Comparison

PDF Pro vs Aloud!, text to speech reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDF Pro

Edit, annotate, and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, add notes, shapes, voice recordings, and photos. Search your entire PDF library, fill out forms, and sign documents.

Highlights
  • Edit and annotate PDFs
  • Highlight text and add notes
  • Embed audio and photo annotations
  • Full-text search of PDF library
  • Fill out and sign PDF forms
  • Organize PDFs with folders and tags
  • Import from cloud storage
Features
Read full description

PDF Pro lets you read, edit and annotate your PDF documents directly on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, take notes, embed shapes or draw with your finger. You can even embed voice recordings or photo annotations. Full-text-search your entire PDF library with just a single tap. Above all PDF Pro comes with full-featured PDF form and signature support. Key-Features At A Glance: • POWERFUL SEARCH: ∙ Full-text-search your entire PDF library. ∙ Search inside specific documents with easy navigation through the search results. ∙ Look-up selected text directly on Wikipedia or in the included dictionaries. • FILE-MANAGEMENT: ∙ Group your PDFs in folders and tag them with colorful labels. ∙ Import PDFs from your Dropbox®, Microsoft OneDrive® or Google Drive®. ∙ Add PDFs via USB or WiFi. ∙ Open E-Mail attachments. • CLEAR VIEW: ∙ Easily browse through all your annotations. ∙ Full PDF outline support. You can even search the outline. ∙ Get an overview of all your bookmarked or annotated pages just with a single tap. • SHARE and PRINT: ∙ Easily share your annotated documents with your friends or co-workers. ∙ Print your annotated and edited PDFs. ∙ You can even share or print single pages of a document. • HIGH SPEED and STABILITY: ∙ Rapid viewing of PDF documents. ∙ Smooth display of very large PDF files. • NIGHT MODE: ∙ Makes reading in the dark much easier on the eyes. • SECURITY: ∙ Support for password-protected PDFs • AND MUCH MORE... Premium Features and Premium Offer include: • ANNOTATIONS and NOTES: ∙ Highlight text, take notes or draw with your finger. ∙ Powerful shape editor for arrows, rectangles, circles, lines and much more. ∙ Embed audio and photo annotations into your PDFs. ∙ Use predefined stamps or create your own. • DOCUMENT EDITOR: ∙ Create new pages. ∙ Export pages or merge them into existing documents. ∙ Reorder, rotate and delete pages. • CONTENT EDITOR: • Modify the existing content of PDF documents. • MULTITASKING: ∙ Work with multiple PDFs at a time. ∙ Copy and paste annotations, shapes, images or text from one PDF document into another. • FORM SUPPORT: ∙ Just fill out your PDF form, sign it with your handwritten signature and you are ready to send it via E-Mail or print it via AirPrint®. A monthly or annual subscription is required to get access to all premium features and premium offer. --- Subscriptions automatically renew monthly or yearly depending on your plan unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Plans are priced at $3.99USD monthly and $24.99USD yearly (pricing may vary in countries other than the U.S.). Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. To avoid automatic renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your App Store Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://pdf-pro.net/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy: https://pdf-pro.net/privacy-policy/

About

Aloud!, text to speech reader

Transform documents, articles, and eBooks into audio with this text-to-speech reader. Enjoy offline playback, customizable voices, and automatic progress tracking for a seamless listening experience anywhere, anytime. It's an ideal tool for productivity and accessibility.

Highlights
  • Hear PDF, DOCX, EPUB & web pages
  • Background & offline playback
  • Auto progress tracking
  • Customizable speech rate and pitch
  • Synchronized word highlighting
  • Universal format support
Features
Read full description

Reading on YOUR TERMS - Anywhere, Anytime, Anything Welcome to Aloud!, the ultimate Text-to-Speech (TTS) reader that transforms your content into audio. Turn your documents, articles, and eBooks into a personal audio library. Aloud! is the perfect voice reader for your commute, workout, or study session. It’s a powerful accessibility tool for anyone who needs reading support, and an essential productivity app for those who want to give their eyes a rest. ■ HEAR PDF, DOCX, EPUB & WEB PAGES Finally, a reader that handles everything. From critical PDF reports and Word (DOCX) documents to your favorite EPUB or Mobi eBook. Use our integrated browser to instantly import and listen to web pages, saving them for offline access. No more format juggling. ■ BACKGROUND & OFFLINE PLAY Aloud! works where you do. With true offline playback for all saved files, you're never limited by a connection. Continue listening with your screen locked or while using other apps—your audio plays seamlessly in the background. ■ AUTO PROGRESS TRACKING Never lose your place. Aloud! automatically remembers your position in every document and article. Pick up right where you left off, every single time. ■ YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE Tailor your listening experience. Adjust the speech rate and pitch to find a voice that's perfect for you. Follow along with synchronized word highlighting, an essential tool for study, proofreading, and improving reading comprehension. THE ALOUD! ADVANTAGE: • Trusted Since 2014: A decade of continuous improvement and user-focused updates. • Universal Format Support: Our powerful engine supports PDF, Microsoft Office (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX), iWorks Pages, OpenOffice (ODT, ODP), EPUB, MOBI, AZW, FB2, TXT, RTF, HTML, and even files inside ZIP, RAR, & 7Z archives. • Accessibility Focused: A vital tool for users with dyslexia, visual impairments, and other reading challenges. Stop reading, start listening. Download Aloud! today and reimagine your content.

