AudioBo: The Audiobook Builder That Doesn't Make You Choose Parts 1, 2, and 3

TL;DR - Turn just about any collection of audiobook files (FLAC,WAV,MP3) into a single iPhone compatible M4B complete with metadata and chapters. Mac, $9.99, Solo dev

I've been listening to audiobooks since they were called books on tape. I progressed from there to CDs and then to miscellaneous downloads. These days, the gold standard format, at least for Apple fans, is audiobooks packaged as single M4B files regardless of the book's length, complete with chapters and metadata. That way you can stop and start listening without searching for your place, add bookmarks and get a description and info on the author and narrator. My go-to tool for audiobook conversion is AudioBo, from solo developer Vlad at OrsoLabs, available in the Mac App Store for $9.99. It will turn a folder full of old MP3 files and assorted cruft into something you can listen to on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and yes, even classic iPods. Length is no issue. If you've got a 60-hour doorstop fantasy novel, AudioBo can handle it.

For a long time, Reddit has recommended Audiobook Builder, and it's fine, except for the part where it caps output length and forces you into multiple part files for anything long. That's not a workflow, that's a workaround. For the price of a Big Mac combo, you can get AudioBo which converts MP3, FLAC, WAV, and other common formats into polished audiobooks and simplifies management and playback for good.

Features

The three selling points for AudioBo are:

Metadata Fetch

AudioBo pulls title, author, and cover art from Audible, Apple Books, and Google Books in one click. That's the tedious part of building an audiobook done for you.

Non-Destructive Editing

You can adjust chapters and metadata on an existing M4B without re-encoding. That preserves audio quality and saves real time, since re-encoding a long file is not fast.

No Length Forcing

Long-form audiobooks stay as one file instead of getting split into parts because the app couldn't handle the duration.

Intangibles

While researching AudioBo for this review, I found multiple instances where the developer has responded to feature requests in a thread and then shipped within days. To me, that's a pretty good sign that this app will be maintained going forward. I'm normally wary of App Store reviews because of astroturfing and vague "Good App!" posts, but reading through the reviews left for AudioBo is pretty convincing. The written reviews back it up with specifics rather than vague praise. "Far and away, the best audiobook conversion app I've found," one reviewer wrote. Another called it the "Current Gold Standard of Audiobook Converters on App Store." 9to5Mac gave it a full hands-on writeup, not a roundup mention, and the reviewer's (well-known Mac journalist, Bradley Chambers) verdict after testing it on several massive projects was direct: it delivers, and it's now his go-to.

Roadmap

There are still a few features that the app needs. Currently it doesn't support batch/multi-instance processing. Opening a new window wipes the book you're currently working on, even mid-export. So, don't expect to dump your library in a folder and walk away. The good news is that the feature is coming, according to the dev. The only other hiccup is pretty specific: when re-encoding existing M4B files to go from stereo to mono or to change the bitrate, several people report having issues. That's not something I would ever do, so I haven't experienced it firsthand.

Who This is for

If you're building or maintaining audiobooks on the Mac and you've hit Audiobook Builder's length ceiling, or you just want metadata fetching that doesn't require three separate lookups, AudioBo is the better option. It's Apple/M4B-focused only, so if you need Audible AAX/DRM handling or cross-platform output for Kobo or Kindle, this isn't that tool, and it isn't trying to be.

$9.99 one-time, free demo on the developer's site. No subscription - something we all appreciate.