# justRead vs Apple Books: which app plays your own audiobooks? Apple Books is Apple's free app for the audiobooks it sells. justRead plays audiobook files you already have. If you buy from Apple, stay with Apple Books. Checked 2026-10-26. Canonical page: https://justread.app/en/compare/justread-vs-apple-books ## Which should you pick? - **Apple Books**: you buy audiobooks from Apple, listen on an Apple Watch, or share with family. The app is free to download. - **justRead**: your audiobooks are files you own, you have no Mac to import them, or they sit on an Audiobookshelf server. It has no Apple Watch app. ## Apple Books is the default If your audiobooks come from Apple, there is little reason to leave. Apple's store page lists one app for books and audiobooks, with Family Sharing, CarPlay and Apple Watch. - **Stay with Apple Books if** you buy audiobooks from Apple, want them on your wrist, or share a library with family. - **Look at justRead if** your audiobooks came from a DRM-free shop, a ripped CD or your own server. - **Use both if** you buy from Apple and also own files. ## justRead and Apple Books, row by row Yes or No only when a source backs it. "Not stated" means we found nothing. | What matters | justRead | Apple Books | | --- | --- | --- | | Adding your own audiobook file on the iPhone | Yes. From the Files picker, by drag and drop, or with Open in justRead. [1] | Not documented. An independent article published 26 July 2026 reports no documented way to import an M4B directly on the iPhone into Books. [2] | | Adding your own audiobook file on a Mac | Not stated. We make no claim about a Mac. [1] | Yes. Apple's Mac guide says to choose File > Import or to drag and drop some audiobooks. It names mp3 audiobooks. [3] | | Formats named | m4b, m4a, mp3, aac, flac. Plus the .audiobook and .zab package formats. [1] | mp3 on the Mac. Apple's Mac guide names mp3 audiobooks. The iPhone guide pages we read name no formats. [3][4] | | A folder of chapter files as one book | Yes. A folder of two or more loose mp3, m4a, aac, flac or m4b files becomes one audiobook. [1] | Not stated by the developer [4][3] | | Chapters inside one m4b | Yes. Reads the chapter list stored inside a single m4b file. [1] | It varies. The iPhone guide says some audiobooks refer to chapters as tracks, or do not define chapters. Nothing is stated about an imported m4b. [4] | | Your own audiobook server | Yes. Audiobookshelf, Grimmory and BookOrbit. Audiobookshelf books are downloaded first and played from the device. [1] | Not stated by the developer [5][4] | | Audible audiobooks you already own | No. Protected Audible files are not handled. [1] | Mac only. Apple's Mac guide lists Audible audiobooks among importable items. It describes Books on the Mac. [3] | | Chapter list | Yes. Lists each chapter with its length and plays from the one you tap. [1] | Yes. Tap the chapter button, then a chapter. [4] | | Playback speed | 0.75x to 2.0x. One setting that carries from book to book. [1] | A dial. The dial sets the narration speed, and holding it resets to 1x. The iPhone page gives no range. The Mac guide says 0.75x to 2x. [4][6] | | Skip buttons | 5 to 60 seconds. Chosen separately for back and forward from 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. Defaults are 15 and 30. [1] | Adjustable. The seconds are set under Settings > Apps > Books. The options are not stated. [4] | | Sleep timer | Yes. 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes, plus End of Chapter. [1] | Yes. Tap the timer button, then choose a duration. [4] | | Mini-player | Yes. A mini player above the tabs holds the cover, title and chapter with skip back, play or pause and stop. [1] | Yes. Swipe down to switch to the mini-player and tap it to return. [4] | | Sending the sound to another speaker | Through iOS. There is no AirPlay or output-route button in the player. Routing is left to the system controls. [1] | In the player. The player lists play on a different device such as HomePod, Apple TV 4K or a Bluetooth speaker. [4] | | Keeps your place across devices | Yes. Place and bookmarks sync through iCloud. [1] | Yes. Apple's Mac guide says that syncing audiobook progress across Apple devices needs iCloud. [6] | | Bookmarks in an audiobook | Yes. A bookmark shows the chapter title and the time into the chapter. [1] | Not stated by the developer. Apple lists bookmarks syncing for books. The pages read do not describe audiobook bookmarks. [7][4] | | CarPlay | Yes. An Audiobooks tab and a Read Aloud tab. [1] | Yes. The Audiobooks app in CarPlay plays the audiobooks that are on your iPhone. [8][5] | | Lock screen controls | Yes. Cover and chapter time, with next and previous chapter, scrubbing, speed and skip. [1] | Not stated by the developer. The iPhone page mentions headphones and car controls as external controls. [4] | | Car mode on the phone | Yes. A full-screen, always-dark screen with four large tiles: Play and Pause, Skip