Comparison

Aloud!, text to speech reader vs PDF Reader, Read Aloud

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

PDF Reader, Read Aloud

Features
Read full description

PDF Reader helps you open, read, listen to, search, and manage PDF documents from one place. Features: • Open and read PDF files. • Listen to readable PDF text using text-to-speech. • Start listening from the page you are viewing. • Follow the spoken text with word highlighting. • Automatically continue to the next page while listening. • Search for words and phrases inside PDF documents. • Add annotations, highlights, and drawings. • Save your PDF changes. • Keep recently opened PDFs for quick access. • Add PDFs to Favorites. • Use light and dark appearance modes. PDF Reader provides a simple way to work with pdf documents whether you prefer reading on screen or listening to their text aloud. Some PDF files may contain scanned pages or images without readable text. Text-to-speech and search features require readable text in the PDF.

Screenshots

Aloud!, text to speech reader4 screens
PDF Reader, Read Aloud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader, Read Aloud at none against Aloud!, text to speech reader's 1. PDF Reader, Read Aloud also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). Aloud!, text to speech reader's advantage is iOS requirement (14.2 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Aloud!, text to speech reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Reader, Read Aloud asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, PDF Reader, Read Aloud daily. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Aloud!, text to speech reader versus PDF Reader, Read Aloud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAloud!, text to speech readerPDF Reader, Read Aloud
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (242 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews43.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings242 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyDaily — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.2 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB10 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperChun Kai LauNamik Ersun

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
Show 12 more
  • 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.)
Show 9 more
  • 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

PDF Reader, Read Aloud

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Aloud!, text to speech reader

One-time1
  • Premium Version$6.99
None

PDF Reader, Read Aloud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Aloud!, text to speech reader free?
Aloud!, text to speech reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Reader, Read Aloud free?
PDF Reader, Read Aloud is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Aloud!, text to speech reader or PDF Reader, Read Aloud have ads?
Both Aloud!, text to speech reader and PDF Reader, Read Aloud show ads.
Which is updated more often, Aloud!, text to speech reader or PDF Reader, Read Aloud?
Aloud!, text to speech reader ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Reader, Read Aloud daily. Most recently, Aloud!, text to speech reader was updated on October 14, 2026 and PDF Reader, Read Aloud on October 11, 2026.

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