# Éist: PDF/Ebook to Audiobook — Text to Speech, Read Aloud > Converts EPUB/PDF ebooks to offline audiobooks with read-along functionality. (iPhone/iPad app by William O'Meara.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eist-pdfebook-to-audiobook/id6759532747 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [William O'Meara](https://appshunter.io/developer/1879313175) - Category: Books, Education - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.40/5 from 16 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 248 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-03-07 - Data updated: 2026-09-02 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eist-pdfebook-to-audiobook/id6759532747/reviews.md ## What is Éist? Unlimited listening, free. No ads, no account, no catch. Éist turns any EPUB or PDF into a natural-sounding audiobook — fully offline, with Read-along that lights up each word exactly as you hear it. Éist (pronounced "esht", Irish for "listen") uses on-device AI voices to read your ebooks aloud. Import a file, pick a voice, press play. Your library stays on your device and works with no internet once a voice is downloaded. No ads, ever. READ ALONG AS YOU LISTEN As the voice narrates, each word appears one at a time, perfectly in sync with the audio, with the focal letter highlighted — so your eyes stay on the page and your focus stays on the story. Tap the bolt icon while listening to switch it on, and use the sync dial to fine-tune the timing. Great for focus, following along, and language learning. LISTEN TO ANY BOOK Import any EPUB or PDF from your device and Éist reads it aloud with remarkably natural AI voices. Perfect for commutes, workouts, chores, or winding down at the end of the day. LISTEN TO YOUR FANFIC LIBRARY Paste a link from Archive of Our Own (AO3), FanFiction.net, or Royal Road, or any article or blog post, and Éist turns it into a chaptered audiobook with the same natural voices and Read-along as your regular books. If you've ever wished your favourite fanfiction had an audiobook, this is it. Fics and articles are free, with a generous allowance, and don't count against your 3-book library limit. EXPRESSIVE AI VOICES Choose from a curated selection of on-device voice engines — Kokoro, Piper and Supertonic. Each has a distinct character and accent, across dozens of languages. Preview before you commit, and switch any time mid-book. SMART AHEAD-OF-PLAYBACK SYNTHESIS Éist pre-generates audio ahead of where you're listening, so playback is seamless. Chapters you've already heard replay instantly from your local cache. FULL PLAYBACK CONTROLS - Adjustable speed (0.5x-3.0x) - Sleep timer - Background playback with lock-screen and Control Centre controls - Chapter navigation, skip forward / back OFFLINE FIRST Download a voice once, listen forever with no connection. Your books, your progress and your synthesised audio all live on your device. DISCOVER FREE BOOKS Browse and download thousands of free public-domain books from Project Gutenberg, right inside the app. PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST No account required. No ads. We never sell your data. Usage analytics are anonymous, and email is entirely optional — we only ask if you'd like a reminder before your trial ends, or if you choose to join our newsletter. Your books, your progress and your listening stay on your device. ÉIST PREMIUM Listening is free, forever — no credits, no per-book cost. The free plan includes 3 books and 3 voices. Éist Premium unlocks your full library, all 60+ voices, unlimited read-along and more, with a 7-day free trial. - Unlimited book library - Every AI voice engine and voice - Unlimited read-along - Premium themes and font families - Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase - Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends - Manage or cancel any time in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions Privacy Policy: https://eist.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://eist.app/terms ## Key features - Convert EPUB/PDF to audiobook - Offline AI voice narration - Read-along word highlighting - Adjustable playback speed - Sleep timer - Background playback - Import from device - Browse Project Gutenberg ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Eist Premium | $4.99 | per month | | Eist Premium (Annual) | $33.99 | per year | | Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month | | Premium Annual | $33.99 | per year | ## Recent user reviews (7 of 7) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eist-pdfebook-to-audiobook/id6759532747/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Can’t even work past the tutorial *2026-08-23* I love the idea. But I can’t even get though the tutorial without running into an error. Try to reinstall it multiple times, still get stuck at the same place **Developer response:** Ohh no! That is unusual I will try to debug the issue. Please try to contact me through the support email and