Lucent vs Play Text (TTS)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Lucent
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Lucent uses neuroscience-backed visual focus training to prepare your brain for deep, distraction-free work in just 60 seconds. HOW IT WORKS Stare at a glowing horizontal line. Watch mesmerizing flares rise and fall. Let your gaze naturally focus. In 60 seconds, your brain's attention circuits activate and you're ready for hours of focused work. THE SCIENCE Based on research from Stanford's Huberman Lab, visual focus on a single point for 30-60 seconds triggers neurochemical changes that enhance concentration, increase goal-directed behavior, and reduce perceived effort during cognitive tasks. Key research: Visual focus increases task performance by 23% and reduces effort by 17% (NYU Study, Psychological Science 2019). WHY IT WORKS Your visual system is the gateway to your attention. By training your eyes to focus on a single point, you activate the neural circuits responsible for sustained concentration. This isn't meditationβit's neurochemical priming. WHAT YOU GET β’ 60-second visual focus sessions β’ No ads, no subscriptions β’ Science-backed methodology
Play Text (TTS)
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We got fed up with paying for overpriced subscriptions just to have text read aloud β basic apps that, more often than not, turned out too buggy to actually rely on. So we put our AI tools and skills to work and built Play Text in a single evening. We hope it helps you too. Play Text turns anything you want to read into audio β and highlights each word as it's spoken, so you can listen and follow along at the same time. Drop in text from almost anywhere and press play: β’ Paste & Play β read whatever's on your clipboard β’ Web links β paste a URL and Play Text pulls out the readable article, skipping the menus, ads, and clutter β’ Files β open PDF, TXT, Markdown, RTF, or HTML documents β’ Share sheet β send selected text, a link, or a file straight from any other app A single, clean reading panel shows the full text and sweeps a highlight across each word as the voice reaches it β great for focus, reading along, language learning, proofreading, or accessibility. VOICES β’ Kokoro β the default. A high-fidelity neural voice that runs entirely on your device, with no account, no key, and no network. β’ Apple on-device voice β another fully offline option, available on every device. β’ ElevenLabs β optional cloud voices if you add your own API key. Adjust the reading speed to taste, from a relaxed pace up to nearly double speed. KEEPS PLAYING Audio continues when you lock your phone or switch apps, with Now Playing controls on the Lock Screen and in Control Center. SYNCS ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Your engine, voice, and speed settings sync over iCloud, so Play Text feels the same everywhere you use it. PRIVATE BY DESIGN The default Kokoro and Apple voices run completely on-device β your text never leaves your phone. ElevenLabs is strictly opt-in and only used if you choose to add your own key.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Lucent at 3 against Play Text (TTS)'s 1. Lucent also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Lucent | Play Text (TTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 β better | 18.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 372 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Igor Steblii | Klemens Arro |
In-app purchases
Lucent
No in-app purchases
Play Text (TTS)
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lucent free?
Is Play Text (TTS) free?
Do Lucent or Play Text (TTS) have ads?
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