Comparison

Listen 2 Reader vs LoudReader

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

Head to head
About

Listen 2 Reader

This app converts text to natural-sounding speech using on-device neural TTS engines. It supports various document formats and offers advanced voice tuning and word-level highlighting for an immersive reading experience without cloud reliance or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • On-device neural text-to-speech
  • 100+ voices in 13 languages
  • Voice tuning and presets
  • Import PDF, EPUB, DOCX, and more
  • Word-by-word highlighting
  • AI figure descriptions
  • True offline privacy
Features
Read full description

Listen2 runs neural text-to-speech directly on your iPhone or iPad without connecting to cloud services. No subscription or accounts — just a 7 day free trial and then a one-time purchase. Most text-to-speech apps either use the tried and true system voices or require monthly payments for cloud processing. Listen2 runs neural voice models locally using your iOS device's CPU and Apple Neural Engine, giving you natural-sounding speech without ongoing costs or privacy tradeoffs. WHAT MAKES LISTEN2 DIFFERENT Multi-Voice Engines, One App Piper provides reliable neural voices across 13 languages. Supertonic offers a fresh take on a voice engine — flow-matching models running on Apple's Neural Engine via CoreML for natural rhythm and expressive speech. Choose from 100+ voices in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Greek, Hindi, Vietnamese, Swedish and Hungarian. More coming. Voice Tuning Adjust the model parameters of any voice to suit your preferences. Save presets to switch between profiles. Preview pronunciation rules before saving them. Import Anything PDF, EPUB, DOCX, DAISY, markdown, plain text, clipboard, or web articles. Share from Safari and Listen2 extracts the article text. Paywalled content works (even sites on which other major TTS apps fail) when shared from a browser where you are logged in. Machine Learning Word Sync CTC forced alignment matches audio to text at the word level. Watch each word highlight as it is spoken — across Latin and non-Latin scripts alike. Highlighting engine newly re-build to be lean and efficient that's dramatically easier on your battery life. Smart Document Reading Multi-column layout handling, footnote filtering (for PDF files), hyphenated word rejoining. AI Vision for scanned PDFs. Full EPUB, DOCX, and DAISY support. Figure Descriptions On-device AI vision generates spoken descriptions of figures, charts, and photos as you listen. For non-English documents, descriptions translate automatically via Apple's on-device Translation framework. (Works with EPUB and PDF as a first roll-out) Pronunciation Rules Fix how any word is spoken without changing display text. Rules for names, terms, or abbreviations. Live preview before saving. Built-in presets for footnote markers. Global or per-document. Doesn't break highlighting. True Offline Privacy Processing, normalization, and synthesis all happen on-device. Documents never leave your phone. No uploads, account, or tracking. FEATURES - 100+ neural voices across 13 languages, plus dozens of Apple system voices - 3+ engines: Piper (broad language support), Supertonic (high-fidelity CoreML, flow-matching models), and Kokoro. Apple system voices offer efficient, quality options if using enhanced or premium models. - Voice tuning with saveable presets - Word-by-word or sentence highlighting - PDF, EPUB, DOCX, DAISY, TXT, Markdown support - AI figure descriptions with auto-translation (PDF and EPUB support) - Collections with intros, cover art, and auto-advance - Web Article Collections — batch articles into an auto-playing queue - Clipboard import and Siri shortcut support - 0.5x to 2.5x playback speed (Kokoro supports up to 1.4x because of real-time constraint) - Background playback with lock screen controls - Import from Files, links, Share Extension, or other apps - Export any document as a plain-text file from the library - Pronunciation rules with live preview - Atkinson Hyperlegible and OpenDyslexic fonts - Full VoiceOver support with rotor navigation and Magic Tap - Elapsed and remaining time in now playing & reader view. WHO IT'S FOR - Commuters turning drive time into learning time - Students reviewing papers and textbooks - Professionals handling confidential documents privately - VoiceOver users looking for a fully accessible TTS reader - Readers with dyslexia who benefit from audio-visual sync - Anyone tired of TTS subscriptions One-time purchase. 7-day free trial. No subscriptions.

