# Narrate - Text to Speech — On-Device AI TTS

> On-device AI text-to-speech for articles and EPUBs with natural voices. (iPhone/iPad app by Chetan Alla.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/narrate-text-to-speech/id6747409212 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Chetan Alla](https://appshunter.io/developer/1821333126)
- Category: Magazines & Newspapers, Productivity
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 13 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 465 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2025-06-18
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/narrate-text-to-speech/id6747409212/reviews.md

## What is Narrate?

Narrate.so turns articles, EPUBs, and text into natural speech using an on-device model built for iPhone—no subscriptions, no word limits.

Why people use Narrate.so
- Natural AI voice quality (on-device, optimized for Apple Neural Engine)
- Karaoke word highlighting that tracks every word
- Background playback so you can listen screen-off
- Clean reader view + Focus Mode for distraction-free listening
- Auto-saves your position in every document
- Speed controls 0.5x–3x + quick sentence skipping

Supports
Web articles • EPUB • Plain text (PDF coming soon)

Privacy
Your content stays on your device. Your audio is also generated on your device. All users on this app are anonymous.

## Key features

- On-device AI voice quality
- Karaoke word highlighting
- Background playback
- Distraction-free reader view
- Auto-save document position
- Adjustable playback speed

## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/narrate-text-to-speech/id6747409212/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Can’t do much with it.

*2026-05-12*

The narration sounds really good but it is not fully functional and lacks key features. It says it supports epub files, but it will not let me import any. Can’t even import epubs I have made that work everywhere else. 

There is no support for pdf files! 

You can add web links but since you cannot have it start playing the next article when the current one finishes it is not practical to use when driving.

Update: epub support is bad. There are missing words ever few sentences. It’s not the epub because it fully works in other apps.

### 5/5 — Great ElvenReader alternative

*2026-04-26*

Free, offline and private ElevenReader alternative. The voice is much better than in any other free apps and the text highlighting is amazing. Would be great if there was an iPad support and a sleep timer.

### 4/5 — French voices and French store.

*2026-04-12*

Please make this app available on the French store and add French voices. 

Only one English voice available. It reads the French text with an English accent. I can’t understand any of this. 

Thanks.

### 5/5 — Almost perfect! Needs a sleep timer :)

*2026-04-12*

If this had a sleep timer and at least 1 male voice it would be so perfect! 

It’s free, so not complaining, but the lack of sleep timer makes it hard to listen before bed, because I wake up the next day and tue book is finished ;)

### 4/5 — French voices and French store.

*2026-02-16*

Please make this app available on the French store and add French voices. 

Thanks.

### 5/5 — This is the direction of the future

*2025-07-31*

The quality far surpasses any of the out-of-the-box options offered by Apple, and it’s completely on-device. No big corporation taking my text and storing it in their database. Just peace, and clear speech. For the next version, I would love to be able to use this on documents that are already on my iPhone (Documents in Files, for example). If that was in place the world will open up because I can download webpages onto my device from the web. But I can’t take my existing files on my device and publish them onto a website. It would also remove the need for internet to be involved (I would have a few books in PDF/EPUB format on my iPhone, and listen to the audio during long flights)

### 5/5 — The best narration app

*2025-06-21*

I had a really tough time reading articles while driving and now I can listen to them on the go while focusing on the road!

## Frequently asked questions about Narrate

### What file types does Narrate support?

Narrate currently supports web articles, EPUB files, and plain text. PDF support is planned for a future update.

### Does Narrate have ads?

No, Narrate is completely ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted listening experience.

### Can I listen to Narrate with my screen off?

Yes, Narrate supports background playback, meaning you can listen to content with your screen off or while using other apps.

### How natural are the voices in Narrate?

Narrate utilizes an on-device AI model optimized for the Apple Neural Engine, providing natural-sounding voice quality.

### Is my content private when using Narrate?

Yes, your content and audio generation stay on your device, ensuring user privacy. All users are anonymous.

### What is the playback speed range for Narrate?

You can adjust the playback speed from 0.5x up to 3x, and the app also offers quick sentence skipping for faster navigation.

### Does Narrate require a subscription?

No, Narrate is completely free to use and does not require any subscriptions or have word limits.

### What devices is Narrate available on?

Narrate is available for iPhone and iPod devices.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 2.0 — 2026-01-29

Version 2.0 brings a new narration model on device that sounds better and is more efficient making use of Apple's Neural Engine. You can now listen to your audio in the background with the screen off! This model also supports karaoke style word level highlighting. 2.0 also brings a UI overhaul enabling you to save narrations as documents. This release supports EPUB and plain text with PDF support coming soon. Finally, 2.0 includes an overhauled reader experience with the new focus mode along with customization of the reader view.

### 1.2 — 2025-06-20

bug fixes for long sentences

### 1.1 — 2025-06-18

No release notes.

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| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## Related topics

[noble narrate](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/noble-narrate) · [narrator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/narrator)

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*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 2026-08-24.*