Narraloud vs Readium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Narraloud
Listen to any text content, including articles, documents, and books, with natural-sounding voices that run offline and ensure your privacy. Enjoy features like word-by-word highlighting, adjustable playback speed, and a sleep timer for a seamless listening experience.
- On-device natural voice narration
- Offline listening
- Privacy-focused, no data upload
- Supports articles, PDFs, EPUBs, Word docs
- Word-by-word highlighting
- Adjustable playback speed
- Sleep timer
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Listen to anything you read. The article you saved for later, the contract from work, the book you’re halfway through. Narraloud reads them to you in natural voices that live right on your device. Natural voices run on your device, so narration works offline, nothing meters your listening, and your reading stays private. Books. PDFs. Links. Even the page sitting in front of you. Import what you want to read, press play, and listen while you walk, commute, cook, work, or simply give your eyes a break. NATURAL VOICES. RIGHT ON YOUR DEVICE. Narraloud uses neural speech models that run directly on your phone. Narration works offline, on a plane, in a tunnel, anywhere, and there is no account required just to start listening. Dozens of voices across seven languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese, each reading its own language natively. Just open something and listen. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your reading is personal. Narraloud’s narration runs on your device, so your documents are never uploaded to a server just to be spoken aloud. What you read is your business. NO CREDITS. JUST LISTEN. No minute packs, no word limits, and no meter running while you listen. Press play on a twenty-hour book and hear all of it. EVERYTHING YOU READ, READY TO LISTEN Bring almost anything into Narraloud: • Send articles directly from other apps • Import PDFs, EPUBs, and Word documents • Open documents from the Files app, including your cloud drives • Paste text from anywhere • Scan printed pages with your camera Narraloud turns them into clear, natural narration. FOLLOW ALONG AS YOU LISTEN Narraloud is designed for reading with your ears without losing your place on the page. • Word-by-word highlighting follows the narration • Change playback speed anytime • Continue listening from the Lock Screen with full playback controls • Bookmark passages to come back to • Choose a voice that fits what you’re reading • Jump forward or backward • Set a sleep timer and drift off to a chapter MADE FOR MORE WAYS OF READING For some people, listening is convenient. For others, it’s how reading becomes possible. Narraloud is built with accessibility as a core part of the product: full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type throughout the app, dyslexia-friendly and hyperlegible reading fonts, and synchronized highlighting that lets you see each word as you hear it. It’s especially useful for readers with dyslexia or low vision, people who process information better when they hear it, and anyone who’d simply rather listen. NARRALOUD PLUS Narraloud reads aloud for free, forever. Plus adds the power tools: export any document as an audiobook, get imports cleaned and structured automatically, use the full voice catalog in VoiceOver and every other app, and teach the pronunciation dictionary your names and jargon. Subscription plans include a 7-day free trial. You can also buy the Lifetime plan, own it for good, and get every feature we ship next at no extra cost. Narraloud - text to narration. Press play on your reading list. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://narraloud.com/privacy
Readium
Transform any text document, PDF, or web article into a natural-sounding audiobook. Follow along with highlighted words in real-time for improved focus and recall. Offers lifelike AI voices and offline playback for a private, distraction-free reading experience.
- Text-to-speech audiobook conversion
- Real-time word highlighting
- Lifelike AI and offline voices
- Distraction-free reader with themes
- Background playback with lockscreen controls
- Supports EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and web articles
- Adjustable playback speed
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Turn any book, PDF, or web article into a natural-sounding audiobook — and follow every word as it's read aloud. Lifelike voices, online or offline. Read faster, remember more. Readium reads your books, PDFs, articles, and documents out loud with beautiful, human-sounding voices — while highlighting each word in real time so your eyes and ears work together. It's the calm, private way to get through your reading list. WHY READIUM • Listen and follow along — real-time word highlighting keeps you focused and boosts recall • Lifelike AI voices plus built-in device voices that work fully offline • Beautiful, distraction-free reader — 4 themes (Light, Dark, Slate, Sepia) and reading fonts • Background playback with lockscreen media controls showing the book title and author • Adjustable speed, sentence skip, and a sleep-friendly experience • Thousands of classic books from Project Gutenberg — one tap to add to your library • Optimized for iPhone and iPad, including split-view multitasking IMPORT ANYTHING • EPUB, PDF, MOBI, AZW3, and FictionBook (FB2) • Plain text, Markdown, and HTML files • Web articles — browse to any page inside Readium and add it with a tap • Share sheet — send a link from Safari or any other app straight to your library • Rename titles and edit authors to keep your library tidy HOW IT WORKS 1. Import a book, PDF, or paste a web link 2. Pick a voice — a lifelike AI voice or a device voice that works offline 3. Press play and follow the highlighted words VOICES IN YOUR LANGUAGE English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Bangla — with more on the way. Preview any voice before you pick. GREAT FOR Commuters and multitaskers. Students and researchers. Readers with dyslexia, ADHD, or low vision. Anyone who wants a beautiful, listen-along reading experience. Reading, but faster — and finally enjoyable. Download Readium and start listening.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Readium at 5.0 against Narraloud's 3.7. Readium also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Narraloud sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Readium asks for nothing beyond the download.
Readium holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Narraloud ships an update weekly, Readium every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Narraloud | Readium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (11 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Argmax | Raquib Ul Alam |
Customer experience
Narraloud
Readium
In-app purchases
Narraloud
- Weekly Plus$2.997 Days
- Monthly Plus7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Yearly Plus7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Lifetime Plus$79.99
Readium
No in-app purchases









