Comparison

ShelfHead vs Volume.

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

Head to head
About

ShelfHead

Features
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ShelfHead is a streamlined player for your self-hosted Audiobookshelf server. It connects straight to the server you run: no ShelfHead account, no middlemen, no ads. Built for people who just want to listen. A clean, focused interface, fast browsing, and playback that remembers exactly where you left off on every device you own. YOUR SERVER, YOUR WAY • Sign in with username and password or SSO (OpenID Connect) • Works behind Cloudflare Access, Authelia and other reverse proxies via custom HTTP headers • Progress, bookmarks and finished status sync back to your server, and a clear prompt appears if two devices disagree LISTEN ANYWHERE • A Downloads tab with cover art, progress, length and size, swipe to play, and Download Health to verify and repair files • Download a single title or a whole series; everything works offline and syncs when you reconnect • CarPlay with series, authors, genres, bookmarks and chapters, an alphabet index for big libraries, and Continue Listening always first • Apple Watch that works with your iPhone nearby or entirely on its own, with its own downloads • Lock-screen, widget and Control Center controls; Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight and Handoff A PLAYER THAT FITS • Variable speed with per-book defaults, volume boost, and bass/treble tone control • Chapter navigation, bookmarks, and sleep timers by duration, end of chapter or a nightly schedule • Listening Profiles for Driving, Sleep and Work; Driving can switch on automatically in CarPlay • An Up Next queue that skips finished books and adds the next in a series A LIBRARY THAT UNDERSTANDS YOU • Browse books, series, authors, narrators, collections and playlists, with search everywhere • Smart filters: Nearly Finished, No Progress in 30 Days, Unplayed in a Started Series, Downloaded but Not Finished, and more • Follow narrators and authors, play podcast episodes, and read ebooks and PDFs with your PDF position synced back to the server • Listening stats, streaks, a swipeable Year in Review, and shareable images colour-matched to the cover Also: optional Face ID or passcode lock, playback history with one-tap undo, full VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support, and a native design with a touch of cassette-deck character. ShelfHead requires an existing Audiobookshelf server (audiobookshelf.org). It plays the library you already host and includes no content of its own. No analytics, no tracking, no advertising: it talks only to the server you configure.

About

Volume.

This app is a privacy-focused audiobook player for self-hosted libraries. It offers chapter-first playback, multi-server support, and customizable design, all without ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Multi-server and multi-account support
  • Chapter-first playback
  • Undo last skip functionality
  • CarPlay and AirPlay integration
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Offline listening
  • Advanced playback controls
  • Bookmarks and notes with export
Features
Read full description

Your audiobooks. Your server. Played beautifully. Volume is an expressive, privacy-first audiobook player built for people who host their own libraries. Whether your books live on Audiobookshelf, Jellyfin or Plex, Volume brings them together into one fluid, customisable listening experience, built natively for iOS in SwiftUI. WHY VOLUME Audiobooks are not long albums. They have chapters, you lose your place in them, and you return to them over weeks. Most players treat them like music. Volume doesn't. I built it for my own library first, as an indie project, and it connects straight to your server with nothing in between. MULTI-SERVER AND MULTI-ACCOUNT Connect to Audiobookshelf, Jellyfin or Plex. Switch between libraries and servers without losing your place. CHAPTER-FIRST PLAYBACK Per-chapter progress and time remaining, so you always know how far you are from a sensible place to stop. Full M4B chapter support, including parsing chapters Jellyfin doesn't expose through its API. UNDO LAST SKIP Clipped the next-chapter button in your pocket? Volume remembers your previous position and puts you back with one tap. CARPLAY AND AIRPLAY Browse your library, control playback and move between chapters safely from the car. Send audio to a HomePod, Apple TV or any AirPlay speaker straight from the player's route picker. ICLOUD SYNC Your library stays in step across every Apple device you own. OFFLINE LISTENING Download books to your device for flights, commutes and anywhere off-grid, with full download and progress management. ADVANCED PLAYBACK Variable speed to 3x, customisable skip durations, and a smart sleep timer with duration, end-of-chapter and fade-out modes. BOOKMARKS AND NOTES Save the moments that matter with timestamped bookmarks, attach notes to exact playback positions, and export everything to CSV, Markdown or YAML. A playback timeline keeps a record of how you actually listen. EXPRESSIVE, CUSTOMISABLE DESIGN Dynamic theming repaints the app around the cover art of whatever you're reading. Reorder your home screen sections, configure player button layouts, filter by genre, and enjoy a serif-led typographic design built for iOS. METADATA ENRICHMENT Integrates with Open Library for cover artwork, author information and descriptions, falling back to embedded file metadata. PRIVACY AND FREEDOM Volume is strictly client-side. Your server credentials, library data and playback statistics stay yours. No accounts, no ads, no third-party analytics, no tracking. Listen to your audiobooks, expressively. Questions or bugs: feedback.hyperfixation.dev

Screenshots

ShelfHead4 screens
Volume.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ShelfHead at every 3 days against Volume.'s every 5 weeks. ShelfHead also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShelfHead ships an update every 3 days, Volume. every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ShelfHead versus Volume.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShelfHeadVolume.
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJustin RahmeMorgan Archer

In-app purchases

None

ShelfHead

No in-app purchases

None

Volume.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShelfHead free?
ShelfHead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Volume. free?
Volume. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShelfHead or Volume. have ads?
Neither ShelfHead nor Volume. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShelfHead or Volume.?
ShelfHead ships an update every 3 days, and Volume. every 5 weeks. Most recently, ShelfHead was updated on October 24, 2026 and Volume. on October 18, 2026.

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