Comparison

Ghost Reader Live vs Spokio

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

Head to head
About

Ghost Reader Live

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
Read full description

Turn reading into listening — privately. Ghost Reader narrates PDFs, EPUBs, web articles, Markdown, and plain-text files with natural on-device voices. Import a document or paste a link, then listen while following the text in Focus mode. YOUR DOCUMENTS STAY WITH YOU Narration is generated on your iPhone. Your documents, extracted text, and audio are not sent to our servers. No account is required. MADE FOR LISTENING • Follow along with sentence highlighting and auto-scroll • Pick a voice and adjust listening speed from 0.5× to 2× • Navigate to any part of a document and resume where you stopped • Use lock-screen and headphone play/pause controls when narration is ready • Set a sleep timer or export narration as an MP3 FREE TO START Enjoy 30 minutes of narration each day for free. Upgrade through the App Store for unlimited listening with Monthly or Lifetime Access. Requires iPhone 12 or newer. Privacy Policy: https://bighippolabs.com/page-ghostreader/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://bighippolabs.com/page-ghostreader/terms.html

About

Spokio

This app converts text and documents into natural-sounding speech directly on your device. It offers private, on-device generation without sending data to servers, with options for built-in or custom voices. Import various file formats and export audio in multiple formats.

Highlights
  • On-device text-to-speech
  • Custom voice creation
  • Import TXT, DOCX, SRT, and more
  • Export as MP3, WAV, AIFF, M4A
  • Local audio library
  • Background processing for long jobs
Features
Read full description

Spokio turns text and documents into natural speech directly on your iPhone. Generate voiceovers, narration, spoken drafts, course audio, and reusable audio without sending your synthesis text or voice samples to Spokio servers. Choose a built-in voice or create a custom voice from a short recording or an audio file you have permission to use. PRIVATE, LOCAL SPEECH • On-device text-to-speech generation • No Spokio account required for generation or your local library • Import TXT, Markdown, DOCX, SRT, VTT, RTF, HTML, and more • Save generated audio in your local library • Export audio files as MP3, WAV, AIFF, M4A • Queue longer work and continue supported processing in the background • Reuse unchanged paragraph audio when editing and regenerating • Create a custom voice from a short reference sample. FREE • Up to 500 characters per synthesis • Unlimited direct generations • 1 custom voice • 10 successful single-file exports per calendar month • 5 new queued jobs per calendar month • Core local generation SPOKIO PRO • Up to 20,000 characters per synthesis • Unlimited custom voices • Unlimited single-file exports • Unlimited queued jobs • Batch and folder export • All 10 themes MAC + IPHONE Spokio is available on Mac and iPhone as one product with Universal Purchase. An eligible Spokio Pro purchase can unlock supported Pro features on both platforms when you use the same Apple Account. The Mac and iPhone apps are designed for their platforms, so some workflows and pro features differ. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 26 or later • iPhone • English text synthesis Generation speed depends on your device and the length of the text. Spokio is designed for generation-first workflows rather than live conversation or realtime speech. Privacy Policy: https://spokio.pro/privacy Terms of Service: https://spokio.pro/terms

Screenshots

Ghost Reader Live3 screens
Spokio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ghost Reader Live at fortnightly against Spokio's monthly. Ghost Reader Live also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Ghost Reader Live sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Spokio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ghost Reader Live ships an update fortnightly, Spokio monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Ghost Reader Live versus Spokio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGhost Reader LiveSpokio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size343 MB663 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJan AncajasHoang Nguyen

Customer experience

Ghost Reader Live

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Spokio

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Ghost Reader Live

Subscriptions1
  • Ghost Reader$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$19.99
3 purchases

Spokio

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Ghost Reader Live free?
Ghost Reader Live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spokio free?
Spokio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ghost Reader Live or Spokio have ads?
Neither Ghost Reader Live nor Spokio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ghost Reader Live or Spokio?
Ghost Reader Live ships an update fortnightly, and Spokio monthly. Most recently, Ghost Reader Live was updated on October 31, 2026 and Spokio on November 5, 2026.

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