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Self-host Audiobookshelf

updated Jul 2026prices checked · Aug 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Jul 2026 · how we test

A self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with progress sync across apps — host your own Audible-style library and listen anywhere.

Audible / yr$179
Self-hosted / yr~$55
You keep$124/yr
Pocket the difference — spin it up on a cheap VPS in minutes.Start free on Kamatera → (opens in new tab)

Key facts

CategoryMedia server
LicenseGPL-3.0
StackJavaScript, Node.js
Min RAM512 MB
Dockeryes
Difficulty

What you need

  • Any VPS with at least 512 MB of RAM
  • A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
  • Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Audiobookshelf
docker run -d --name audiobookshelf \
  -p 13378:80 \
  -v ./audiobooks:/audiobooks -v ./config:/config -v ./metadata:/metadata \
  ghcr.io/advplyr/audiobookshelf:latest
# open http://SERVER_IP:13378
vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

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