# Ghost Reader Live vs SpeakCove

The clearest difference is rating: Ghost Reader Live at 5.0 against SpeakCove's 3.6. Ghost Reader Live also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). SpeakCove's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ghost Reader Live sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and SpeakCove sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ghost Reader Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SpeakCove has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Ghost Reader Live ships an update fortnightly, SpeakCove every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ghost Reader Live | SpeakCove |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ghost-reader-live/id6759826819/reviews)** | [3.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speakcove-text-to-speech/id6760540041/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **9** |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 343 MB | 408 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jan Ancajas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875644526) | [Lukas Schoenbaechler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534958014) |

## What reviewers say

### Ghost Reader Live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ghost-reader-live/id6759826819)

This app transforms documents and web content into spoken audio using on-device voices. Listen privately while following along with highlighted text, with options to adjust speed, navigate, and use lock-screen controls. A free tier offers limited daily listening, with premium options for unlimited access.

**Highlights:** On-device TTS narration, Focus mode with highlighting and auto-scroll, Adjustable listening speed (0.5x to 2x), Document navigation and resume playback, Lock-screen and headphone controls, Sleep timer and MP3 export, Privacy-focused, no account required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ghost Reader | $1.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Access | $19.99 | one-time |


### SpeakCove

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speakcove-text-to-speech/id6760540041)

This app offers a free text-to-speech reader with natural-sounding voices and support for various document formats. An optional one-time purchase unlocks additional voices and background playback. It prioritizes user privacy with offline functionality and no data collection.

**Highlights:** Natural-sounding neural voices, Supports PDFs, ePubs, DOCX, and more, Adjustable reading speed, Free book store integration, Offline functionality for privacy, PDF viewer with OCR, iCloud sync

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SpeakCove Premium — Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ghost Reader Live free?

Ghost Reader Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SpeakCove free?

SpeakCove is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ghost Reader Live or SpeakCove?

Ghost Reader Live is rated higher. Ghost Reader Live averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SpeakCove averages 3.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Ghost Reader Live or SpeakCove have ads?

Neither Ghost Reader Live nor SpeakCove shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ghost Reader Live or SpeakCove?

Ghost Reader Live ships an update fortnightly, and SpeakCove every 7 months. Most recently, Ghost Reader Live was updated on October 31, 2026 and SpeakCove on October 25, 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.*