# Speech Central vs NaturalReader

The clearest difference is update cadence: Speech Central at weekly against NaturalReader's every 3 weeks. Speech Central also leads on device support (4 vs 2). NaturalReader's advantage is chart position (#141 vs unranked) and ratings volume (9K vs 1.6K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Speech Central sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NaturalReader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Speech Central against 4.6 for NaturalReader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NaturalReader has 9K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Speech Central's written reviews are positive against 71% of NaturalReader's.

Speech Central ships an update weekly, NaturalReader every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Speech Central | NaturalReader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-voice-reader/id1127349155/reviews) | [4.6 (9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naturalreader-text-to-speech/id1487572960/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | **9K** |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews | **71.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#141** |
| Size | 34 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Labsii](https://appshunter.io/developer/1127349154) | [NaturalSoft Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/598798213) |

## What reviewers say

### Speech Central

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-voice-reader/id1127349155)

This app transforms text from various documents and web pages into speech, offering a distraction-free reading experience. It supports numerous file formats and provides customizable voices, including offline and AI options. Designed for productivity and accessibility, it syncs across Apple devices and offers study tools.

**Highlights:** Optimized PDF & Web Reading, Broad Document Support (PDF, EPUB, DOCX), Offline and Cloud AI Voices, Cross-device Sync, CarPlay & Apple Watch Support, Accessibility Profiles, Annotation and Export Tools

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Speech Central Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Life-saving app
- 👍 Nice app
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Affordable and full-featured
- 👍 Excellent app for accessibility

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Not great
- 🐛 Trash
- 🐛 Robotic voices
- 🐛 Terrible voices
- 🐛 Buggy

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when changing advanced settings
- Inconsistent behavior when importing documents
- Fails to recognize some file formats
- Playback issues with high-speed mode
- Repeating chapters unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Add more natural-sounding voices
- Improve chapter/section navigation
- Allow custom pronunciation of words
- Add support for more languages
- Integrate with Bookshare library


### NaturalReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naturalreader-text-to-speech/id1487572960)

**Currently charting:** #141 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

This app transforms text from various sources, including documents, web pages, and images, into natural-sounding spoken audio. It offers a wide selection of AI voices and languages, with features designed to enhance the listening experience and assist users with reading difficulties.

**Highlights:** Reads aloud PDFs, web articles, and cloud documents, OCR text recognition for images and camera scanner, Over 200 AI-powered voices in 99+ languages, Convert text to MP3 audio files, Dyslexia-friendly reading tools, Customizable voices, speeds, and display options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Plus Plan - Monthly | $20.90 | per month |
| Pro Plan - Monthly | $25.90 | per month |
| Premium Plan - Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Plus Plan - Yearly | $119.00 | per year |
| Pro Plan - Yearly | $159.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app to save time
- 🚀 Helps with reading and comprehension
- 💡 Useful for dyslexic users
- 👍 Excellent text-to-speech quality
- 👍 Convenient for multitasking and studying

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription is considered expensive
- 🐛 Occasional mispronunciations and pausing issues
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with certain document formats
- 🐛 Syncing and account management problems
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Issues with reading content in locked mode
- Unexpected changes to user settings and subscriptions

**Requested features**

- Ability to organize files in subfolders
- Longer sleep timer option
- Improved handling of italicized text
- Option to add cover images for files
- Offline mode for accessing saved content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Speech Central free?

Speech Central is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NaturalReader free?

NaturalReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Speech Central or NaturalReader?

Speech Central and NaturalReader are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.6K and 9K ratings respectively.

### Do Speech Central or NaturalReader have ads?

Neither Speech Central nor NaturalReader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Speech Central or NaturalReader?

Speech Central ships an update weekly, and NaturalReader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Speech Central was updated on September 24, 2026 and NaturalReader on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*