Pick ElevenReader if
you want the widest choice of voices and a free plan with 10 hours a month.
Which iPhone app should read your ebooks aloud? Six compared
No app wins every row. Pick by what you read, where you listen and what you pay.
Try the whole app free for 14 days.
justRead
ElevenReader
Speechify
Voice Dream
Peech
Aurader
Which should you pick?
Pick Speechify if
you listen to PDFs, web pages and email more than to books.
Pick Voice Dream if
you need VoiceOver or braille support, or want every voice offline.
Pick Peech if
you listen to long papers and scans, and want headings announced.
Pick Aurader if
you want an EPUB reader that speaks, with the current sentence highlighted.
Pick justRead if
you want Read Aloud in one library with your audiobook files, and CarPlay for both.
Four questions that sort the six apps
A computer voice reads any text you own, straight away. Answer these before you compare voices.
What are you reading?
Five apps take the EPUB books you own. Speechify's pages name documents, PDFs and email, not EPUB.123456
Do you need it offline?
Voice Dream and Aurader say their voices work offline. One more sells downloads. Speechify and Peech are silent, so test in airplane mode.26789
Will you listen in the car?
justRead lists CarPlay. Three other apps mention it in release notes. Speechify's pages do not.2456910
What will you pay?
Two apps have limited free plans. Aurader sells a $14.99 lifetime purchase. Peech lists no billing periods.24891112
The free option already on your iPhone
Before you install anything, know what Apple gives you.
Apple's iPhone User Guide says your iPhone can read text out loud, even with VoiceOver off. The settings sit under Accessibility, then Read & Speak.
- Speak Selection reads the text you select.
- Speak Screen reads everything on the screen, with pause, rate and skip controls.
- Accessibility Reader shows text full screen and can read it aloud.
None of this gives you a library or bookmarks. The apps below add that.
What each app reads and how it sounds
Yes or No only when a source says so. "Not stated" means we found nothing.
| What matters | justRead |
ElevenReader |
Speechify |
Voice Dream |
Peech |
Aurader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it reads | ||||||
| EPUB books | YesRead Aloud runs on EPUB books in the reader.5 | YesUpload ePubs and PDFs.1 | Not stated by the developerThe listing names docs, articles, PDFs and email, and does not name EPUB.611 | YesDRM-free books only. Kindle, iBooks and most commercial platforms are not supported.2 | YesEPUB is on the homepage list of files it reads.3 | YesEPUB heads the bookshelf format list.4 |
| PDFs | Text layer onlyA scanned PDF has no text to speak, and the app says so.5 | YesRead PDFs aloud is a headline feature.10 | YesPDFs are named in the first line of the listing.6 | YesAlso recognizes text in scanned PDFs.2 | YesPDFs and scans are named.3 | YesPDF is on the bookshelf list.4 |
| Photos and scans of paper pages | Text layer onlyA scanned PDF keeps the Read Aloud button and says it cannot speak. We make no claim for photos of pages.5 | YesScan content from images.1 | YesSnap a page of any book and hear it read.6 | YesA built-in scanner that works on the device, for Latin alphabets only.2 | YesOCR from a photo of a page or a book.9 | YesArticles can come from a scanned page.4 |
| Your own audiobook files | Yesm4b, m4a, mp3, aac and flac.5 | Not stated by the developerThe pages describe synthetic voices, not audio files you add.110 | Not stated by the developerNo audio file formats are named.611 | YesAudiobooks in MP3, MP4 or zipped MP3 format.2 | Not stated by the developerNo audio file formats are named.39 | YesThe format list says audiobooks and names no file types.4 |
| Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive | NoBooks come in through iCloud Drive and the Files picker.5 | Not stated by the developer110 | YesGoogle Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive on the paid plan.11 | YesDropbox, Google Drive and iCloud Drive natively, Box and OneDrive through the Document Picker.2 | Not stated by the developer39 | Not stated by the developer47 |
| Your own Audiobookshelf server | YesSign in, download a book and listen. It is a download, not a stream.5 | Not stated by the developer110 | Not stated by the developer611 | Not stated by the developer213 | Not stated by the developer39 | Not stated by the developer47 |
| Voices and speed | ||||||
| Where the voices come from | Apple, Kokoro, SupertonicRead Aloud routes between Apple system voices and two neural voice engines.5 | Its own library1,000+ voices chosen by accent, tone and style, powered by ElevenLabs.10 | Free and paid sets10 robotic sounding voices on the free plan, 1000+ natural voices on Premium, in the vendor's words.11 | Built-in and premium36 iOS voices are free; 200+ premium voices come from Acapela, NeoSpeech and Ivona.2 | Named narratorsSix listening styles, each with its own narrator.3 | Four enginesApple system voices, offline English neural voices, a built-in cloud engine or your own TTS API.4 |
| How many voices and languagesStore language counts list the app's interface, so these rows use each vendor's voice count. | 8 + 10Kokoro has eight English voices. Supertonic has ten voices, and each can speak any of 31 languages.5 | 1,000+In 30+ languages, from the listing.10 | 10, then 1000+Free versus Premium, with 60+ languages on Premium.11 | 36 + 200+27 languages for the iOS voices, 30 for the premium ones.2 | 60+ languagesDetected automatically. The pages name six narrators.39 | DependsLanguages depend on the engine and the voices you use.4 |
| Highlights words as it reads | YesA word underline follows the voice. With a Supertonic voice it is an estimate from each clip's length, not exact timing.5 | YesText highlighting.10 | YesHighlighted and synced word for word, says the listing.6 | YesThe spoken word is highlighted.2 | YesThe 11.2.0 notes say word highlighting stays in sync.9 | SentenceThe current sentence stays highlighted.4 |
| Plays an EPUB that ships its own narration | YesEPUB 3 books with synced audio get a narration transport, and a tap in the text moves the voice there.5 | Not stated by the developer110 | Not stated by the developer611 | Not stated by the developerIt lists DAISY books, which is a different format.2 | Not stated by the developer39 | Not stated by the developer47 |
| Speed range | 0.75x to 2.0xIn the audiobook player. We make no claim for Read Aloud speed.5 | 0.25x to 4xThe pricing page gives 4.0x on the free plan too.810 | Up to 5xThe free plan stops at 1.5x. The listing says 4.5x, the pricing page 5x.611 | Not stated by the developerThe site says you can adjust the speed and gives no range.213 | Up to 5xFrom the listing.9 | Not stated by the developerThe listing says the speed can be adjusted and gives no range.4 |
| Sleep timer | Yes5 to 60 minutes, or End of Chapter, in the audiobook player.5 | YesOn the free plan and on Ultra.810 | Not stated by the developer611 | Not stated by the developer213 | YesThe 7.5.0 release notes add a sleep timer.9 | Not stated by the developer47 |
A gap in a rival's cell is a gap in what the developer wrote. We did not compare the voices by ear.
How justRead reads a book aloud
Read Aloud works inside the reader, on the book you have open.
Pick Apple's voices or justRead's own, Kokoro and Supertonic. Tap one to hear a sample.
- Kokoro has eight English voices, five American and three British.
- Supertonic has ten presets, and each speaks 31 languages.
- PDFs work if they have a text layer. A scanned PDF says why it cannot speak.
A prepared book keeps playing with the screen locked, even in CarPlay.
