Comparison

Libro Parlato Lions vs KO Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Libro Parlato Lions

Features
Read full description

Libro Parlato Lions is the official Application of "Libro Parlato Lions", italian national service of Lions Club International, developed by ME Publisher, through which listening to over 10.000 audiobooks totally for free. The App is destined to blind, visually impaired, dyslexic, dystrophic, elderly, the terminally ill people and for all those who have not the possibility to read in the traditional way; the App can be used by schools of all levels, libraries, nursing homes, local authorities, municipalities, institutions specialized in the care of disabled people.

About

KO Reader

This app transforms web articles, ebooks, and PDFs into natural-sounding speech using on-device AI. Enjoy private, offline listening with customizable voices and playback speeds. Export audio for later or read anywhere without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • On-device text-to-speech
  • Supports web articles, EPUB, PDF, and plain text
  • 53 neural voices in 9 languages
  • Customizable playback speed
  • Audio export to m4a/m4b
  • Offline functionality
  • Privacy-focused, no tracking
Currently charting
Read full description

KO Reader turns web articles, ebooks, and PDFs into natural-sounding speech — entirely on your device. No cloud, no tracking, no subscriptions. Paste a URL or open an EPUB or PDF, and KO Reader reads it aloud with a neural AI voice. Everything runs locally, so your reading stays private and works anywhere — on the train, on a plane, or off-grid. Export your favorite articles or books to m4a or m4b files. WHAT YOU CAN READ • Web articles — Wikipedia, news sites, blogs, and Substack • Fanfiction — Archive of Our Own, Royal Road, and Wattpad, with chapter detection • EPUB ebooks with full chapter navigation • PDF documents • Plain text — paste or type any content • Safari Share Extension — send articles to KO Reader with one tap NATURAL AI VOICES • 53 neural voices across 9 languages: American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, and Hindi • Preview any voice before selecting it • Mark favorites for quick access • Playback speed from 0.5x to 2.0x • Smart heteronym resolution — the voice knows the difference between "lead" (the metal) and "lead" (to guide), "wound" (injury) and "wound" (past of wind) • Custom pronunciation dictionary — teach the reader how to say names, jargon, or anything you like READ YOUR WAY • Reading queue — line up multiple articles and auto-advance • Bookmarks — save passages to come back to • Reading history — pick up where you left off, across books and articles • Chapter pre-generation — book chapters start instantly, no waiting between them • Audio export — save generated audio for offline listening • Adjustable article font (system, serif, monospaced, rounded) and Dynamic Type support BUILT FOR ACCESSIBILITY • Full VoiceOver support with labeled controls throughout • Haptic feedback on transport controls and sleep timer • Background audio — listen while you use other apps or with the screen off • Sleep timer — stops playback when you drift off • Works with AirPods, Bluetooth speakers, and CarPlay RUNS EVERYWHERE • Universal app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac • macOS keyboard shortcuts (Space to play/pause, Cmd+← and Cmd+→ to skip) • Optimized for Apple Silicon with optional CoreML acceleration • Adjustable CPU thread count for performance tuning PRIVACY FIRST • 100% on-device TTS — your content never leaves your phone • No accounts, no analytics, no tracking, no ads • No internet required after the one-time model download • Reading progress stored locally only KO Reader downloads a ~350 MB neural voice model on first launch. After that, everything works fully offline. Powered by the open-source Kokoro TTS model (Apache 2.0).

Screenshots

Libro Parlato Lions4 screens
KO Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Libro Parlato Lions at Free against KO Reader's $3.99. Libro Parlato Lions also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 18.6). KO Reader's advantage is chart position (#20 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Libro Parlato Lions is free to download; KO Reader costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Libro Parlato Lions versus KO Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLibro Parlato LionsKO Reader
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating—3.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
Best chart rank—#20 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperME Publisher Societa CooperativaJames Carrell II

In-app purchases

None

Libro Parlato Lions

No in-app purchases

None

KO Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Libro Parlato Lions free?
Libro Parlato Lions is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is KO Reader free?
KO Reader costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Libro Parlato Lions or KO Reader have ads?
Neither Libro Parlato Lions nor KO Reader shows ads.

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