Speech Central vs Timber

Speech Central has been built for focused, serious reading since 2014. It works across PDFs, web articles, books, and documents. Designed for productivity and accessibility, it combines powerful controls, deep customization, and seamless integration across Apple devices. No subscription. A one-time upgrade unlocks unlimited use. Free access is available for blind users with VoiceOver and for schools deploying the app through Apple School Manager. READING WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS Optimized PDF & Web Reading • Accurate reading order and navigation • Optional cleanup to reduce distractions such as headers, footnotes, citations, and links • RSS support and easy sharing from Safari and other apps Broad Document Support • PDF (including scanned PDFs with two-column layout) • EPUB • Word (.docx) • PowerPoint (.pptx) • OpenOffice formats • HTML, TXT, RTF, Markdown, and more VOICES: OFFLINE AND CLOUD AI • Use high-quality Apple system voices offline • Supports compatible system-wide voices from third-party apps, including offline neural voices from Piper - Neural TTS and ToBe SAID (Pocket TTS) apps • Connect cloud AI voices (OpenAI-compatible APIs, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, xAI) using your own API keys • Proprietary enhancement layer improves realism and streaming playback • Optional AI summarization tools help you review content more efficiently BUILT FOR THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM • Sync reading position and playlists across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • CarPlay support for listening and control in your vehicle • Independent Apple Watch app — listen without your iPhone nearby • Optional Health integration to track mindful listening time ACCESSIBILITY FIRST • Dedicated profiles for ADHD, dyslexia, and low vision • Interface and reading behavior adapt for reduced distraction and improved comprehension • Fully accessible with VoiceOver STUDY & KNOWLEDGE TOOLS • Annotate while reading • Export annotated text to .docx • Export text to audio files for offline listening PRIVACY BY DESIGN • No ads • No tracking • No usage analytics WHO USES SPEECH CENTRAL • Students and researchers • Professionals converting reading into listening time • Users who rely on assistive reading tools • Anyone who prefers distraction-reduced, hands-free reading Notes: - Free version limited by the number of daily articles; unlimited access available with Pro upgrade. - Some features require the latest OS version. - License is valid only on iOS/watchOS; separate licenses required for other platforms. - DRM-protected books (e.g. Kindle) are incompatible. - AI features may occasionally perform unexpectedly.

Timber turns readers into listeners. Anything you want to read, you can listen to instead. Paste a link, drop in a PDF, open a book, or snap a photo of a printed page. Timber pulls out the real text, cleanly, and reads it aloud in a voice you pick. There is a companion desktop app that moves your open browser tabs into your ears. Ever asked your phone to read a page aloud and had it stop halfway, or skip the part that mattered? That is not you missing a setting. Most reader tools are not built to get the whole article. Timber pulls the full text out first, before it ever starts speaking. What you paste is what you hear, start to finish. It was built by a teacher, after watching students struggle to read, who could not find one app that read well, respected privacy, and did not hold the basics hostage. WHAT TIMBER PROMISES • No account. No sign-up. Open it and read. • The core reader is free, and stays free. • What you read is nobody's business. Articles, books and clipboard text are processed on your device. What you read is never shared, sold, or used for ads. VOICES, PROPERLY • 300+ voices across 71 languages, free, spoken entirely on your device. • Every Apple voice on your device works, free, including Enhanced and Premium. • Every voice library includes a free male and female voice in your language. No teaser locked behind a trial. • Record a reference of your own voice and Timber can read in it. Created on device, never uploaded. A READER THAT FEELS LIKE PAPER • Warm parchment design. An open book under a reading lamp, not a tech product. • Every word lights up as it is spoken, and keeps pace whether you slow it right down or push it fast. • Tune the size, the face and the line spacing until it is comfortable. 30 palettes built in, plus a full dyslexia mode. BRING ANYTHING • Paste a link and Timber extracts the article. No ads, no popups, just the text. • Share from Safari or any browser. Import PDFs, EPUB, Word and PowerPoint. Follow RSS feeds. • Point your camera at a printed page and Timber reads it back to you. • Scanned chapters carry junk on every page. Timber spots a line that repeats and silences it across the whole document in one tap. • Browse 70,000+ free public-domain books from Project Gutenberg. • Translate an article on device, or get a quick summary on device. No cloud, no AI account. • Export any article as spoken audio to take with you. • Optional iCloud sync keeps your library on all your devices. FOR CLASSROOMS AND STUDY • Mark passages while you listen, then hand out what you marked as a worksheet. • MLA and APA citations built in. • A chapter becomes a lesson in the time it takes to listen to it. TIMBER PRO (optional, subscribe or pay once) The free reader is complete. Pro unlocks the full neural voice catalog beyond each library's free pair, the whole speed range, every palette, and ongoing personal-voice listening after the free 24-hour trial. Monthly, yearly, or lifetime. The trial simply lapses. It never auto-charges. Privacy Policy: https://timberreader.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Timber was made for the kid in the back row who hears a story better than they can read it, and for everyone whose eyes are tired, busy, or somewhere else. If that is you, welcome.