Offline use, CarPlay, price and upkeep
Offline use, CarPlay, price and how current each app is.
| What matters | justRead |
ElevenReader |
Speechify |
Voice Dream |
Peech |
Aurader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline, car and wrist | ||||||
| Keeps playing with the screen locked | YesA book prepared in advance becomes audio that keeps playing with the screen locked.5 | Not stated by the developer810 | Not stated by the developer611 | Yes"Play in the background even with the screen locked."2 | YesThe release notes mention background playback and resuming from the lock screen.9 | Not stated by the developer47 |
| Works with no connection | Prepared audioA book can be prepared in advance as audio files. We do not claim every voice works offline.5 | Ultra onlyOffline downloads are made ahead of time: 150 hours a month, kept up to 60 days.8 | Not stated by the developer611 | YesAll voices work offline.2 | Not stated by the developer39 | YesSystem voices and English on-device neural voices work without a network. Cloud and custom voices need one.7 |
| CarPlay | YesAn Audiobooks tab and a Read Aloud tab, and a prepared book's Read Aloud audio can play there.5 | YesThe 1.11.37 release notes add listening in the car with CarPlay: recents, library, chapters and voices.10 | Not stated by the developer611 | Not stated by the developer213 | YesThe release notes describe a rebuilt CarPlay with library browsing by status and cover art.9 | YesThe 1.4.2 release notes list CarPlay support.4 |
| Apple Watch | NoThere is no Apple Watch app.5 | Not stated by the developer810 | Not stated by the developer611 | ListedThe store lists Apple Watch as a supported device and describes no Watch features.2 | YesThe release notes describe a rebuilt Apple Watch app with playback, speed and library browsing.9 | Not stated by the developer47 |
| Siri, Shortcuts and widgets | YesSiri and Shortcuts continue listening, and the Current Book widget has a Play and Pause button.5 | YesVersion 1.11.39 added Siri play or continue, Spotlight search and pinned Recent Reads.10 | WidgetsVersion 5.5.17 added Home Screen widgets.6 | SiriThe store page shows Supports Siri. Shortcuts and widgets are not mentioned.2 | Not stated by the developer39 | WidgetA Home Screen widget jumps back into a book.4 |
| Price and upkeep | ||||||
| Free to try | 14 daysThe trial covers the whole app, and a paywall follows.512 | Free plan10 hours of text to audio a month, with 4.0x speed, a sleep timer and bookmarks.8 | Free planUp to 1.5x with 10 robotic sounding voices, in the vendor's words.11 | Free trialThe listing says a subscription is required and that new users get a free trial.2 | Some trialsThe listing says some plans offer free trials, and describes no free tier.9 | Free tierUp to 10 books and 10 articles.4 |
| Paid price | $4.99 a monthOr $29.99 a year, or $79.99 once.12 | $11 a monthUltra costs $8.25 a month billed yearly. The store also lists a Plus tier at $10.00 a month.810 | $29 a monthOn the pricing page. The store lists Premium Monthly at $11.99.611 | $4.99 a monthThe store also lists yearly plans at $39.99, $59.99 and $79.99.2 | $3.99 to $99.99Eight Peech Premium prices, with no billing periods given.9 | $14.99 onceOr $0.99 a week.4 |
| iOS version and platforms | iOS 18.1iPhone and iPad.514 | iOS 18.0Also web, Android and a Chrome extension.810 | iOS 18.0Also Android, Mac, Windows and browser extensions.611 | iOS 15.0Reading continues across iPhone, iPad and Mac, says the site.213 | iOS 26.0Also Android.39 | iOS 18.0iPhone and iPad only.47 |
| Rating in the US store | 4.6154 ratings.14 | 4.7210,962 ratings.10 | 4.66527,332 ratings.6 | 4.4814,417 ratings.2 | 4.408,922 ratings.9 | 4.72176 ratings.4 |
| Latest update | 19 Oct 2026Version 5.5.14 | 15 Oct 2026Version 1.11.39.10 | 20 Oct 2026Version 5.5.17.6 | 18 Aug 2026Version 5.5.8, the oldest of the six.2 | 19 Oct 2026Version 11.2.0.9 | 23 Oct 2026Version 1.8.2.4 |
Prices are from the vendors and the US App Store on 26 October 2026. Where they disagree, both show.
Speechify vs ElevenReader vs Voice Dream
People search these three against each other. No card is a ranking.
