chapter includes a Patreon or PayPal link, Audissey surfaces them in the reader so you can support the author — without those links being read aloud and interrupting your immersion. INTELLIGENT, EXPRESSIVE VOICES Choose Apple’s built-in voices or switch to Audissey Neural Voices, our on-device neural voice engine. All standard speech synthesis runs locally on your iPhone so your stories stay completely private. • Context-Aware Pronunciation: A custom heteronyms engine understands grammatical context, ensuring words like "read" (present) and "read" (past) are spoken flawlessly. • Dynamic Expression: The built-in expressive engine automatically adds dramatic emphasis and pacing to action scenes and intense dialogue. • Custom Dictionary: Define the exact phonetic pronunciation for unique character names and world-building terms. • Per-Story Narration: Assign specific voices to individual stories right from their settings menu to perfectly match the vibe of the novel. (Note: Audissey Neural Voices currently supports English only, but we are working on adding more languages). ADVANCED API INTEGRATIONS (Power Users) Take your listening experience to the absolute cutting edge by securely connecting your own third-party API keys directly on your device: • Smart Speaker Detection: Connect your preferred LLM API key (OpenAI, Gemini, or Anthropic) to have the engine automatically analyze chapters, identify distinct characters, and accurately map speakers to dialogue. • Ultra-Premium Audio: Connect your own ElevenLabs API key to stream ultra-realistic, multi-cast character voices directly into your listening queue. AUDISSEY PRO (Optional One-Time Purchase) Upgrade to Pro to remove ads, import unlimited chapters at once, and use Cache Ahead to pre-render Audissey Neural Voices' audio so listening continues smoothly with the screen locked. Audissey is built for readers who love web fiction and want a simple, highly customizable way to hear their favorite stories — not another streaming subscription.