Back, Skip Forward and Bookmark. [1] | Not stated by the developer [4][5] | | Apple Watch | No. No Apple Watch companion ships with the app. [1] | Yes. The Audiobooks app on Apple Watch shows recent audiobooks, and the Watch app on iPhone picks which to download. [5] | | Siri, Shortcuts and widgets | Yes. A Continue Listening shortcut for Siri and Shortcuts plays the book you heard last, and the Current Book widget has Play and Pause. [1] | Not stated by the developer [5][4] | | Devices | iPhone and iPad. justRead runs on iPhone and iPad only. [1] | Many. The store page lists iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Vision and Apple Watch, and Apple's guide describes Books on Mac. [5][3] | | Reads ebooks | Yes. EPUB, PDF, CBZ and CBR books import next to audiobooks. [1] | Yes. A Book Store with reading themes, line height and letter spacing, vertical scrolling and reading goals. [5] | | Opens comic files (CBZ, CBR) | Yes. CBZ and CBR files import next to the books. [1] | Not stated by the developer [5][3] | | A computer voice reads your ebooks | Yes. Read Aloud with Apple, Kokoro and Supertonic voices. [1] | iOS feature. The Books pages read state no read-aloud setting. iPhone's own Speak Screen can read what is on the screen. [5][9] | | Text follows the narration | EPUB 3 only. An EPUB 3 book that ships synced audio gets a narration transport, and a tap in the text moves the voice there. [1] | Not stated by the developer [5][4] | | Listening in statistics and to Hardcover | Yes. Statistics has a Listening category with week, month, year and all-time ranges, and progress goes to Hardcover in seconds listened. [1] | Reading goals. The store page lists reading goals with streak tracking. Audiobook listening is not mentioned. [5] | | Price of the app | 14 days, then $4.99 a month. Or $29.99 a year, or $79.99 once. The audiobook player is not charged separately. [10][1] | Free. The app is free to download. Audiobook prices are not stated on the pages read. [5] | | Sample before you commit | 14-day trial. The trial covers the whole app, then a paywall appears. [1] | Previews. Sample any book or preview an audiobook, says the store description. [5] | | Rating in the US store | 4.61. 54 ratings. [11] | 4.53. About 117,000 ratings. [5] | | Latest update | 19 Oct 2026. Version 5.5. [11] | 14 Sep 2026. Version 5.4. [5] | | Minimum iOS | iOS 18.1. iPhone and iPad. [11] | iOS 10.0. The information panel says 10.0. The description says iPhone requires iOS 12 or later. [5] | | Interface languages | 21. English and 20 other languages. [1] | 33. English and 32 more on the store page. [5] | ## Adding your own file to Apple Books The answer changes with the device in your hand. ### On a Mac: documented Apple's guide says you choose File > Import, or drag and drop. It lists mp3 audiobooks and Audible audiobooks. Some files, such as ACSM, AZW and ODM, need another app. [3] ### On the iPhone: not documented The pages we read cover playing books already in your library. An independent article from 26 July 2026 says add the file on a Mac, then sync by cable. [4][2] ### Protected Audible files Apple's Mac guide lists Audible audiobooks as importable. justRead does not handle protected Audible files on any device. [3][1] We have not run this import ourselves. That is not proof it cannot be done, so check on your own phone. ## Where justRead loses to Apple Books Seven places where Apple's app comes out ahead. ### Apple Books is free The store page shows the app as free. With justRead you get a 14-day trial, then $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once. [5][10][1] ### Apple sells and previews audiobooks Its store has an Audiobook Store and previews. justRead has no store and does not handle FairPlay-protected titles. [5][1] ### No Apple Watch app Apple lists the Audiobooks app on Apple Watch. justRead has no Apple Watch app for your wrist. [5][1] ### No sound-output button Apple's guide lists playing on a HomePod, Apple TV 4K or Bluetooth speaker. justRead leaves that to iOS. [4][1] ### Family Sharing and more devices Apple lists Family Sharing for up to five people. It runs on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Vision and Apple Watch. justRead is for iPhone and iPad. [5][3][1] ### More interface languages Apple Books lists 33 languages. justRead has English and 20 others. [5][1] ### A bigger public record Apple Books has about 117,000 US ratings at 4.53. justRead has 54 at 4.61. [5][11] ## Where justRead is the better fit Five reasons you may prefer justRead. ### It takes your files on the iPhone Use the Files picker, a drag, or Open in justRead. The Apple pages we read show no way to do this on the phone. [1][2][4] ### A folder becomes one book Two or more loose chapter files are grouped into one audiobook. Apple's pages say nothing about folders. [1][4][3] ### It connects to your server It works with Audiobookshelf, Grimmory and BookOrbit. The Apple pages we read