I got an instance up and running (obligatory Ansible role https://codeberg.org/ansible/audiobookshelf) and added my audiobooks library to it. Looks very nice :-)

My initial impression is that the audiobooks UX is much better than that of Jellyfin. I will definitely be moving that library to Audiobookshelf.

Podcasts can only be added and episodes downloaded for users with admin privileges, which is a known short-coming with several open issues:

• https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/issues/1258
• https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/issues/507
• https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf-app/issues/225
• https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/issues/4124 - duplicate of 1258
• https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/pull/3933 - PR submitted by mistake (Copilot)

But the UX in the web client is straight-forward as soon as you figure out how to switch between your "libraries" (most commonly "podcasts" and "audiobooks") using the not-so-prominent button just left of the search bar.

Audiobookshelf supports OPML import, and handled my OPML file with almost 150 feeds without choking.

In summary, I am happy to have it up and running and expect it to be my primary venue for audiobook and podcast listening.

• https://www.audiobookshelf.org - links to the project's own Android and iOS app
• https://plappa.me - another iOS app that works with Audiobookshelf or Jellyfin
• https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/i-threw-away-audibles-app-and-now-i-self-host-my-audiobooks - good intro by Ars