Comparison

XReading vs Speech It

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

Head to head
About

XReading

This app transforms your e-books into audiobooks using lifelike human voices, all processed locally on your device for complete privacy. It supports multiple e-book formats and offers flexible playback controls, making reading accessible and enjoyable offline.

Highlights
  • Local human voice TTS
  • Offline e-book playback
  • Supports EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3
  • Background playback
  • Lock screen controls
  • Customizable reading experience
Features
Read full description

Turn your e-books into lifelike audio stories with natural real human voice. XReading adopts exclusive on-device local speech synthesis technology, delivering smooth, human-like audio without robotic tones, far better than ordinary machine TTS readers. All text-to-speech tasks run locally on your iPhone. No internet required, no book data uploaded to cloud, 100% private for your personal digital library. This is a completely free offline e-book audio reader with no ads, no subscriptions and no in-app purchases. --- All E-book Formats Supported Compatible with mainstream e-book formats including EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3 and TXT. No tedious file conversion needed. Import your books directly and start listening in one tap. Top-tier Local Offline Human Voice TTS (Core Highlight) - Pure local voice synthesis: All voice generation finished on your phone, no network dependency at all - True real human voices: Male & female natural human voices available, say goodbye to harsh robotic AI sound - Flexible playback speed: Adjust audio speed from 0.5x to 2x to fit your listening habit Professional Background Playback Controls - Lock Screen Control: Pause, resume and switch pages directly on lock screen without unlocking iPhone - Background Playback: Continue listening while browsing other apps or locking your screen - Auto Reading Progress Save: Automatically record your last reading position, resume anytime you come back Comfortable Visual Reading Experience - Easy page navigation via tap or swipe gesture - Real-time progress bar to check your reading status clearly - Sentence-by-sentence audio highlighting to follow text easily - Customizable font size and font style for eye-friendly reading Privacy-First Local Design All e-book files and reading data are stored locally on your device. We never collect, share or upload any of your personal data or book content. Your reading privacy is fully protected. 100% Free Forever No hidden fees, no pop-up ads, no mandatory subscriptions, no in-app purchases. Enjoy unlimited offline human voice audiobook conversion permanently for free. Perfect For These Users - Commuters & drivers: Listen to e-books during travel without network - Multitaskers: Listen while working, cooking or exercising - Readers tired of stiff robotic TTS voices - Users who pursue absolute reading privacy - People with visual impairments for barrier-free audio reading Download XReading now, and enjoy immersive offline audiobook with lifelike human voice and local speech synthesis!

About

Speech It

Features
Read full description

Speech It turns the books and documents piling up on your device into audio you can enjoy anywhere. Import DRM-free EPUBs, PDFs, text files, and web articles, and listen to them read aloud in a natural voice. Clear your reading backlog during your commute, chores, or walks. ◆ Key Features - Flexible importing EPUB / PDF / plain text / web pages by URL / clipboard text. Files can also be opened from the Files app and the share sheet. - On-device translated listening Listen to an English book in Japanese and more: translation happens while reading aloud (iOS 18 or later, supported language pairs), with the translation and original shown side by side. - Background playback Keeps playing while your screen is locked, with full control from the Lock Screen and Control Center. Playback resumes automatically after interruptions such as phone calls. - Follow along visually The current sentence and word are highlighted and kept in view. Tap any sentence to start playback from there. - Table of contents & bookmarks Jump between chapters, bookmark individual sentences, and browse bookmarks across your whole library. - Organized library Sort books into folders. Your reading position is saved automatically, so you always pick up where you left off. - Voice customization Adjust speed (0.5x-2.0x), pick from your device's voices, tune the pitch, and preview voices before choosing. - Privacy first Parsing, translation, and speech synthesis all happen on your device. The contents of your books are never sent to a server. ◆ Notes - DRM-protected e-books are not supported. - Image-only (scanned) PDFs cannot be read aloud. - Translation requires iOS 18 or later. The app shows ads; an optional subscription removes them. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

XReading4 screens
Speech It4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XReading at none against Speech It's 2. XReading also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Speech It sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. XReading asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XReading ships an update every 2 weeks, Speech It every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
XReading versus Speech It: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXReadingSpeech It
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer敏锋 黄ColorBoxStudio

In-app purchases

None

XReading

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Speech It

Subscriptions2
  • Remove Ads (Monthly)$0.991 Month
  • Remove Ads$9.991 Year

Questions

Is XReading free?
XReading is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Speech It free?
Speech It is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do XReading or Speech It have ads?
Speech It shows ads; XReading does not.
Which is updated more often, XReading or Speech It?
XReading ships an update every 2 weeks, and Speech It every 3 weeks. Most recently, XReading was updated on November 5, 2026 and Speech It on November 6, 2026.

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