Voice vs Total Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Voice
This app uses advanced OCR technology to read text aloud from documents, photos, and even handwritten notes. It offers real-time scanning, voice control, and batch processing for efficient document reading. Supports numerous languages and voices for a personalized experience.
- Advanced OCR for text recognition
- Real-time and standard photo scanning
- Voice control for hands-free operation
- Batch mode for multiple page scanning
- Scan Tone for document corner detection
- Supports 47 languages and 180 reading voices
- Offline mode for privacy and accessibility
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Hi! This is Shalin Shah — creator of Voice. I’m a senior studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Voice has been a project of mine since I was in high school, and I’ve been working hard to make it better over the last 6 years. Voice was hand-crafted for people like you. It can help you quickly read items like product labels and magazine pages in your day-to-day. But you can also use it for more advanced reading like mail or books. My goal with Voice was to create the most simple and intuitive interface to help you read things. Here are some features that I hope are helpful. OCR: Voice’s OCR engine is perhaps one of the best in the world. You no longer need to worry about low lighting and bad focus, Voice corrects it automatically and gives you pixel-perfect accuracy every time. Voice can even read scribbles and handwritten text with incredible accuracy. Standard Photo Capture: The most basic way to use Voice is by simply tapping the button labeled by VoiceOver as “Camera. Button” This will take a picture. Then simply tap the button labeled “Next. Button” and Voice will perform OCR on your image and read it aloud. Voice Control: Alternatively, you can control the app using your voice if you find that tapping buttons shake your camera. Simply say “capture” to snap a picture, and “read” to start processing the image. Batch Mode: Batch mode is enabled by default. To read more than one page, just keep taking photos using the “Camera. Button” or by saying the word “capture” many times. Voice will read all the documents one after another. Scan Tone: Good OCR detection does not depend on the corners of a document to be visible. But if corner detection is important to you, Scan Tone plays a tone when it sees all 4 corners visible. The tone gets louder or softer depending on the placement, tilt, and orientation of your phone relative to your document. A louder scan tone means better visibility of your document. Real-Time Mode: Voice also supports real-time scanning. Toggle this on, then simply hold your phone in front of any document with text and Voice will read it out loud in real-time. Voice also automatically turns on flash when it detects sub-par lighting and turns it off for objects that would glare. Reading Voices & Languages: Voice supports 47 languages and offers 180 reading voices. 52 voices are the standard iOS voices, and 128 of them are premium AI-generated voices with extremely fluent intonations. You can adjust your language, reading voice, and speaking rate in Settings. Photo Library: The photo library picker lets you pick multiple images at a time from any of your albums. Offline Mode: Voice now fully works without wifi. If privacy is a concern or you don’t care for that extra bit of OCR quality, then feel free to use Voice in offline mode. You can turn it on in settings. Saving & Exporting: Once your document has been scanned, it takes one tap to copy your detected OCR text to your clipboard, export it as an accessible PDF, export it as a Plain Text file, or simply export all the images you captured. Importing: Voice allows you to import both images and PDFs from other apps. It automatically detects the document format and performs OCR. VoiceOver" The entire app was crafted with VoiceOver in mind, so everything is fully accessible. App Size: Voice has only a 6.9-megabyte app size. Pricing: You get 20 free scans per month. You can use those scans in either Short Text Mode or Standard Capture Mode. Once those 20 scans are up, you must purchase the Elite plan for $9.99 per month or the Believer plan for $99.99 per year. You save $20 a year, or 17%, by upgrading to the Believer plan. We are committed to keeping Voice OCR open for scholars and others lacking financial stability. Fill out this short form to tell us about your situation at http://bit.ly/VoiceOCR. Further Help: Feel free to reach out to my personal email, shalinvs@gmail.com, for any feedback.
Total Reader
This app converts text files into natural-sounding speech, allowing users to listen to documents while following along with highlighted text. It supports a wide range of file formats and over 30 languages, with easy import options from cloud storage and computers.
- Reads documents aloud
- Converts text to natural voice
- Highlights spoken words
- Supports PDF, Word, PowerPoint, RTF
- Imports from cloud storage
- Supports over 30 languages
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Transform the way you consume text with Total Reader, your ultimate AI text to speech voice reader. Whether you want to listen to a work presentation hands-free, study complex documents, or enjoy your favorite EPUB on the go, our advanced speech synthesis engine converts written words into fluent, natural-sounding audio. Why choose Total Reader? Our advanced context-aware reader intelligently processes dates, numbers, and abbreviations, delivering a flawless, human-like narration experience that outperforms standard read-aloud tools. KEY FEATURES: • Advanced Speech Synthesis: Experience premium, expressive text-to-speech engines across 30+ languages for a smooth, fatigue-free listening experience. • Versatile Document Support: Import and read aloud PDFs, MS Word (.doc & .docx), Powerpoint presentations, RTF, and plain text files seamlessly. • Instant Web Reading: Save time by listening to articles, essays, and news directly from the web instead of straining your eyes. • Smart Document Scanner: Instantly digitize physical printed books, notes, or documents using the built-in OCR scanner to read them aloud. • Visual Reading Follow-Along: Boost your comprehension and focus with synchronized word-by-word visual highlighting as the audio plays. • Seamless Cloud Import: Easily fetch files directly from Apple Mail, Dropbox, Google Drive, or transfer them straight from your Mac or PC. • Custom Reading Environment: Personalize your app experience with beautiful, customizable themes optimized for both daytime and night reading. MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT: Total Reader reads documents flawlessly in over 30 languages and regional accents, including English (US, UK, Irish, Australian), Spanish (including Mexican), Portuguese (including Brazilian), Russian, German, French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and many more. Streamline your daily routine and maximize your productivity. Download Total Reader today to experience the future of spoken audio content! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Voice at 48% against Total Reader's 13%. Voice also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). Total Reader's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Voice sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Total Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Total Reader holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 37 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Voice's written reviews are positive against 13% of Total Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Voice | Total Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (15 ratings) | 3.8 (37 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.4% of reviews — better | 13.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 37 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shalin Shah | Storch |
Customer experience
Voice
Total Reader
Bugs and requests
Voice
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes after taking picture
- App crashes during image processing
- App crashes when selecting photos from library
- App crashes when granting camera/microphone permissions
- App freezes on intro screen
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- VoiceOver compatibility broken on iPhone 7+
- Spanish voice stopped working after update
- App stuck on single page
- Flash setting reverts to incorrect state
- Premature photo capture in low light
- No audio tones despite app info claiming them
- Text not reading in sequence/skipping content
- Incorrect text recognition (reads wrong content)
- App force closes after processing
- Settings reset after each use
- Auto mode detects non-existent corners
- Poor image quality from camera
Requested features
15 requests- Turkish language support
- French language interface
- German language support
- Offline processing capability
- Multi-page document scanning and saving
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- PDF file support
- Instant/real-time text reading
- Manual button controls alongside voice commands
- Adjustable reading speed options
- Text highlighting and editing features
- Share and export functionality improvements
- Continuous reading without retaking photos
- Bluetooth support
- Clickable links in scanned documents
- Better contrast on action buttons
Total Reader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Voice
- Elite$9.991 Month
- Believer$99.991 Year
Total Reader
- Premium Account for 1 month.$2.991 Month
- Premium Account for 1 year.$19.991 Year
- Total Reader Premium Lifetime.$39.99
Questions
Is Voice free?
Is Total Reader free?
Which has better reviews, Voice or Total Reader?
Do Voice or Total Reader have ads?
Which is updated more often, Voice or Total Reader?
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