Kithara
Comparison

Kithara vs Smart AudioBook Player

Smart AudioBook Player has been the default answer to "which audiobook app for Android" for a decade, and for a phone full of files it is still a fine one. Kithara is for the same listener a few years on, once the books live on a server as well as in a folder.

At a glance

KitharaSmart AudioBook Player
Platform Android 8.0 and later Android
Price Free; Pro is a one-time purchase Free trial, then a one-time purchase for the full version
Local files Yes, any folder you pick Yes, any folder you pick
Server libraries Audiobookshelf and the open Kithara sync protocol (Pro) No; the library lives on the phone
Streaming and downloads Yes, from your server (Pro) Not applicable
Position sync across devices Through your server (Pro) No
Chapters from the file chpl atoms, QuickTime tracks, ID3 CHAP, .cue sheets Yes, from embedded chapters
Playback speed 0.5x to 3.5x, pitch preserved, skip silence Adjustable, with silence skipping
Sleep timer Countdown or end of chapter, fade-out, shake to extend Countdown, shake to extend
Android Auto Yes, with voice search Yes
Transcripts On-device Whisper, read-along and search (Pro) No
Listening stats Daily goal, streaks, 30-day chart, achievements (Pro) Basic statistics
Character notes No Yes, a per-book list of characters with notes
Account required No No

Checked against each app's own listing and documentation in September 2026. Apps change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Where Smart AudioBook Player is the better choice

  • You only ever listen on one phone, from files on it. Everything Kithara adds is about servers and sync. If that is not your setup, a mature app with a long track record is hard to argue with.
  • You want it cheaper. Its one-time unlock costs less than Kithara Pro, and its free tier is a full-featured trial.
  • Character notes matter to you. Its per-book list of who is who has no equivalent in Kithara.
  • You want the thing everyone has used for ten years. Bugs have been found and fixed; guides exist for every setting.

Where Kithara is the better choice

  • Your books live on a server. Audiobookshelf, or anything you build against the open Kithara sync protocol, becomes a library tab next to your local folder. Stream, download, and pick up on another device.
  • You listen on more than one device. Position, finished state and bookmarks sync through your server, and offline listening never gets rewound by a stale timestamp.
  • You want to find a line again. On-device transcripts let you search a whole book for a phrase and jump straight to it. Nothing leaves the phone.
  • The free tier should be a real player, not a trial. Kithara's free features do not expire; Pro adds the server and sync layer on top.

The bottom line

If your audiobooks are a folder on your phone and that is how you like it, Smart AudioBook Player is a good app and you do not need to switch. If you run Audiobookshelf, listen on a phone and a tablet, or want transcripts, Kithara is built for exactly that. Both play the same DRM-free files, so trying Kithara costs nothing.