I will try fix your issue. ### 3/5 — Adam doesn’t work, plays as Alloy *2026-08-19* The app seems very well put together, I think with a few bugs ironed out it may be a better app than others out there due to its clean layout and functions that other apps do not have at all. The voice of Adam was the only voice I was interested in at first because it was closest to the Alex Haley voice in the autobiography of Malcom X that I am currently reading, but sadly the voice does not work and bugs out to play a female voice of alloy instead. I imagine this will be worked out and when it is I will probably say this is defiantly a 5 star app. The update made things worse as you cannot install voices you do not want plus a massive amount of voices are loaded ready but not available to be used. I don’t know if being broken is going get people to stick around, but if you like the free voices I’d recommend. ### 5/5 — Amazing and feature rich even at free tier *2026-07-31* I’m just loving Eist. I love the import experience, the initial voice option is pleasant to listen to, and bonus the synchronized text is a wonder to behold and to use for skipping guitars for back. It’s a delight. You also earn another voice or two as you listen. ### 5/5 — Wow *2026-07-14* Great app for a free price! At least one voice is pleasant to listen to without me paying. But I’ll probably upgrade anyway because I’m having a great experience so far. **Developer response:** Im delighted you are enjoying the app! I plan on making more voices available in the future too! ### 5/5 — Very well made and appreciated *2026-06-13* Great **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback! You should check out the new Read Along feature! ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-06-08* I can easily put my pdf into an audiobook and the reading is good thank you. And i thank you for the premium rewards for reading **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback!! I really appreciate the review it helps so much ### 5/5 — The greatest reading tool *2026-04-18* I’ve been using éist for a while now and it’s genuinely transformed how I get through my reading list. The AI narration is surprisingly natural with none of that robotic, stilted delivery you’d expect. It actually sounds like someone is reading to you. That said, it’s not without its quirks. PDFs can have encoding issues where ligature characters get mangled and odd symbols appear in the text. There are also occasional random skips and stops that seem to be glitches, and sometimes subheading text gets mixed into the body text which can make it hard to follow unless you’re reading along with the audio. One UI thing I’d love to see fixed: it’s too easy to accidentally tap other text while reading ahead, which jumps the audio unexpectedly. A double-tap to navigate would go a long way. But for an app doing something this ambitious, these feel like growing pains rather than dealbreakers. What keeps me coming back is how effortless it makes long-form reading. Commutes, workouts, doing the dishes, content I’d otherwise never get to is now just part of my day. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to actually get through their backlog. **Developer response:** Wow thanks for the review! I can add double tap to jump to text in the settings and will look into ironing out more of the pdf parsing issues ! ## Frequently asked questions about Éist ### How does Éist convert books to audiobooks? Éist uses on-device AI voice engines like Kokoro, Piper, and Supertonic to read your EPUB and PDF files aloud. You can import files directly from your device and select your preferred voice for narration. ### Can I listen to books with Éist without an internet connection? Yes, Éist is designed for offline use. Once you download a voice engine, you can listen to your imported books and synthesized audio without an internet connection. Your library and reading progress remain on your device. ### What is the 'Read-along' feature in Éist? The Read-along feature synchronizes the audio narration with on-screen text, highlighting each word as it's spoken. This helps with focus, comprehension, and language learning by keeping your eyes on the page. ### Does Éist have ads? No, Éist is ad-free. The app prioritizes a private and uninterrupted listening experience, with no advertisements or user tracking. ### What are the benefits of Éist Premium? Éist Premium offers unlimited access to your book library (the free tier is limited to 5 books), all AI voice engines and voices, and premium themes and font families. A 3-month free trial is included with the first subscription. ### How do I manage or cancel my Éist Premium subscription? You can manage or cancel your Éist Premium subscription at any time through your device's Settings. Navigate to Apple ID → Subscriptions to find the option to cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. ### Is Éist available on multiple devices? Éist is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. The app is designed to provide a seamless listening experience across Apple's mobile ecosystem. ### How often is Éist updated? The latest version of Éist is 1.2.0, last updated on June 14, 2026. Updates typically include new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes to enhance the user experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.3.19 — 2026-08-30 What's new: • Turbo beta: the best-quality, 5× faster voice. 