Comparison

WebOutLoud vs Reader

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

Head to head
About

WebOutLoud

Listen to websites, PDFs, and EPUBs with advanced text-to-speech technology. Save content to playlists, organize it into collections, and utilize premium voices. Offers AI summaries and custom pronunciations for an enhanced reading experience.

Highlights
  • Listen to websites, PDFs, EPUBs
  • Premium voices from Amazon Polly, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
  • AI content summaries and chat
  • Custom pronunciations and word substitutions
  • Offline capabilities
  • Playlist creation
  • Safari and Chrome browser integration
Features
Read full description

Listen to websites, PDFs, EPUBs, any text using text to speech. Perfect for Web Novels & Fanfiction. Includes premium voices from Amazon Polly, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and others. Custom pronunciations, AI summaries, PDF text-to-speech, offline capabilities, desktop integration, iCloud sync and Dark Mode.* You can save articles, e-novels, PDFs and EPUBs to read later, or listen to them one after another in a playlist. Includes Safari extension where you can listen to websites without leaving the browser. No Longer Limited to Websites! - Use WebOutLoud to listen to EPUBS and PDFs*. It highlights words as it reads and remembers where you left off. - Use WebOutLoud to read aloud any text on your device. - Organize your saved content into collections. - Custom substitutions including regular expression support - AI content summaries & chat. Instantly summarize and ask questions about documents and websites up to 300 pages in length.* About WebOutLoud's Leading Website Reader: It's simple! Just navigate to any web page using the in-app web browser and touch play. Web Out Loud will read web pages using a wide selection of voices, from those freely available on your device to the high quality premium voices from Amazon Polly, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and others. Reading requires way too much of your attention. Multitask like a champ! Listen to articles in your car or while you work. - Reads any web page, PDF or text document - Highlights words as it reads - Scrolls the page automatically as you follow along - Tell the app where to begin reading using Touch Assist, or enable the powerful Reader View to eliminate ads and isolate readable content automatically. - Dozens of supported languages, each with their own unique voice - Chrome and mobile Safari browser integration - Custom pronunciations and word substitution - AMP link blocking But how does it know what to read!?!? WebOutLoud uses hand-crafted AI to read web pages to you Out Loud. ---------------------- * PLEASE NOTE: PDF Text to Speech requires, and custom substitutions require a Basic subscription. A Premium subscription is required for AI content summaries and premium voices (i.e. voices by Amazon Polly, Microsoft Azure and others). Listening to web pages and text using the voices that are built-in to your device is free with an occasional ad. ---------------------- WebOutLoud Full Version is a 1-year auto-renewable subscription 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 Service http://wol.bretlester.com/terms_of_service.html Privacy Policy http://wol.bretlester.com/privacy_policy.html

About

Reader

Convert PDFs and web pages into spoken audio with adjustable speech rates. Organize content into folders, import from various sources, and choose from over 50 voices in multiple languages. Enjoy background listening and personalized reading themes.

Highlights
  • PDF and website reader
  • Text to speech conversion
  • Speech rate up to 8x
  • Background audio playback
  • Unlimited folder creation
  • Import from web and files
  • 50+ voices in 35+ languages
Features
Read full description

"One Simple Habit that Changed My Life ... speed listening to content vastly improved my life and you should also give it a go." - Ali Abdaal   Features: - Pdf & website reader. - Text to speech reader. - Speech rate up to 8x speed (God mode) - Speak now or read it later. - Listen in the background like a song. - Create unlimited folders. - Password protected files & folders. - Unlimited Import from websites & Files app. - Unlimited scan from camera & photo library. - More than 50 voices in 35+ languages. - Add new voice option. - Pdf reader with search capability. - Column reader view like newspaper article. - Multiple color theme for personalize reading. - Simple reader view mode for easy reading from websites.  ... and more Read our terms of conditions here - https://sites.google.com/view/speechreader/terms Read our privacy policy here - https://sites.google.com/view/speechreader/privacy

Screenshots

WebOutLoud4 screens
Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

WebOutLoud and Reader both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of WebOutLoud's written reviews are positive against 0% of Reader's. WebOutLoud also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (772 vs 103). Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (14.2 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. WebOutLoud sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WebOutLoud holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WebOutLoud has 772 ratings behind it against 103, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of WebOutLoud's written reviews are positive against 0% of Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WebOutLoud ships an update every 9 days, Reader every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
WebOutLoud versus Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWebOutLoudReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (772 ratings) — better4.5 (103 ratings)
Positive reviews59.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings772 — better103
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.014.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB41 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperBret LesterWarif Rishi

Customer experience

WebOutLoud

All ratings771 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral9.2%
Negative31.3%

Reader

All ratings103 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative80.0%

Bugs and requests

WebOutLoud

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent reading behavior, skipping words or paragraphs
  • Login and account issues, unable to access subscription features
  • Compatibility problems with certain websites and content
  • Resets to the beginning of content when paused

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Bluetooth
  • Improve PDF reading capabilities
  • Provide more natural-sounding voice options
  • Allow customization of pronunciation for specific words

Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

WebOutLoud

Subscriptions8
  • WebOutLoud Basic Monthly$2.991 Month
  • WebOutLoud Premium3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • WebOutLoud Premium$9.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • WebOutLoud Basic Annual7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • WebOutLoud Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • WebOutLoud Premium$29.991 Month
  • WebOutLoud Premium Yearly3 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • WebOutLoud Premium Yearly$119.991 Year
One-time1
  • 1 Million Premium Characters$39.99
3 purchases

Reader

Subscriptions3
  • PREMIUM WEEKLY$4.997 Days
  • PREMIUM MONTHLY3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • PREMIUM YEARLY3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is WebOutLoud free?
WebOutLoud is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reader free?
Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WebOutLoud or Reader?
WebOutLoud is rated higher. WebOutLoud averages 4.6 out of 5 from 772 ratings, while Reader averages 4.5 from 103 ratings.
Do WebOutLoud or Reader have ads?
Neither WebOutLoud nor Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WebOutLoud or Reader?
WebOutLoud ships an update every 9 days, and Reader every 6 weeks. Most recently, WebOutLoud was updated on November 4, 2026 and Reader on November 3, 2026.

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