# PaperHear: Read PDFs Aloud — Text to speech: scans & docs

> Text to speech: scans & docs (iPhone/iPad app by HOANG LE.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperhear-read-pdfs-aloud/id6804187393 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [HOANG LE](https://appshunter.io/developer/6801483448)
- Category: Productivity, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 99 MB
- Languages: American English, Vietnamese
- Released: 2026-09-02
- Data updated: 2026-10-31

## What is PaperHear?

PaperHear reads your documents to you — PDFs, scans, web articles, pasted text and your own notes — in natural voices that run entirely on your iPhone.

FREE TO TRY, NO LIMITS WITH PLUS
Add 3 documents a month at no cost. PaperHear Plus is a one-time purchase that removes the limit: add as many documents as you like, hear every one of them and save each as an audio file (M4A). No subscription, ever.

BUILT FOR LISTENING
• Reads PDFs, scans, links and pasted text
• Keeps the original words on screen so you can follow along
• Resumes at the exact sentence you stopped on
• Works offline once a voice is on your device
• Sleep timer, playback speed, focus mode and notes
• Save a whole document as an audio file (M4A) to Files or anywhere you choose

VOICES
• 14 neural voices: English, Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese
• Optional pinyin line under each Chinese sentence
• Hear a short sample before downloading a voice
• Delete voices you do not use and reclaim the space

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
• Speech is generated on your device — your documents are never sent to a speech server
• No account, no ads, no tracking
• Your library stays on your iPhone, with backup and restore when you want a copy

Scan a page with the camera, paste an article, or open a PDF from Files. PaperHear cleans up headers, page numbers and clutter, then reads it to you while you walk, commute or rest your eyes.

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PaperHear Local Plus | $19.99 | one-time |


## Is PaperHear safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess PaperHear.

## Is PaperHear legit?

PaperHear: Read PDFs Aloud appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for PaperHear is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.3 — 2026-10-31

Updated App Store name and details so PaperHear is easier to find. Thanks for listening with PaperHear.

### 1.1.2 — 2026-10-23

• Ready for iPhone Duo: the library, reader, getting-started guide and upgrade screen fit both the open and the folded screen.
• On wide screens the reader keeps lines at a comfortable length.
• On smaller iPhones the mini player no longer covers the tab bar.

### 1.1.1 — 2026-10-21

New voices
• Two Mandarin voices, Zhiming and Lingyu, replace Gù Niàn.
• A new English voice, Greg, replaces Joe.
• Zhiming, Lingyu and Greg share one download of about 240 MB.

Improvements
• In Chinese text, a sentence that runs over a line break is read as one sentence.
• Chinese voices skip fewer words and wander off the text less often.
• Less waiting between sentences: the next few are prepared while you listen.
• Vietnamese voices use less memory on long documents.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-10-01

New voices
• Four new Vietnamese voices: Hải Đăng, Ngọc Huyền, Thái Sơn and Trúc Ly.
• A Mandarin voice, Gù Niàn (顾念), with an optional pinyin line under each Chinese sentence.

New
• Save a document as an audio file (M4A) into any folder you choose: reader menu > Save audio file.
• Restore your library from a backup: Settings > Data controls.
• Rate PaperHear from Settings.
• New libraries on a Vietnamese phone start with a Vietnamese welcome document.

Fixes
• After a document plays to the end, Play starts it again from the top.
• The progress bar on the lock screen can be dragged.
• A voice download interrupted by leaving the app continues where it stopped.
• Scanning a page detects its language, so Vietnamese scans keep their accents.
• Leaving the reader keeps your place, and finished documents stay marked as finished.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-09-20

• Free plan is now 3 document imports per month (was 5). The 3-day trial is no longer offered.
• Adds the Joe English voice. Norman is no longer available.
• Play shows progress while a voice pack downloads.
• PDF object-replacement characters no longer appear as [OBJ] in the reader.
• Offline audio cache is capped at 250 MB.
• Playback pauses when headphones disconnect. Stopping playback releases the audio session so other apps are no longer ducked.
• Clear errors when a file is too large or has too many pages. Scans are downscaled when captured.
• You’ll be told if the library had to recover from a damaged file.

## Apps similar to PaperHear

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [AI Text to Speech: Audio Books](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-text-to-speech-audio-books/id6762444973) | 2.0 (1) | Free | Productivity |
| [Text to Speech, Voice Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-voice-reader/id6793477664) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [Text to Speech - Reader](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reader/id6738470609) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [Text to Speech Offline TTS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-offline-tts/id6748835711) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Productivity |
| [Voiced - Text to Speech](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voiced-text-to-speech/id6758585791) | 4.9 (8) | Free | Productivity |
| [Text to Speech Voice - Speecho](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-voice-speecho/id6752798338) | — | Free | Productivity |

## More apps by HOANG LE

- [PhaseSnap: Site Photo Reports](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phasesnap-site-photo-reports/id6802017297)
- [Dharma Mala: Mantra Counter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dharma-mala-mantra-counter/id6818748383)
- [Lantern of Văn Lang](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lantern-of-van-lang/id6821348560)
- [Snip & Splash: Rope Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/snip-and-splash-rope-puzzle/id6824439300)

All apps by HOANG LE: https://appshunter.io/developer/6801483448

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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 2026-10-31.*