TTS Reader vs 聽閱 ReadAloud
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TTS Reader
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ReadAloud turns long reading into listening time. Import PDFs, EPUBs, TXT files, web links, scans, and pasted text. Pick a natural voice, create audio, then listen with sentence-level highlighting, background playback, and replay for sections you have already prepared. Built for students, researchers, busy readers, language learners, and anyone who wants documents to fit into commutes, chores, study sessions, and low-vision reading workflows. Features: - Import PDFs, EPUBs, TXT files, web links, scans, and pasted text - Create natural read-aloud audio from your documents - Follow along with sentence highlighting - Save prepared audio for offline replay - Resume from your last position - Choose voices, speed, and reader focus modes - Delete local documents and cached audio whenever you want Free users can try ReadAloud with starter listening limits. ReadAloud Pro unlocks unlimited listening, premium voices, long-form playback, and offline audio. ReadAloud does not bypass DRM. Kindle-compatible import support is limited to legally owned, user-imported, non-DRM files such as supported EPUB, PDF, and TXT documents. Privacy Policy: https://privacy.ftw-labs.com/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
聽閱 ReadAloud
Transform any text into a hands-free audiobook. This app supports EPUB, PDF, and TXT files, offering Cantonese, Mandarin, and English narration with customizable reading modes and voices. Enjoy a private, ad-free listening experience with extensive customization options.
- Text-to-speech for EPUB, PDF, TXT
- Cantonese, Mandarin, and English voices
- Voice + Reading and Listen-Only modes
- Customizable fonts, themes, and playback speed
- Offline reading and background audio
- Image-to-text OCR for printed pages
- Traditional/Simplified Chinese conversion
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Turn any text into a hands-free audiobook. ReadAloud reads EPUB, PDF, and TXT files in Cantonese, Mandarin, or English using Apple's high-quality on-device voices — perfect for commuting, exercising, or resting your eyes. READING + LISTENING, TOGETHER Two reading modes that adapt to how you want to consume content: • Voice + Reading — see the full text with the current sentence highlighted as it's being read. • Listen-Only — distraction-free karaoke view showing the previous, current, and next sentences in large text. Ideal for closing your eyes and just listening. SUPPORTED FORMATS • EPUB (2 & 3) — automatic chapter detection • PDF — text extraction with chapter inference • TXT — plain text with smart chapter splitting • Clipboard — paste any article instantly • Printed pages — photograph a book or document and ReadAloud recognises the text on your device, then reads it aloud. Scanned PDFs with no text layer can be recognised the same way. Nothing is uploaded. MULTILINGUAL VOICES Switch between three voice languages — each remembers its own speed: • Cantonese (zh-HK) — 阿成, 善怡, and more • Mandarin (zh-CN / zh-TW) — 冬梅 (Liaoning), 浩浩 (Shaanxi), 盼盼 (Sichuan), 美嘉 (Taiwan), and others • English (en-US / en-GB / en-AU / en-IN) — Samantha, Daniel, Karen, and any installed English voice TRADITIONAL — SIMPLIFIED Built-in OpenCC engine converts between scripts at the word level — much more accurate than character-by-character mapping. Switch instantly without re-importing your book. SMART READING EXPERIENCE • Sentence-level highlighting that follows the voice • Optional auto-scroll follows the spoken position; off by default and enabled in Settings • "Return to reading position" floating button when you scroll away • Tap-and-hold any text: read from here, look it up in the dictionary, translate it, highlight it, or fix how a word is pronounced • Highlights in four colours, with notes, exportable as Markdown • Edit a chapter's text when an import needs proofreading • Search within books with jump-to-result • Auto-detected chapters with table of contents • Background audio: keep listening with the screen locked • Built-in sleep timer (15 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 90 min) with soft fade-out CUSTOMISE EVERYTHING • Font size, line spacing, font family (serif, rounded, monospaced) • Three themes: dark, light, sepia • Orientation lock (auto / portrait / landscape) • Per-language playback speed • Voice gender preference (auto, male, female) 100% PRIVATE ReadAloud was built around a simple principle: your reading is none of our business. • No accounts, no sign-up, no login. • No analytics, no tracking, no ads. • Nothing you import, read, or listen to is ever sent anywhere. • All books and progress stay on your device. Delete the app and everything is gone. • The app only uses the network when you open the optional free book library and choose a book to download. BUILT FOR CHINESE READERS Many TTS apps cater only to Mandarin. ReadAloud is built by a Hong Kong developer with Cantonese readers in mind. Optimised tokenisation for traditional Chinese, comma-level phrase highlighting that keeps up with natural Cantonese rhythm, and a dedicated voice picker that surfaces "粵語 (香港)" voices first if your default is Cantonese. FREE, NO ADS, NO CATCH No ads. No subscription. No analytics, no tracking, no account. There is no "pro" tier — every reading and listening feature described above is free for everyone, permanently. That also means the app earns nothing on its own, while hosting the free book library and its downloads costs real money. If ReadAloud is useful to you, Settings has a completely optional "Support the developer" section. Supporters get an exclusive app icon and a thank-you mark — that is all it unlocks. Nothing else is ever locked, and the app will never interrupt you to ask. Developed and maintained by Heion Technologies — feedback welcome at terence@heiontech.com. Privacy Policy & Support: https://heiontech.com/readaloud
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: TTS Reader at every 3 days against 聽閱 ReadAloud's every 3 weeks. TTS Reader also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. TTS Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and 聽閱 ReadAloud sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
TTS Reader ships an update every 3 days, 聽閱 ReadAloud every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | TTS Reader | 聽閱 ReadAloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ALAATTIN OZKAYA | Ka Hei MAK |
In-app purchases
TTS Reader
- ReadAloud Weekly$4.997 Days
- ReadAloud Yearly$29.991 Year
聽閱 ReadAloud
- Coffee Supporter$0.99
- Generous Supporter$1.99
- Big Supporter$4.99