About

LoudReader

Convert any ebook, PDF, or web article into an audiobook using natural AI voices. Enjoy unlimited, private, and offline listening with word-by-word highlighting. Offers premium features like adjustable speed and a sleep timer via subscription.

Highlights
  • Convert ebooks, PDFs, web articles to audio
  • Natural AI voices
  • 100% offline and private
  • Word-by-word highlighting
  • Import own files
  • Background playback
Features
Read full description

Turn any ebook, PDF, or web article into an audiobook with LoudReader — the text-to-speech (TTS) voice reader that reads your books aloud in natural AI voices. 100% offline, completely private, and free to listen with no limits. FREE FOREVER — NO LIMITS, NO QUOTAS Listen to as many books as you want, cover to cover, at no cost. No account, no sign-up, no data collection. Every premium voice is free to try for your first 8 hours of listening. LISTEN TO ANY BOOK, ANYWHERE • Download 70,000+ free classics from Project Gutenberg • Import your own EPUB and PDF files • Save and listen to any web article • A bundled collection of beautifully formatted public-domain classics to get you started LoudReader instantly converts them into an immersive audiobook with high-quality, human-sounding narration. FOLLOW ALONG AS YOU LISTEN Word-by-word highlighting keeps you engaged and improves comprehension — see exactly where you are as the narration flows. A great companion for language learners, students, and readers with dyslexia or ADHD. MAKE IT YOURS • Natural AI voices, male and female • Night mode for comfortable reading after dark • Jump to any chapter instantly • Background playback with the screen locked Premium adds adjustable speed (0.3×–3.0×), a sleep timer, ambient soundscapes, and notes & highlights. 100% OFFLINE & PRIVATE BY DESIGN All speech synthesis happens entirely on your device. Your books and reading habits never leave your phone — no cloud, no servers, no tracking. Once a book is on your device it plays with zero connectivity, perfect for flights, the subway, or anywhere off the grid. SUPPORTED FORMATS • EPUB (DRM-free) • PDF (with text extraction) • Web articles (via the Share Extension) SUBSCRIPTION LoudReader is free to use with unlimited listening, forever. Upgrade to Premium to keep every AI voice and add adjustable speed, a sleep timer, ambient soundscapes, and notes & highlights. • Monthly: $7.99 • Annual: $49.99 • Lifetime: $199.99 (one-time) 1-month free trial for eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple ID; a subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Lifetime is a one-time purchase and does not renew. Whether you're commuting, exercising, or relaxing at home, LoudReader turns reading time into listening time. Privacy Policy: https://loudreader.io/privacy Terms of Use: https://loudreader.io/terms

Screenshots

Listen 2 Reader4 screens
LoudReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Listen 2 Reader at 100% against LoudReader's 33%. Listen 2 Reader also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (13 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Listen 2 Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and LoudReader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Listen 2 Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Listen 2 Reader has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Listen 2 Reader's written reviews are positive against 33% of LoudReader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Listen 2 Reader ships an update every 10 days, LoudReader weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Listen 2 Reader versus LoudReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterListen 2 ReaderLoudReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB1.2 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZach SwiftJeremi Podlasek

Customer experience

Listen 2 Reader

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

LoudReader

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Listen 2 Reader

One-time1
  • Listen2 Full Access$19.99
3 purchases

LoudReader

Subscriptions2
  • LoudReader Monthly Premium$7.991 Month
  • LoudReader Annual Premium1 Month trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$199.99

Questions

Is Listen 2 Reader free?
Listen 2 Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LoudReader free?
LoudReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Listen 2 Reader or LoudReader?
Listen 2 Reader is rated higher. Listen 2 Reader averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while LoudReader averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Listen 2 Reader or LoudReader have ads?
Neither Listen 2 Reader nor LoudReader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Listen 2 Reader or LoudReader?
Listen 2 Reader ships an update every 10 days, and LoudReader weekly. Most recently, Listen 2 Reader was updated on October 11, 2026 and LoudReader on October 15, 2026.

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