Speechify or ElevenReader
If you read EPUB books, ElevenReader fits. If you listen to web pages and email, Speechify fits. Speechify's pages do not name EPUB.1681011
Speechify or Voice Dream
Voice Dream fits if you read DRM-free EPUBs or scanned PDFs. Speechify links Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive on Premium.261113
ElevenReader or Voice Dream
If you want a free plan, ElevenReader gives 10 hours a month. If you want every voice offline, Voice Dream does that from $4.99 a month.281013
When a human narrator is the better choice
A human narrator is a different product.
If you own narrated files, an audiobook player is the better tool. justRead plays m4b, m4a, mp3, aac and flac. See our Audible comparison.
- Pick a computer voice when you own only the text or want to start now.
- Pick a narrator when a recording exists and you will hear it more than once.
Where justRead loses
Six places where another app here is the better choice.
Fewer voices
ElevenReader lists 1,000+ voices and Voice Dream 200+ premium ones. justRead has Apple voices and two neural sets of its own.2510
Read Aloud takes fewer inputs
Five other apps read photographed pages, and most take web links. Read Aloud covers EPUB and text-layer PDFs.124569
No pronunciation dictionary
Two other apps list a pronunciation dictionary. We claim none for justRead.2510
No Apple Watch app, no cloud drives
Voice Dream and Peech have Watch apps, and two apps link Dropbox and Google Drive. justRead has none of these.25911
It runs on fewer devices
justRead runs on iPhone and iPad only. If you need Android or the web, other apps fit.35811
It costs more, with fewer ratings
Two apps have free plans. justRead is $79.99 once after a 14-day trial, with 54 US ratings against 10,962 for ElevenReader.4810111214
Where justRead is the better fit
Three reasons you may prefer it.
Read Aloud, audiobooks and your server
justRead plays your audio files, downloads Audiobookshelf books and reads ebooks aloud. Two other apps handle audiobook files, but none describes a server.245
One CarPlay screen for both
CarPlay shows an Audiobooks tab and a Read Aloud tab. Three other apps mention CarPlay, so the screen is not unique.245891011
EPUB 3 books with their own narration
If your EPUB 3 book ships synced audio, the text follows the voice. The other five apps' pages do not describe it.2456910
More on the audiobook player and the ebook library.
How to switch read-aloud apps
What you lose when you leave is mostly audio, not text.
-
Keep your source files
Your EPUBs and PDFs are the part you can move. Voice Dream lets you export highlights and notes first.2
-
Do not expect audio to leave
ElevenReader says you cannot export audio. Aurader keeps audio export for Premium.148
-
Cancel where you subscribed
Use the platform where you subscribed. For the App Store, that is Settings, then Subscriptions.8
-
Add the books and compare
Open your files in the new app. Play one chapter in both before you delete the old one.5
What listeners say about these apps
Five App Store reviews picked by hand, from five apps. They are examples, not a count.
I use VoiceDream everyday of my life. It is the single most helpful accommodation that I use for my dyslexia in order to succeed in school.
I can get so much more reading done now. Also my reading skills are definitely improved and it’s great for doing my schoolwork, especially when I’m on a time crunch.
I’m disappointed that the AI that you’re using doesn’t render the text as it was written. There’s little or no inflection and words are mispronounced.
I paid for a year subscription and I am still limited to how long I can listen.
This is by far the best app I’ve ever used for turning books into audio. It supports multiple languages and accents, and the narration is incredibly smooth and natural.
Questions about reading aloud on iPhone
Reading aloud on iPhone
Can an iPhone read an EPUB aloud?
Can an iPhone read Kindle books aloud?
Yes, for many books. Amazon says Assistive Reader needs Enhanced Typesetting. Turn it on under Aa, then More.21
How do I read aloud without an app?
Open Settings, then Accessibility, then Read & Speak, and turn on Speak Screen. Open your book and swipe down with two fingers from the top. Voices and Speaking Rate sit in the same menu.20
Which read-aloud apps are free?
