# Text Reader vs Text to Speech

The clearest difference is rating: Text to Speech at 4.5 against Text Reader's 2.3. Text to Speech also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (528 vs 3). Text Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text to Speech sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Text Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Text to Speech holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text to Speech has 528 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Text Reader's written reviews are positive against 48% of Text to Speech's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Text Reader ships an update fortnightly, Text to Speech monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Text Reader | Text to Speech |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-reader-documents-books/id1410395334/reviews) | **[4.5 (528 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reading-aloud/id6443894291/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **528** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 47.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Subscription |
| Size | 11 MB | 180 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [won jun lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/949185623) | [AppLiks Sp. z O.O.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1804335622) |

## What reviewers say

### Text Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-reader-documents-books/id1410395334)

Convert text from documents and articles into speech to avoid eye strain. Supports 22 languages and allows you to save texts to a personal list for easy access.

**Highlights:** Text-to-speech conversion, Supports 22 languages, Save texts to a list, Reduces eye strain, Reads documents and articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Text to Speech

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reading-aloud/id6443894291)

This app transforms any text into spoken words, supporting multiple languages. It allows you to import content from various sources like websites, documents, and images, and offers customization for playback speed, language, and voice.

**Highlights:** Convert images to audio, Scan any text, Type text with keyboard, Add website posts, Convert library text to audio, Automatic scrolling while reading, Select playback speed, language, voice, Share text with friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Text to Speech: Version Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Access | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Text to Speech: Reader Pro | $14.99 | per month |
| Monthly Access | $14.99 | per month |
| Text to Speech Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Access | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Excellent text-to-speech conversion across multiple languages
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable playback speed and voice options
- 📱 Versatile input methods (scan, PDF, paste text, web articles)
- 🔄 Automatic scrolling feature while reading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💳 Unexpected billing and difficulty canceling subscriptions
- 🐛 Frequent glitches and performance issues
- 🔊 Robotic and synthetic voice quality (for some users)
- ⏸️ Pause/play controls often unresponsive
- 🎯 Inconsistent text highlighting and synchronization

**Reported bugs**

- App pauses randomly during playback
- Skips sentences or entire paragraphs
- Text highlighting misaligned with audio (2-3 paragraphs ahead)
- Phrase repetition (2-3 times)
- Pause and skip buttons unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Background playback capability
- Folder organization system for documents
- More flexible speed variability options
- Additional voice options
- Duration/timestamp display for text-to-speech playback


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Text Reader free?

Text Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Text to Speech free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Text Reader or Text to Speech?

Text to Speech is rated higher. Text Reader averages 2.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Text to Speech averages 4.5 from 528 ratings.

### Do Text Reader or Text to Speech have ads?

Text Reader shows ads; Text to Speech does not.

### Which is updated more often, Text Reader or Text to Speech?

Text Reader ships an update fortnightly, and Text to Speech monthly. Most recently, Text Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and Text to Speech on October 22, 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.*