# Speechify vs Readwise Reader

Speechify and Readwise Reader both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Readwise Reader's written reviews are positive against 35% of Speechify's. Readwise Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown). Speechify's advantage is ratings volume (524K vs 579) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Speechify sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days and Readwise Reader sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 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 — 4.7 for Speechify against 4.6 for Readwise Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Speechify has 524K ratings behind it against 579, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 35% of Speechify's written reviews are positive against 72% of Readwise Reader's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Speechify | Readwise Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (524K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speechify-text-to-speech-pdf/id1209815023/reviews)** | [4.6 (579 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **524K** | 579 |
| Positive reviews | 35.3% of reviews | **72.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 557 MB | 178 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Speechify Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263322875) | [Readwise, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476885527) |

## What reviewers say

### Speechify

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speechify-text-to-speech-pdf/id1209815023)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Productivity, #44 Top Free · Productivity, #148 Top Grossing (US App Store)

This app transforms text into spoken word with lifelike voices, reads documents, images, and articles aloud, and offers voice typing. It also features an AI assistant for summarizing and quizzing, and allows for AI podcast creation.

**Highlights:** Reads text aloud from various sources, Voice typing for faster input, AI assistant for summarization and quizzes, Customizable listening speeds, Human-like voices, Cross-device syncing, AI podcast creation

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $160 Donation No HD voices | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $24.99 | per month |
| Dyslexia Donation | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium | $55.99 | per year |
| Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| Speechify Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| Speechify Premium | $159.99 | per year |
| Audiobooks + Speechify TTS | $249.99 | per year |
| Speechify Library | $14.99 | one-time |
| Speechify Library | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient text-to-speech
- 👍 Diverse voice options
- 🤖 Realistic AI narration
- 💡 Helpful for dyslexic/ADHD users
- 🤓 Improved reading comprehension

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔇 Inconsistent voice quality
- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔀 Unreliable page navigation
- 🚫 Restrictive word limits on premium voices

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Text syncing issues
- Incorrect word pronunciations
- Inconsistent highlighting/pacing
- Unexpected voice switches

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit/annotate text
- Improved PDF/document handling
- More affordable subscription options
- Seamless integration with ebooks/websites
- Automatic removal of citations/formatting


### Readwise Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readwise-reader/id1567599761)

This app consolidates all your reading content, including web articles, newsletters, and PDFs, into a single, organized platform. It offers advanced highlighting, text-to-speech, and AI-powered assistance to enhance your reading workflow and knowledge retention.

**Highlights:** Consolidate web articles, newsletters, RSS, Twitter threads, PDFs, EPUBs, Import from Pocket, Instapaper, and Feedly, Advanced highlighting and annotation tools, Text-to-speech narration, AI-powered reading assistant (Ghostreader), Full-text search, Syncs across all devices, offline access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reader Monthly Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Reader Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Reader Annual Plan | $95.90 | per year |
| Reader Yearly | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic reading experience
- 👍 Seamless integration with Readwise
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive UI
- 📚 All-in-one reading solution
- 🔍 Powerful search and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
- 🔍 Cluttered interface for some users
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🖥️ Lack of iPad-specific features
- 📚 Missing basic reader features (e.g., bookmarks)

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Unreliable RSS feed updates
- Frequent crashes on iPad
- Issues with resuming reading position

**Requested features**

- Improved PDF and ebook support
- Customizable reading themes and layouts
- Better integration with note-taking apps
- Reading progress and statistics tracking
- Bulk management of saved items


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Speechify free?

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

### Is Readwise Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Speechify or Readwise Reader?

Speechify is rated higher. Speechify averages 4.7 out of 5 from 524K ratings, while Readwise Reader averages 4.6 from 579 ratings.

### Do Speechify or Readwise Reader have ads?

Speechify shows ads; Readwise Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Speechify or Readwise Reader?

Speechify ships an update weekly, and Readwise Reader weekly. Most recently, Speechify was updated on September 25, 2026 and Readwise Reader 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.*