Which of them work offline?
Which of them have CarPlay?
How do I test a read-aloud app?
Open a chapter with names and numbers. Lock the screen for two minutes, switch on airplane mode, change the speed, then close and reopen the app. Your position should come back.
Voices, price and alternatives
Can justRead read a PDF aloud?
Yes, when the PDF has a text layer. A scanned PDF keeps the Read Aloud button, and the app says it has no text to speak.5
Which app has the most natural AI voices?
Does justRead highlight the words as it reads?
Yes, with a word underline that follows the voice. With a Supertonic voice the underline is estimated from each clip's length, so it is not exact word timing.5
Are site and App Store prices the same?
Which is best for dyslexia or ADHD?
A free Speechify alternative for EPUB books?
What is a good Voice Dream alternative?
Is there a Moon+ Reader for iPhone?
Is a voice as good as a narrator?
That is a matter of taste, and we did not compare voices by ear. See when each fits above.
How much does justRead cost?
$4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once, after a 14-day trial of the whole app.12
Sources and how we checked
23 sources
justRead.app makes justRead, so we hold this page to a stricter rule than a neutral roundup. Every justRead cell comes from the app's source code at the 5.5 release.
The other five apps' cells come from each app's US App Store listing and vendor site, all re-read on 26 October 2026.
"Not stated by the developer" means we found nothing either way and did not guess. We did not compare the voices by ear, and we ran no app against a file.
Apps ship updates often, and prices change. The dates tell you how old each fact is.
The quotes are examples, not a count. We re-read each one in Apple's feed on 26 October 2026. In our samples, 68 percent of Speechify reviews and 56 percent of Peech reviews give one or two stars.
Checked 26 October 2026 against justRead 5.5, ElevenReader 1.11.39, Speechify 5.5.17, Voice Dream 5.5.8, Peech 11.2.0 and Aurader 1.8.2.
- ElevenReader, vendor homepage (imports, export, price). elevenreader.io accessed 2026-10-26
- Voice Dream, App Store listing (US): version 5.5.8, description, price and in-app purchases. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Peech, vendor homepage (narration, file types, platforms). getpeech.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Aurader, App Store listing (US): version 1.8.2, description, release notes and in-app purchases. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- justRead 5.5 app behavior, read from the app's source code at the release build (our own review). accessed 2026-10-26
- Speechify, App Store listing (US): version 5.5.17, description, release notes and in-app purchases. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Aurader, vendor homepage (offline voices, engines, platforms). aurader.com accessed 2026-10-26
- ElevenReader, vendor pricing page (plans, hours, offline downloads, export, canceling). elevenreader.io accessed 2026-10-26
- Peech, App Store listing (US): version 11.2.0, description, release notes and in-app purchases. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- ElevenReader, App Store listing (US): version 1.11.39, description, release notes, price and in-app purchases. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Speechify, vendor pricing page (plans, speed, integrations, platforms). speechify.com accessed 2026-10-26
- justRead pricing and trial, from the justRead site. justread.app accessed 2026-10-26
- Voice Dream, vendor homepage (accessibility, platforms, offline). voicedream.com accessed 2026-10-26
- justRead, App Store listing (US): version 5.5, minimum iOS, rating count and last update. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Voice Dream, App Store customer reviews (US storefront), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- ElevenReader, App Store customer reviews (US storefront), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Speechify, App Store customer reviews (GB storefront), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Peech, App Store customer reviews (US storefront), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Aurader, App Store customer reviews (US storefront), read from Apple's public review feed on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Apple, iPhone User Guide: Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text, and typing feedback. support.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Amazon Customer Service, How to Use the Assistive Reader in Kindle Apps (text-to-speech on iPhone, iPad and other devices). amazon.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Moon+ Reader Pro, Google Play listing, read on 26 October 2026. play.google.com accessed 2026-10-26
- Moon+ Reader, App Store listing (US storefront), read on 26 October 2026. apps.apple.com accessed 2026-10-26