name no server. [1][5][4] ### Books, comics and audiobooks together EPUB, PDF, CBZ and CBR sit next to your audiobooks. Read Aloud speaks an ebook for you. [1][5] ### Listening counts as reading time Your listening time shows in Statistics. Progress goes to Hardcover, in seconds listened. [1] More on the [audiobook player page](https://justread.app/en/audiobook-player) and in our post on [Apple Books alternatives](https://justread.app/en/posts/apple-books-alternatives-iphone-ipad). ## Other Apple Books alternatives Each line comes from the app's own store listing. None is a ranking. ### BookPlayer Free, with source code under the GNU GPL 3.0. It takes AirDrop, Files, zip files or your own server. It has an Apple Watch app and CarPlay. [12] ### Bound Paid once, at $4.99. It pulls DRM-free files from Dropbox, OneDrive, Files or a web uploader. Its newest release dates from February 2025. [13] ### Prologue A player for your own Plex or Audiobookshelf server. It has iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps, and CarPlay. Free, with a one-time Premium purchase. [14] Compare [justRead vs BookPlayer](https://justread.app/en/compare/justread-vs-bookplayer) and [Audiobookshelf apps](https://justread.app/en/compare/audiobookshelf-iphone-apps). ## Using both apps Most people do not have to choose. Keep Apple Books for what you bought in Apple's store. Use justRead for files you brought in yourself. Each app keeps its own place. ## How to move your files to justRead Nothing here deletes anything from Apple Books. ### Find the original files Use the m4b, or the folder of mp3 chapters, that you bought or made. Apple's pages describe no way to take a file back out of Books. ### Add them to justRead Use the Files picker, a drag, or Open in justRead. Or pick a library folder on the Add Books page, ideally in iCloud Drive. [1] ### Check the chapters Open the chapter sheet. justRead lists the chapters stored in an m4b, each with its length. [1] ### Find your place Neither app imports the other's position. Start at the chapter you reached, and set your speed once. [1] Keep Apple Books for anything you bought from Apple. ## What Apple and its listeners say Two quotes from Apple's guide and an article, then three from listeners. > You can also drag and drop books, PDFs, and some audiobooks into your library. > > Apple Books User Guide, Import books, audiobooks, or PDFs in Books on Mac, read 26 October 2026 > There is no documented way to import an M4B directly on the iPhone into Books. > > Tobias Reithmeier, M4B Audiobooks on iPhone: Chapters, Resume, Players, published 26 July 2026 > I use Apple Books and it works well with chapters so I usually create the books with [Audiobook Builder's site] > > Hacker News commenter, on a thread about an m4b tool, 8 May 2019 > I use this for all my pdf files and audiobooks. Easy searchable filter and great system > > App Store review, 5 stars, version 5.4, GB, 21 October 2026 > Tonight I tried to play an audiobook that I have owned for years on my iPad. It said I have too many devices, and I need to log out of the other ones > > App Store review, 2 stars, version 5.4, US, 14 October 2026 ## Questions about Apple Books and justRead ### What are good Apple Books alternatives? BookPlayer, Bound and Prologue are covered above. Pick by where your files live. [12][13][14][1] ### Can Apple Books play my M4B on iPhone? An article from 26 July 2026 says the iPhone has no documented way to import an M4B. The Mac route is the workaround. Check your own phone. [2][3] ### Can you read along in Apple Books? Apple's pages describe a PDF that goes with the book. They describe no text that follows the voice. justRead follows the text in EPUB 3 books that carry narration. [4][5][1] ### How do I import audiobooks into Apple Books? Apple's Mac guide says to choose File > Import or drag and drop. The iPhone pages we read describe no way to add your own. One article says add it on a Mac, then sync by cable. [4][3][2] ### Why does my audiobook have no chapters? One article says chapter markers live inside an m4b. A folder of mp3 files has none unless it carries ID3 chapter tags. justRead reads the chapters stored in an m4b. [2][4][1] ### Can justRead play my M4B on iPhone? Yes. justRead plays m4b, m4a, mp3, aac and flac, plus .audiobook and .zab packages. It shows chapters stored in an m4b. [1] ### Does Apple Books support CarPlay and Apple Watch? Yes. The store page lists the Audiobooks app in CarPlay and on Apple Watch. justRead has CarPlay Audiobooks and Read Aloud tabs, and no Apple Watch app. [5][8][1] ### Which playback speeds does each app offer? justRead runs from 0.75x to 2.0x. Apple's Mac guide says the fastest speed is 2x and the slowest is 0.75x. Its iPhone guide gives no range. [1][4][6] ### Can justRead play Audible audiobooks? No. justRead has no handling for protected Audible AAX or AAXC files. Apple's Mac guide says Books on the Mac can import Audible