Native audiobook listening for Apple devices (with extra whimsy)
A delightfully overqualified player for your DRM-free audiobooks.
DeerReader brings together playback, browsing, collections, server imports, search, share cards, widgets, CarPlay, shortcuts, and sync into one tidy little app built specifically for Apple devices. Pair it with DeerReader Server — which is simply DeerReader running on your Mac, serving your audiobook catalog over your local network.
- Import local audiobooks or connect to DeerReader Server running on your Mac.
- Organize with visual collections, custom ordering, zippy search, and metadata-aware browsing.
- Pick up exactly where you left off with profile-aware playback sync through DeerReader Server.
Core features
Everything you need to browse, organize, and listen like a champion.
Import your library your way
Bring in audiobook files directly, or connect to DeerReader Server on your Mac and download from its catalog on your local network.
Build very fancy collections
Organize titles into custom collections with cover art, custom ordering, and clean layouts that make giant libraries feel curated instead of chaotic.
Search across books and collections
Find local titles by name, author, narrator, or collection membership, and optionally include live results from DeerReader Server libraries.
Stay blissfully locked in while listening
A dedicated player, scrubbing controls, chapter-aware navigation, and a compact now playing bar keep long-form listening smooth and low-stress.
Pair devices for playback sync
DeerReader handles profile-aware playback sync through DeerReader Server with durable queues, offline tolerance, and clean conflict resolution.
Keep listening without the surveillance nonsense
Widgets, App Shortcuts, CarPlay, and generated listening-share cards keep playback accessible across the Apple ecosystem without third-party ads or tracking.
From the app
A quick peek inside DeerReader.
Real screens from the app showing browsing, collections, and playback in their natural habitat.
Now playing
Your progress, chapters, and controls stay front and center where your thumbs can find them.
Library
Browse your books with art-forward shelves and instant access to what is currently playing.
List view
Switch to a denser view when you want to scan your library like a caffeinated librarian.
Collections
Group titles into themed shelves that feel intentional, not buried in a menu cave.
Collection detail
Open a collection and jump straight from curation mode to listening mode.
Product experience
Small-library calm, even when your audiobook shelf gets mildly out of hand.
DeerReader is built to keep browsing, collections, search, downloads, and playback feeling connected, so moving from discovery into listening stays quick and natural. The player also borrows colors from your current book, and share cards carry that same artwork-forward style outside the app.
Browse
Grid or list views for books, collections, and server libraries
Switch between visual browsing and denser scanning, then export local books back to Files when you want a copy outside the app.
Collections
Create themed shelves, reorder them, or mirror server collections
Collections are a first-class part of the library, including read-only collections downloaded from your Mac server.
Downloads
Large audiobook transfers survive real life
Foreground downloads hand off cleanly when the app backgrounds, then post-download import work reattaches and recovers on relaunch.
Sync story
Profile sync, minus the account drama.
DeerReader’s playback sync runs through DeerReader Server — DeerReader on your Mac, wearing its librarian hat — designed around profile-aware connections, durable event queues, and safe retry behavior.
Connect to DeerReader Server
Select a discovered server, or enter its Sharing Status URL to resolve the listener profile used for browsing and sync.
Listen normally
Progress updates are recorded and sent to DeerReader Server on pause, backgrounding, scrubbing, and periodic heartbeat checkpoints.
Reconnect cleanly
Queued updates flush later, stale conflicts are rejected, and canonical playback state follows the selected server profile.
Frequently asked questions
The stuff people actually want to know.
What audio formats does DeerReader support?
DeerReader plays the common audiobook formats: M4B, M4A, MP3, and AAC. M4B files with embedded chapter markers are fully supported, so chapter navigation just works.
How much does it cost?
DeerReader is free — every feature included. A short support-us message plays about once an hour while you listen, and an optional supporter subscription of $9.99 a year removes it.
Where do DRM-free audiobooks come from?
Anywhere you can get audio files you actually own: stores that sell DRM-free titles, indie publisher and author downloads, audio bundles, podcasts-turned-audiobooks, or rips of CDs you bought. If it is a DRM-free audio file, DeerReader will happily shelve it.
Does DeerReader work offline?
Yes. Your books live on your device, so playback never needs a connection. You only need your local network when downloading from DeerReader Server or syncing progress.
Do I need DeerReader Server to use the app?
Nope. DeerReader works great on its own with files you import directly. And DeerReader Server isn't a separate thing to learn — it's just DeerReader on your Mac, hosting your catalog on your local network and powering downloads and playback sync across devices.
Is my listening data private?
Completely. DeerReader collects no data and phones home to no one. Playback sync only talks to your own Mac over your local network. See the full Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for details.
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Private by design, free to use, and listener supported.
The short version is right here. The full Privacy Policy and Terms of Use live on their own page.
Your data stays with you
DeerReader does not collect or send any user data. Your data does not leave your device. Full stop.
Free and listener supported
DeerReader is completely free to use — every feature, no trial, no paywall. To keep the lights on, a short support-us message plays about once an hour while you listen.
Want uninterrupted listening? A supporter subscription of $9.99 a year through your Apple account (less than a dollar a month) removes the message entirely and keeps independent app development alive.