# Speech Central vs Text to Speech Reader

Speech Central and Text to Speech Reader both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Text to Speech Reader's written reviews are positive against 15% of Speech Central's. Speech Central's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Speech Central sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Text to Speech Reader sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Speech Central against 4.3 for Text to Speech Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 311 and 240 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of Speech Central's written reviews are positive against 74% of Text to Speech Reader's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Speech Central | Text to Speech Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (311 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-read-out-loud/id1538287963/reviews) | **[4.3 (240 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reader-readbit/id1545366628/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **311** | 240 |
| Positive reviews | 14.7% of reviews | **73.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 92 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ADAPPS SOFTWARE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1240972162) | [Virtual Collaboration Research Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455753337) |

## What reviewers say

### Speech Central

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-read-out-loud/id1538287963)

This app converts text into high-quality audio using advanced AI TTS and T2S technology. It functions as a book reader, voice aloud reader, screen reader, and can even scan physical pages to read them aloud. Enjoy customizable reading speeds and support for numerous languages and accents.

**Highlights:** Text-to-speech conversion, AI-powered natural voices, Book reader functionality, Screen reader support, Scan physical pages to audio, Customizable reading speed, Multi-language support

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Text to speech 1 Week Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Text to speech 1 Week | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Text to speech 6 Months | $4.99 | per 6 months |
| Text to speech Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Text to speech 1 Month | $14.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Premium Trial | $14.99 | per month |
| Text to speech reader 1 Year | $24.99 | per year |
| Read Aloud & TTS Premium | $27.99 | per 6 months |
| Text to speech 3 Months | $34.99 | per 3 months |
| Text to speech reader 1 Year | $49.99 | per year |
| Speechy Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Full Month | $49.99 | per year |
| Speechy Premium (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Text to speech 1 Year | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium | $69.99 | per year |


### Text to Speech Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reader-readbit/id1545366628)

This app converts text from various sources into natural-sounding audiobooks. It supports numerous file formats, offers advanced AI voices in multiple languages, and includes features like word-by-word highlighting and text summarization to enhance comprehension and save time.

**Highlights:** Convert text to audiobooks with AI voices, Supports PDFs, web articles, and scanned documents, 120+ natural-sounding voices in 27 languages, Word-by-word text highlighting, Summarizes text and extracts keywords, Adjustable speech rate, Personal reading habit tracker

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| 6 Months Premium | $59.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Premium | $95.99 | per year |
| 50.000 Words | $14.99 | one-time |
| 75.000 Words | $19.99 | one-time |
| 150.000 Words | $19.99 | one-time |
| 150.000 Words | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎙️ Natural, human-like AI voices
- 👍 Free version with good functionality
- 📚 Excellent for students and dyslexic readers
- 🚀 Fast reading speed and multitasking capability
- 📱 User-friendly interface and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- ⏸️ Random pausing and stopping during playback
- 📄 Poor handling of PDFs and documents with images
- 🔤 Skips words, sentences, and entire paragraphs
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening or loading large libraries
- Random data loss and document disappearance
- Text syncing issues causing data to vanish
- OCR misreads words and scrambles sentence order
- App freezes when adding multiple books

**Requested features**

- One-time lifetime purchase option instead of subscription
- Offline download capability for entire books
- Chrome browser extension
- Custom pronunciation settings for character names
- Option to skip footnotes, page numbers, and citations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Speech Central free?

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

### Is Text to Speech Reader free?

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

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

Text to Speech Reader is rated higher. Speech Central averages 4.3 out of 5 from 311 ratings, while Text to Speech Reader averages 4.3 from 240 ratings.

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

Neither Speech Central nor Text to Speech Reader shows ads.

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

Speech Central ships an update every 3 weeks, and Text to Speech Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Speech Central was updated on October 27, 2026 and Text to Speech Reader 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.*