15 free minutes a day, Pro unlimited. • Faster first play: new chapters start sooner, the app writes less to storage while preparing audio. • Hear the difference: a new card in your library plays a premium voice and offers a quick Upgrade. • Voice showcases: after you finish a chapter or book, hear premium voices read a quote. Skip anytime. • Redesigned player: new footer with time scrubber, speed control, and More sheet for sleep timer, chapters, and settings. Sleep timer stops at chapter end. • Web imports: paste a PDF link and Éist imports it as a book. Cancellable wait for slow pages. Video and social links now say they can't be read. • Better voice clarity: premium voices clearly labelled, Kokoro's Alloy unlocks after 30 minutes of listening. • Finished a book? "You finished" screen to restart or return to your library. • Fixed: the reading view could stop following the audio after visiting voice downloads and returning via the mini-player. • Fixed: crashes during playback and startup, playback freezes, word highlight timing, referral links. App is noticeably smaller and faster. • Smarter reminders: gentle prompts after you stop listening, never twice a fortnight. ### 1.3.13 — 2026-08-26 What's new: • Paste a link to a fanfic or article and Éist reads it to you, free. • Redesigned book page: see your progress at a glance, pick up where you left off, and browse chapters with ease. • Faster app start and a smoother, more responsive reading view. Especially on older iPhones. • Rewritten welcome guide: a clearer, friendlier introduction to Éist for new listeners. • Stability fixes across playback, word highlight, and voice switching. ### 1.3.8 — 2026-08-19 • NEW: your book follows you out of the app — leave Éist during playback and a floating window keeps showing each word, in sync with the narration. • Choosing a voice is simpler: tap any voice to use it, tap ▶ to hear a sample. • Heart voices to build your favourites — the picker shows just the ones you love. • Download a voice pack once; every voice in it is ready instantly. • Invite links open straight in the app, accents pronounced correctly in 30+ languages, and notifications are more reliable. ### 1.3.4 — 2026-08-11 • NEW: Turbo — our fastest, most natural voice — is now free for 15 minutes every day. Try it on any book; go Premium for unlimited Turbo. • If a voice is ever unavailable, the app now pauses and tells you instead of switching voices behind your back. • Subscription screen no longer runs under the status bar on tall screens. • Accessibility: better VoiceOver labels across setup and settings. • Many reliability fixes. ### 1.3.0 — 2026-08-06 "Start Here" — Éist now plays a short audiobook automatically the first time you open the app. It's narrated in-app, shows you read-along in action, and gets you listening within about two minutes. On iPhone: a new voice, Rich (Turbo), makes narration sound more natural and starts playing almost instantly. Read-along: accuracy and timing improvements — the on-screen word highlight tracks your ear more closely. On the free plan, read-along is available up to 30 minutes a day; Premium removes the daily limit. Auto-advance is now on by default, so your audiobook continues into the next chapter on its own. More of the app is now translated, including the screens you see before starting a book and before subscribing. Reliability: clearer error messages when a voice isn't available, lock-screen playback fixes, and general speed improvements throughout the app. Thank you for reading with Éist. ## Apps similar to Éist | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [AuBook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aubook/id6755964124) | — | Free | Books | | [VocaRead](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vocaread/id6757822401) | — | Free | Books | | [Chapters - Audiobook Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chapters-audiobook-player/id6762648191) | — | Free | Books | | [Ciright Books](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ciright-books/id6741409587) | — | Free | Books | | [Voice Reader Aloud: PDF & Epub](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-reader-aloud-pdf-and-epub/id6451148312) | — | Free | Books | | [Voiser: AI Audiobook & eBook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voiser-ai-audiobook-and-ebook/id6759369309) | — | Free | Books | ## Related topics [dyslexia audiobooks](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dyslexia-audiobooks) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*