Aloud!, text to speech reader vs Text to Speech PDF Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aloud!, text to speech reader
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.
- Hear PDF, DOCX, EPUB & web pages
- Background & offline playback
- Auto progress tracking
- Customizable speech rate and pitch
- Synchronized word highlighting
- Universal format support
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Reading on YOUR TERMS - Anywhere, Anytime, Anything Welcome to Aloud!, the ultimate Text-to-Speech (TTS) reader that transforms your content into audio. Turn your documents, articles, and eBooks into a personal audio library. Aloud! is the perfect voice reader for your commute, workout, or study session. It’s a powerful accessibility tool for anyone who needs reading support, and an essential productivity app for those who want to give their eyes a rest. ■ HEAR PDF, DOCX, EPUB & WEB PAGES Finally, a reader that handles everything. From critical PDF reports and Word (DOCX) documents to your favorite EPUB or Mobi eBook. Use our integrated browser to instantly import and listen to web pages, saving them for offline access. No more format juggling. ■ BACKGROUND & OFFLINE PLAY Aloud! works where you do. With true offline playback for all saved files, you're never limited by a connection. Continue listening with your screen locked or while using other apps—your audio plays seamlessly in the background. ■ AUTO PROGRESS TRACKING Never lose your place. Aloud! automatically remembers your position in every document and article. Pick up right where you left off, every single time. ■ YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE Tailor your listening experience. Adjust the speech rate and pitch to find a voice that's perfect for you. Follow along with synchronized word highlighting, an essential tool for study, proofreading, and improving reading comprehension. THE ALOUD! ADVANTAGE: • Trusted Since 2014: A decade of continuous improvement and user-focused updates. • Universal Format Support: Our powerful engine supports PDF, Microsoft Office (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX), iWorks Pages, OpenOffice (ODT, ODP), EPUB, MOBI, AZW, FB2, TXT, RTF, HTML, and even files inside ZIP, RAR, & 7Z archives. • Accessibility Focused: A vital tool for users with dyslexia, visual impairments, and other reading challenges. Stop reading, start listening. Download Aloud! today and reimagine your content.
Text to Speech PDF Reader
Listen to your PDF documents with a variety of high-quality voices and languages. The app highlights words as it reads, automatically scrolls pages, and remembers your reading progress. Save and access specific text sections as highlights.
- Listen to PDF documents
- Multiple high-quality voices and languages
- Word highlighting and automatic scrolling
- Resume reading from last position
- Save and access text highlights
- Crop feature to skip content
- Sync documents across devices
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Read along to enhance comprehension or just kick back and listen to any PDF. * Dozens of high-quality voices in multiple languages to choose from with additional voices available to download on your device for free. * Choose a primary and secondary voice and switch between them easily as you read. * The app will highlight words as it reads and scroll the page automatically. * The app will remember where you left off and scroll to that position automatically next time you open a document. * Select any portion of text to save it as a highlight. * Tap any of your saved highlights and the app will open the pdf and scroll to the appropriate position. * Use the crop feature to skip repeated content that you don't want the app to read. * Support for dynamic type. * Support for Dark Mode. * Save as many pdfs as you want. * Optionally sync your documents with all of your iOS/iPadOS devices. If you enjoy the app please let us know through the in-app contact form and don't forget to rate us! Thank you for trying TTS PDF. --- "TTS PDF Yearly" is an annual auto-renewable subscription for $9.99. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew up to 24 hours before your next subscription payment is due via your App Store settings page. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://bretlester.com/app_content/ttspdf_terms.html Privacy Policy: https://bretlester.com/app_content/ttspdf_privacy_policy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Aloud!, text to speech reader at free with in-app purchases against Text to Speech PDF Reader's subscription. Aloud!, text to speech reader also leads on iOS requirement (14.2 vs 16.0). Text to Speech PDF Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). 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. Aloud!, text to speech reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Text to Speech PDF Reader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Text to Speech PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 242 and 552 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Aloud!, text to speech reader's written reviews are positive against 44% of Text to Speech PDF Reader's.
Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, Text to Speech PDF Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aloud!, text to speech reader | Text to Speech PDF Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (242 ratings) | 4.5 (552 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.3% of reviews | 44.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 242 | 552 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 14.2 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chun Kai Lau | Bret Lester |
Customer experience
Aloud!, text to speech reader
Text to Speech PDF Reader
User reviews
Aloud!, text to speech reader
From 242 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 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
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
Text to Speech PDF Reader
From 552 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple and works
- 🚀 Saving my life
- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 🚀 Awesome app
- 🚀 Turns my PDFs to Audio Books
Room to improve
- 🐛 Does not read alternate text
- 🐛 Not reading clear anymore
- 🐛 Rubbish
- 🐛 Garbage
- 🐛 Crashed every time I opened it
Bugs and requests
Aloud!, text to speech reader
Reported bugs
17 issues- 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
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- PDF files load with no spaces between words
- ePub files load in reverse order
- Language selection doesn't work
- App freezes when loading documents
- Upgrade widget broken - cannot complete purchase
- Purchased app reverts to free version
- Ads cause app to crash when closed
- Mispronounces special characters as 'to the power of'
- Cannot edit text after typing
- Incompatibility with iOS 12.5.5 and older versions
- Scrolling to previous location causes crashes
- Character recognition failures (fi, fl, ff)
Requested features
14 requests- 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.)
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- Screen lock prevention during reading
- Repeat/loop functionality
- Better character recognition (fi, fl, ff combinations)
- Direct PDF opening from other apps
- Better voice selection for different dialects
- Skip opening statements/introductions
- Improved keyboard handling
- Dark mode or customizable background
- Better integration with other apps
Text to Speech PDF Reader
Reported bugs
8 issues- Skips paragraphs and double plays when pausing
- Erased files without consent
- Doesn't work with two-column text
- Reads text backwards
- Unable to copy/paste or open certain files
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- Skips sentences and doesn't read column text in the correct order
- Skips whole paragraphs
- Glitches and gets stuck in a reading loop
Requested features
7 requests- Add ability to read alternate text (alttext) in PDFs
- Improve voice quality and options
- Add ability to organize files in folders
- Add mobile-friendly version
- Improve handling of scanned/column PDFs
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Add ability to skip headers/page numbers
- Improve pronunciation of uncommon words
In-app purchases
Aloud!, text to speech reader
- Premium Version$6.99
Text to Speech PDF Reader
- TTSPDF Unlimited Weekly7 Days trial$0.997 Days
- TTS PDF Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Premium Weekly$9.997 Days
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- Premium Weekly7 Days trial$9.997 Days
- TTS PDF Basic7 Days trial$12.991 Year
- Premium Monthly$29.991 Month
- Premium Monthly7 Days trial$29.991 Month
- Premium Annual$119.991 Year
- Premium Annual7 Days trial$119.991 Year
- 1 Million Characters$39.99
Questions
Is Aloud!, text to speech reader free?
Is Text to Speech PDF Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Aloud!, text to speech reader or Text to Speech PDF Reader?
Do Aloud!, text to speech reader or Text to Speech PDF Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aloud!, text to speech reader or Text to Speech PDF Reader?
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