# NaturalReader vs Timber

NaturalReader and Timber both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Timber's written reviews are positive against 71% of NaturalReader's. Timber also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). NaturalReader's advantage is ratings volume (9.2K vs 3) and chart position (#142 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NaturalReader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Timber sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 NaturalReader against 4.7 for Timber. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NaturalReader has 9.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of NaturalReader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Timber's.

NaturalReader ships an update every 3 weeks, Timber every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NaturalReader | Timber |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (9.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naturalreader-text-to-speech/id1487572960/reviews) | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timber-text-to-speech-voice/id6779086700/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.2K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 71.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#142** | — |
| Size | 67 MB | 287 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NaturalSoft Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/598798213) | [Truth in the Machine LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779086852) |

## What reviewers say

### NaturalReader

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

**Currently charting:** #142 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


### Timber

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timber-text-to-speech-voice/id6779086700)

This app transforms any text into spoken audio, allowing you to listen to articles, books, and documents. It offers a wide selection of voices and languages, with advanced features for customization and offline processing. The core reader is free and respects user privacy.

**Highlights:** Text-to-speech conversion, Supports links, PDFs, and photos, 300+ voices in 71 languages, On-device processing for privacy, Customizable reading experience, Offline translation and summarization, Export audio files

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Timber Pro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Timber Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Your Own Voice | $14.99 | one-time |
| Timber Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NaturalReader free?

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

### Is Timber free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NaturalReader or Timber?

Timber is rated higher. NaturalReader averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.2K ratings, while Timber averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do NaturalReader or Timber have ads?

Neither NaturalReader nor Timber shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NaturalReader or Timber?

NaturalReader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Timber every 5 days. Most recently, NaturalReader was updated on November 7, 2026 and Timber on November 5, 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.*