Screenshots

PDF Pro4 screens
Aloud!, text to speech reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Aloud!, text to speech reader at free with in-app purchases against PDF Pro's subscription. Aloud!, text to speech reader also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (14.2 vs 17.0). PDF Pro's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Aloud!, text to speech reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Pro has 6.9K ratings behind it against 242, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of PDF Pro's written reviews are positive against 38% of Aloud!, text to speech reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, Aloud!, text to speech reader fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PDF Pro versus Aloud!, text to speech reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ProAloud!, text to speech reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.9K ratings) — better4.3 (242 ratings)
Positive reviews60.3% of reviews — better38.2% of reviews
Number of ratings6.9K — better242
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.014.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB54 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDominic RodemerChun Kai Lau

Customer experience

PDF Pro

All ratings6,925 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews423 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral10.4%
Negative29.3%

Aloud!, text to speech reader

All ratings242 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative14.5%
Written reviews136 reviews
Positive38.2%
Neutral14.7%
Negative47.1%

User reviews

PDF Pro

From 6.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 💡 Excellent PDF management features
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 🎨 Great annotation tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔍 Inconsistent search functionality
  • 📖 Loses last read position
  • 🖋️ Unreliable handwriting support

Aloud!, text to speech reader

From 242 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy copy-paste functionality for text input
  • 🎧 Helpful for accessibility and learning disabilities
  • ⚡ Works well with multiple file formats when functioning
  • 🎯 Useful for multitasking (studying while driving/walking)
  • 🔊 Adjustable speech speed

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes when opening files
  • 🐛 Crashes on startup after updates
  • 🗣️ Robotic and unnatural voice quality
  • 📄 Poor PDF and ePub file handling
  • 💾 Save function doesn't work reliably

Bugs and requests

PDF Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Annotations and highlights randomly disappearing
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Corrupted PDF files after editing
  • Slow performance on older devices
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between PDFs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved bookmarking and note-taking
  • Seamless iCloud/cloud storage integration
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Advanced text editing and OCR capabilities
  • Better organization and folder management

Aloud!, text to speech reader

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App crashes when opening large files
  • App crashes on startup after recent updates
  • Save function fails to work
  • Text repetition bug - reads same paragraph repeatedly
  • Cursor position doesn't match audio being read
Show 12 more
  • PDF files load with no spaces between words
  • ePub files load in reverse order
  • Language selection doesn't work
  • App freezes when loading documents
  • Upgrade widget broken - cannot complete purchase
  • Purchased app reverts to free version
  • Ads cause app to crash when closed
  • Mispronounces special characters as 'to the power of'
  • Cannot edit text after typing
  • Incompatibility with iOS 12.5.5 and older versions
  • Scrolling to previous location causes crashes
  • Character recognition failures (fi, fl, ff)

Requested features

14 requests
  • Ability to set custom starting point for reading
  • Better voice options and quality
  • Ad-free paid version
  • Improved PDF/ePub integration
  • Better language support (Vietnamese, Dutch, etc.)
Show 9 more
  • Screen lock prevention during reading
  • Repeat/loop functionality
  • Better character recognition (fi, fl, ff combinations)
  • Direct PDF opening from other apps
  • Better voice selection for different dialects
  • Skip opening statements/introductions
  • Improved keyboard handling
  • Dark mode or customizable background
  • Better integration with other apps

In-app purchases

12 purchases

PDF Pro

Subscriptions12
  • Offer - Monthly - macOS3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Offer - Monthly - iOS3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium - Monthly - iOS3 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Premium - Monthly - macOS3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Offer - Annual - iOS3 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Offer - Annual - macOS3 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Premium - Annual - iOS3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Offer - macOS + iOS3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Offer - iOS + macOS3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Premium - Annual - macOS3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Premium - iOS + macOS3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Premium - macOS + iOS3 Days trial$49.991 Year
1 purchases

Aloud!, text to speech reader

One-time1
  • Premium Version$6.99

Questions

Is PDF Pro free?
PDF Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aloud!, text to speech reader free?
Aloud!, text to speech reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or Aloud!, text to speech reader?
PDF Pro is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Aloud!, text to speech reader averages 4.3 from 242 ratings.
Do PDF Pro or Aloud!, text to speech reader have ads?
Aloud!, text to speech reader shows ads; PDF Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or Aloud!, text to speech reader?
PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Aloud!, text to speech reader fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on October 11, 2026 and Aloud!, text to speech reader on October 10, 2026.

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