audiobooks. [1][3] ### Does Apple Books keep my place across devices? Yes. Apple says audiobook progress syncs across your Apple devices. That needs iCloud. justRead keeps your place and bookmarks in iCloud too. [6][1] ### Apple Books or Audible for audiobooks? Both are stores with different models. Apple Books is a free app. Family Sharing covers up to five family members. Audible is a membership with credits. justRead is neither. It plays files you own. [5][17][1] ### Does justRead connect to a server I run? Yes. It works with Audiobookshelf, Grimmory and BookOrbit. Books download and play from the device. [1][5] ## Try your own audiobook files Add an m4b or a folder of mp3 files on the iPhone itself. Listen with the screen locked. The whole app is open during the 14-day trial. ## How we checked justRead.app makes justRead, so we hold this page to a stricter rule than a neutral roundup. Every justRead cell comes from the app's source code at the 5.5 release. Apple Books' cells come from its US App Store listing and Apple's iPhone and Mac guide pages, all re-read on 26 October 2026. One row rests on an independent article, which we name wherever it is used. "Not stated by the developer" means we found nothing either way and did not guess. We did not import a file into Apple Books ourselves, and we ran no app against a file. Apple updates Books with the operating system, so its pages change. The dates tell you how old each fact is. The quotes are examples, not a count. The reviews come from a sample of 1,050 written reviews (US, GB and DE) pulled on 23 October 2026. Of those, 393 give one or two stars and 547 give four or five. We re-read each quoted review in Apple's feed on 26 October 2026. The Reithmeier line is an independent writer's finding, not an Apple statement, and we did not test it. ## Sources 1. justRead 5.5 app behavior, read from the app's source code at the release build (our own review), accessed 2026-10-26. 2. Tobias Reithmeier, M4B Audiobooks on iPhone: Chapters, Resume, Players (2026), published 26 July 2026 (independent article) (https://www.tobiasreithmeier.de/en/blog/m4b-audiobooks-chapters), accessed 2026-10-26. 3. Apple Books User Guide, Import books, audiobooks, or PDFs in Books on Mac (https://support.apple.com/guide/books/import-books-audiobooks-or-pdfs-ibkseed72068/mac), accessed 2026-10-26. 4. Apple iPhone User Guide, Listen to audiobooks in the Books app on iPhone (skip, chapters, speed, timer, output) (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphac1971248/ios), accessed 2026-10-26. 5. Apple Books, App Store listing (US): version 5.4, description, devices, languages and requirements (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-books/id364709193), accessed 2026-10-26. 6. Apple Books User Guide, Listen to audiobooks in Books on Mac (speed range, iCloud sync) (https://support.apple.com/guide/books/ibks9a460640/mac), accessed 2026-10-26. 7. Apple iPhone User Guide, Access books on other Apple devices in the Books app on iPhone (iCloud sync) (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphb886e1752/ios), accessed 2026-10-26. 8. Apple iPhone User Guide, Play audiobooks with CarPlay (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphb6f5ef73a/ios), accessed 2026-10-26. 9. Apple, iPhone User Guide: Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text, and typing feedback (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/spoken-content-iph96b214f0/ios), accessed 2026-10-26. 10. justRead pricing and trial, from the justRead site (https://justread.app/en/#pricing), accessed 2026-10-26. 11. justRead, App Store listing (US): version 5.5, minimum iOS, rating count and last update (https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757948605?pt=128143318&ct=home-hero&mt=8), accessed 2026-10-26. 12. BookPlayer, App Store listing (US storefront), read on 26 October 2026 (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bookplayer/id1138219998), accessed 2026-10-26. 13. Bound - Audiobook Player, App Store listing (US storefront), read on 26 October 2026 (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bound-audiobook-player/id1041727137), accessed 2026-10-26. 14. Prologue Audiobook Player, App Store listing (US storefront), read on 26 October 2026 (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/prologue-audiobook-player/id1459223267), accessed 2026-10-26. 15. Hacker News, Show HN: M4b-tool, a tool to merge, split and chapterize audiobooks (a comment of 8 May 2019) (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19855350), accessed 2026-10-26. 16. Apple Books, App Store customer reviews (US and GB storefronts), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026 (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-books/id364709193?see-all=reviews), accessed 2026-10-26. 17. Audible, US membership plans page (monthly selection, credits, Plus Catalog) (https://www.audible.com/ep/memberbenefits), accessed 2026-10-26.