Aloud!, text to speech reader vs Pocket Pointer
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.
Pocket Pointer
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Your iPhone is already in your hand. Pocket Pointer turns it into a trackpad and keyboard for your Mac — real multi-touch gestures, real typing, no cable and no account. Free, both halves, with nothing to unlock. THE TRACKPAD YOU ALREADY KNOW • Move the pointer with one finger • Tap to click. Two-finger tap to right-click • Two-finger drag to scroll, with natural scrolling if you prefer it • Press, hold, then move to drag and drop • Three-finger swipe up for Mission Control • Three-finger swipe down for App Exposé • Three-finger swipe left or right to move between Spaces A KEYBOARD THAT ACTUALLY TYPES • Use your iPhone's own keyboard — every language you have installed, emoji, and dictation all arrive on the Mac • ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ sit above the keys, so ⌘C, ⌘Tab and ⌘Space work the way they do on a Mac • Double-tap a modifier to hold it for several keys, tap again to let go • Esc, Tab and the arrow keys are right there — enough to run a slide deck from the back of the room BUILT FOR THE COUCH AND THE DESK • Pair once with a six-digit code, then never again • Reconnects on its own the next time you open the app • Pointer speed, scroll direction and haptics are yours to set • Tracks at your display's full refresh rate, so the cursor moves when your finger does PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION Your iPhone talks to your Mac directly over your own Wi-Fi. No server sits in the middle, there is no account to create, and there is nothing about you to collect — no analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs of any kind. Sessions are encrypted with AES-128-GCM, keyed by a credential kept in each device's Keychain, and a Mac only pairs when you type the code it is showing you. WHAT YOU NEED Pocket Pointer needs its free companion helper on the Mac — a small menu-bar app you install once from pocketpointer.vercel.app. It asks for Accessibility, which is what macOS requires before anything can move your pointer, and for nothing else. • iPhone running iOS 26 or later • Mac running macOS 26 or later • Both devices on the same local network Setup help and troubleshooting: pocketpointer.vercel.app/support.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket Pointer at none against Aloud!, text to speech reader's 1. Pocket Pointer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). Aloud!, text to speech reader's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.2 vs 26.0). On price 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. Pocket Pointer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, Pocket Pointer daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aloud!, text to speech reader | Pocket Pointer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (243 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 43.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 243 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.2 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chun Kai Lau | Arnav Roy |
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
Pocket Pointer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Aloud!, text to speech reader
- Premium Version$6.99
Pocket Pointer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Aloud!, text to speech reader free?
Is Pocket Pointer free?
Do Aloud!, text to speech reader or Pocket Pointer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aloud!, text to speech reader or Pocket Pointer?
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