# Text to Speech Reader vs Plingpling

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plingpling at none against Text to Speech Reader's 8. Plingpling also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Text to Speech Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text to Speech Reader sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Plingpling asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Text to Speech Reader | Plingpling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (240 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-to-speech-reader-readbit/id1545366628/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **240** | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 51 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Virtual Collaboration Research Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455753337) | [Thedge BV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868656982) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Plingpling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plingpling/id6757749541)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Text to Speech Reader free?

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

### Is Plingpling free?

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

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

Plingpling shows ads; Text to Speech Reader does not.

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

Text to Speech Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plingpling every 3 weeks. Most recently, Text to Speech Reader was updated on October 10, 2026 and Plingpling on October 1, 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.*