Text to Speech vs Sandbook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Text to Speech
This application converts written text and documents into spoken audio. It allows users to adjust speech settings like volume, speed, and pitch. Saved text can be accessed later, and the app functions offline.
- Text to audio conversion
- Document to speech
- Adjustable volume, speed, and pitch
- Save text for later
- Offline functionality
Read full descriptionHide full description
Text To Speech is a simple and small app that helps to convert text and document into Voice. Just enter the text and the app speaks it for you. Convert any text into audio with Text To Speech feature using TTS Functionality Convert text to speech from text file. Set audio configuration for text to speech like volume, speed and pitch. Save text for later use. You can access everything without internet.
Sandbook
This app reads books, documents, and articles aloud using natural-sounding voices. It offers offline functionality, supports various file formats, and allows customization of reading speed and appearance. Save web pages and printed text for later listening.
- Natural offline voices
- Supports EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, and more
- Save web pages for later
- Adjustable reading speed
- Highlighting of spoken words
- CarPlay integration
- Export audio files
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sandbook reads books, documents and articles aloud in natural voices, entirely on your iPhone or iPad. Nothing you read is uploaded, and there is no account, no subscription and no ads. Press play, lock your screen, and Sandbook keeps reading, in your pocket or in the car with CarPlay. Found an article in Safari, Chrome or another app? Tap Save to Sandbook and it waits in your Listen Later queue. NATURAL VOICES, OFFLINE - 41 voices in American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi - A book in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese or Hindi opens with a voice in its language - Powered by the open-source Kokoro model, running locally; no internet connection needed - Follow along as each spoken word is highlighted - Speed from 0.5x to 2.5x; each book remembers its voice and speed - Pronunciations: tell Sandbook how to say a name or word, in every book or just one READ ALMOST ANYTHING - Import EPUB, PDF, Word (.docx), TXT, RTF, Markdown and HTML files - Add a web page by pasting a link, or save it from Safari, Chrome and other apps with Save to Sandbook in the share sheet - Scan printed pages with the camera, or pick a photo, and listen - Send files or selected text from any app with the share sheet, or type and paste your own - Open a document straight from the Files app with Open With, or set Sandbook as its default app - Browse a shelf of public-domain classics in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Hindi, and play a short sample before you download one LISTEN THE WAY YOU READ - Opens at the paragraph where you stopped - Keep listening when you leave the book, with a mini player at the bottom of the screen - Bookmarks, and search inside a book - Sleep timer: stop after a set time or at the end of the chapter - Passages you've already heard play back instantly - In a PDF, the sentence being read is highlighted on the page; tap any sentence to read from there - Reading options: light, sepia and dark themes, fonts, text size and line spacing - Appearance: light, dark or matching your system - See each book's length, listening time and the time left in the chapter - Keep listening with the screen locked or while you use other apps; the lock screen shows the chapter's progress, with 15-second skips - Listen Later: web pages and text you save wait at the top of your library and play one after another - CarPlay: continue your book, or pick one from your library or Listen Later, and change the speed from the car's screen - Widgets for the Home Screen and Lock Screen, and a Play Sandbook control for Control Center and the Action button - Continue Reading with Siri or the Shortcuts app - Export a chapter or a whole book as one M4A audio file with chapter markers, or any text you type ACCESSIBILITY - VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, larger text and contrast improvements - The app is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Hindi PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your books, text and voices stay on your device. Sandbook never sends what you read to a server. GOOD TO KNOW - Voices require iPhone 12 or later, or an iPad with an A14 or M1 chip or later. Sandbook also needs iOS 18.2 or later. Questions or ideas: support@sandbook.app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sandbook at 81% against Text to Speech's 17%. Sandbook also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and update cadence (weekly vs every 11 months). Text to Speech's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sandbook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 148 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Text to Speech's written reviews are positive against 81% of Sandbook's.
Text to Speech ships an update every 11 months, Sandbook weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Text to Speech | Sandbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (38 ratings) | 4.6 (148 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 80.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 148 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 126 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Jatin Maniya | SmashMelon LLC |
Customer experience
Text to Speech
Sandbook
In-app purchases
Text to Speech
No in-app purchases
Sandbook
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Text to Speech free?
Is Sandbook free?
Which has better reviews, Text to Speech or Sandbook?
Do Text to Speech or Sandbook have ads?
Which is updated more often, Text to Speech or Sandbook?
Other comparisons















