Kithara
At a glance
| Kithara | Voice | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Android 8.0 and later | Android 9 and later |
| Price | Free; Pro is a one-time purchase | Free, with every feature; optional tips unlock nothing |
| Source code | App closed; kithara-server is MIT | Open source, GPL-3.0 |
| Where to get it | Google Play | Google Play, F-Droid and GitHub |
| Local files | Yes, any folder you pick | Yes: a folder of books, one book, or folders by author |
| Server libraries | Audiobookshelf and kithara-server: stream and download | Audiobookshelf support built and rolling out, off by default |
| Position sync across devices | Through your server | Through a hidden folder you sync yourself, for example with Syncthing |
| Free public-domain catalogue | LibriVox built in: search, stream, download | No |
| Chapters from the file | chpl atoms, QuickTime tracks, ID3 CHAP, .cue sheets | chpl atoms, QuickTime tracks, ID3 CHAP, Matroska and Vorbis chapters |
| Playback speed | 0.5x to 3.5x, pitch preserved, skip silence | 0.5x to 3.5x, skip silence |
| Volume boost | Up to 12 dB, plus a clear speech filter (Pro) | Up to 9 dB |
| Sleep timer | Countdown or end of chapter, fade-out, shake to extend | Countdown or end of chapter, fade-out, shake to restart |
| Bookmarks and notes | Bookmarks; notes pinned to a moment and a cast list that hides who comes later (Pro) | Bookmarks with a note and a type: note, favourite, quote or revisit |
| Listening history | Stats by day, week, month and year, streaks, 56 achievements, year in review (Pro) | A timeline of listening sessions; no statistics screen |
| Transcripts | On-device Whisper, read-along and search (Pro) | No |
| Android Auto | Yes, with voice search | Yes (officially from the Play build) |
| Home-screen widgets | Yes (Pro) | Yes |
| Account and tracking | No account; no analytics in the app | No account; the Play listing says it may collect app activity and performance data |
Checked against each app's own listing and documentation in October 2026. Apps change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Where Voice is the better choice
- You want open source. Voice is GPL-licensed, on F-Droid, and you can read every line of it. Kithara's app is not open source; only kithara-server and the sync protocol are open.
- You want everything free. Voice has no paid tier at all. Kithara's free tier is a complete player, but stats, transcripts, widgets and notes are Pro.
- You like fewer settings. Voice's stated aim is good defaults over options, and it shows. It is a quiet, focused app.
- You already sync folders. If Syncthing or similar already moves your audiobooks between devices, Voice can carry your place along with them without any server.
- You want it maintained by the week. Voice shipped eight releases in October 2026 alone.
Where Kithara is the better choice
- Your books live on a server today. Audiobookshelf, or kithara-server, becomes a library tab next to your local folder, to stream or download, with your place kept in step by the server itself. Voice's Audiobookshelf support is on its way but not on by default yet.
- You want to find a line again. On-device transcripts let you read along and search a whole book for a phrase. Voice has nothing like it.
- You like to see how you listen. Stats against the previous week, month or year, streaks, achievements and a year in review. Voice keeps a history of sessions but no statistics.
- You lose track of who is who. Kithara's cast list adds people as they turn up and hides the ones you have not reached, so it never spoils the book.
- You want free books without leaving the app. LibriVox is built in: search, stream or download thousands of public-domain audiobooks.
- You want no tracking in any build. Kithara makes no network requests except to servers you add.
The bottom line
Voice is an excellent player, and if you want free and open source, it is the one to use. Kithara is for the listener whose library has outgrown one phone: a server alongside the folder, a tablet alongside the phone, and the extras that come with paying once for Pro. Both play the same DRM-free files from the same folders, so you can try one without giving up the other.