# Aloud!, text to speech reader vs Speech Central

The clearest difference is ads: Speech Central at none against Aloud!, text to speech reader's shown. Speech Central also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 38%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Aloud!, text to speech reader's advantage is iOS requirement (14.2 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Aloud!, text to speech reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Speech Central sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Speech Central holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Speech Central has 1.6K ratings behind it against 242, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Aloud!, text to speech reader's written reviews are positive against 70% of Speech Central's.

Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, Speech Central weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aloud!, text to speech reader | Speech Central |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (242 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aloud-text-to-speech-reader/id852033350/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-voice-reader/id1127349155/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 242 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 38.3% of reviews | **69.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.2** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chun Kai Lau](https://appshunter.io/developer/777529458) | [Labsii](https://appshunter.io/developer/1127349154) |

## What reviewers say

### Aloud!, text to speech reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aloud-text-to-speech-reader/id852033350)

Transform documents, articles, and eBooks into audio with this text-to-speech reader. Enjoy offline playback, customizable voices, and automatic progress tracking for a seamless listening experience anywhere, anytime. It's an ideal tool for productivity and accessibility.

**Highlights:** Hear PDF, DOCX, EPUB & web pages, Background & offline playback, Auto progress tracking, Customizable speech rate and pitch, Synchronized word highlighting, Universal format support

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy copy-paste functionality for text input
- 🎧 Helpful for accessibility and learning disabilities
- ⚡ Works well with multiple file formats when functioning
- 🎯 Useful for multitasking (studying while driving/walking)
- 🔊 Adjustable speech speed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes when opening files
- 🐛 Crashes on startup after updates
- 🗣️ Robotic and unnatural voice quality
- 📄 Poor PDF and ePub file handling
- 💾 Save function doesn't work reliably

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening large files
- App crashes on startup after recent updates
- Save function fails to work
- Text repetition bug - reads same paragraph repeatedly
- Cursor position doesn't match audio being read

**Requested features**

- Ability to set custom starting point for reading
- Better voice options and quality
- Ad-free paid version
- Improved PDF/ePub integration
- Better language support (Vietnamese, Dutch, etc.)


### Speech Central

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speech-central-voice-reader/id1127349155)

This app transforms text from various documents and web pages into speech, offering a distraction-free reading experience. It supports numerous file formats and provides customizable voices, including offline and AI options. Designed for productivity and accessibility, it syncs across Apple devices and offers study tools.

**Highlights:** Optimized PDF & Web Reading, Broad Document Support (PDF, EPUB, DOCX), Offline and Cloud AI Voices, Cross-device Sync, CarPlay & Apple Watch Support, Accessibility Profiles, Annotation and Export Tools

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Speech Central Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Life-saving app
- 👍 Nice app
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Affordable and full-featured
- 👍 Excellent app for accessibility

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Not great
- 🐛 Trash
- 🐛 Robotic voices
- 🐛 Terrible voices
- 🐛 Buggy

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when changing advanced settings
- Inconsistent behavior when importing documents
- Fails to recognize some file formats
- Playback issues with high-speed mode
- Repeating chapters unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Add more natural-sounding voices
- Improve chapter/section navigation
- Allow custom pronunciation of words
- Add support for more languages
- Integrate with Bookshare library


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aloud!, text to speech reader free?

Aloud!, text to speech reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Speech Central free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Aloud!, text to speech reader or Speech Central?

Speech Central is rated higher. Aloud!, text to speech reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 242 ratings, while Speech Central averages 4.6 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Aloud!, text to speech reader or Speech Central have ads?

Aloud!, text to speech reader shows ads; Speech Central does not.

### Which is updated more often, Aloud!, text to speech reader or Speech Central?

Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, and Speech Central weekly. Most recently, Aloud!, text to speech reader was updated on September 21, 2026 and Speech Central on September 24, 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.*