COMPARISON · UPDATED 2026-10-28
Apps like Speechify, side by side
Looking for apps like Speechify that cost less or let you keep the audio? Here's how VoiceRead, NaturalReader and ElevenReader compare with Speechify on price, free tier, export and devices. We make VoiceRead, so competitor details come from each company's own public pages, checked on the date above.
4 appsPrices checked 2026-10-28Free tiers & export
HOW TO PICK A READ-ALOUD APP
Choose with your own file, in three steps
- 01Start with your devicesNeed Android, Windows or a browser extension? That narrows the list. VoiceRead runs on iPhone and iPad only, for now.
- 02Try a free tier on real readingAll four have a free option. Open the PDF or ebook you actually need to finish and listen for ten minutes.
- 03Read the plan, not the priceWord and hour quotas, audio export, captions and usage rights vary a lot from plan to plan.
APPS LIKE SPEECHIFY · AT A GLANCE
Speechify and three alternatives, the same six questions
Competitor prices are the yearly plans on each company's website. App Store prices can differ.
| Feature | VoiceRead AI | Speechify | NaturalReader | ElevenReader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly price | $49.99/yr or $2.99/wk | $139/yr on the web; App Store prices differ | $79–$159/yr (Lite, Plus, Pro) | $99/yr (Ultra) |
| Free tier | Unlimited listening with standard voices, 3 audio downloads, no account | 10 standard voices, up to 1.5× speed | Unlimited listening with basic voices; 20,000 characters a day with Lite AI voices; no MP3 | 10 hours a month of text-to-audio |
| Audio export | M4A (3 free); unlimited M4A and lossless WAV with Pro | MP3 from the web app only, Premium only, 50 hours a year on annual plans | MP3 on paid plans, personal use only | None — listening inside the app only |
| Captions file | .srt with Pro, timed to the voice | Not listed | Not listed | No (no audio export) |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad (Android coming soon) | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, web, Chrome and Edge extensions | Web app (Mac, Windows, Chromebook), iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome and Edge extension | iPhone, iPad, Android, web (elevenreader.io) |
| Highlighting | Sentence by sentence (word-level coming soon) | Word and sentence highlighting | Word, sentence or off | Text highlighting |
Competitor details come from each company's public pages and App Store listings, checked on 2026-10-28; prices and quotas change often. Out of date? Tell us via support. Speechify, NaturalReader and ElevenReader are trademarks of their owners; VoiceRead is not affiliated with them.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Which Speechify alternative fits how you read?
No app wins every row. Here's when each one is the right call.
VoiceReadYou read on iPhone or iPad and want unlimited free listening with no account, audio files you keep (WAV and .srt captions with Pro) and a lower yearly price than any NaturalReader plan.See pricing
SpeechifyYou need Android, Mac, Windows or a browser extension, word-level highlighting, speeds up to 4.5× or one of 60+ languages.
NaturalReaderYou listen at a computer too, open PowerPoint, Excel, RTF or HTML files, need OCR for scanned PDFs (paid), or want up to 5× and 90+ languages.
ElevenReaderYou only want to listen in the app, with 1,000+ voices on iPhone, Android or the web, and 10 free hours a month is enough.
BEFORE YOU SWITCH
What VoiceRead doesn't do yet.
VoiceRead is an iPhone and iPad app: no web, Windows or Android version today, though Android is coming soon. It opens fewer file types than NaturalReader — PDFs with a text layer, DRM-free EPUB, DOCX and TXT, plus web links, camera scans and pasted text. If one of these is a dealbreaker, the table above shows which app covers it.
- Sentence highlighting today; word-level highlighting is coming soon
- Scanned PDFs without a text layer need the camera scanner for now; OCR for imported scans is coming soon
- M4A and WAV export; direct MP3 export is coming soon
HEAD TO HEAD
Speechify, NaturalReader and ElevenReader, in detail
Each page goes feature by feature and answers the questions people ask before switching.
VS SPEECHIFYSpeechify alternativePrice, word quotas, MP3 against M4A and WAV export, and the devices each app runs on.Compare with Speechify VS NATURALREADERNaturalReader alternativeThree paid tiers against one plan, file formats, OCR, and what you're allowed to do with the audio.Compare with NaturalReader VS ELEVENREADERElevenReader alternativeMonthly listening hours against unlimited standard voices, and why export matters if you make videos.Compare with ElevenReader ROUNDUP · 7 APPSBest text to speech apps for iPhoneAdds Voice Dream Reader, Speech Central and the free Speak Screen that's built into iPhone.Read the roundup
FAQ
Questions about Speechify alternatives
- What's the best free app like Speechify?
- It depends on which limit you can live with. VoiceRead's standard voices are unlimited and need no account, on iPhone and iPad. NaturalReader is unlimited with basic voices and also runs in a browser. ElevenReader gives 10 hours a month of text-to-audio. Speechify's own free tier is 10 standard voices, up to 1.5× speed.
- Which Speechify alternative lets me download the audio?
- VoiceRead exports M4A — your first 3 downloads are free — and Pro adds unlimited downloads, lossless WAV, an .srt captions file and commercial use. NaturalReader exports MP3 on paid plans for personal use. ElevenReader has no audio export. Export options.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Speechify?
- On yearly plans, yes. VoiceRead Pro is $49.99 a year, ElevenReader Ultra $99 and NaturalReader $79–$159, against Speechify's $139 on the web. App Store prices can differ from web prices, so check the listing before you subscribe.
- Is there an app like Speechify for Android or Windows?
- NaturalReader runs in a browser on Windows, Mac and Chromebook and has an Android app; ElevenReader has Android and web apps. VoiceRead runs on iPhone and iPad only for now — Android is coming soon.
The quickest test is your own reading.VoiceRead is free to start, with no account. Open a PDF and hear it read aloud.