# Aloud vs em

The clearest difference is price: Aloud at Free against em's $19.99. Aloud also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). em's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#179 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Aloud is free to download; em costs $19.99 up front. Aloud sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. em asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Aloud against 5.0 for em. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Aloud ships an update every 2 weeks, em every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aloud | em |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $19.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aloud-text-to-speech-reader/id6795773116/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#179** |
| Size | 30 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fotios Avgidis](https://appshunter.io/developer/6787521132) | [Justin Cox](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797005005) |

## What reviewers say

### Aloud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aloud-text-to-speech-reader/id6795773116)

Convert any readable content into spoken audio with natural-sounding voices. Save articles, PDFs, or pasted text to listen to later, even offline. Customize playback speed and enjoy a private, ad-free listening experience.

**Highlights:** Convert articles, PDFs, and text to speech, On-device voice generation for privacy, Offline listening support, Adjustable playback speed (0.5x to 3x), Hands-free autoplay and lock-screen controls, Save and organize content for later

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |


### em

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/em-markdown-writer-and-editor/id6797005003)

**Currently charting:** #179 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

A distraction-free Markdown editor for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that keeps your writing files private and accessible. Features smart search, automatic version history, and optional AI assistance for editing and content review.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free Markdown editor, Smart Search with filters and Smart Folders, Automatic version history stored in iCloud, Ghost site integration for publishing, On-device AI for editing and review, Offline editing capabilities, Customizable reader and editor

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aloud free?

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

### Is em free?

em costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Aloud or em?

Aloud and em are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Aloud or em have ads?

Neither Aloud nor em shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aloud or em?

Aloud ships an update every 2 weeks, and em every 9 days. Most recently, Aloud was updated on October 25, 2026 and em on October 15, 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.*