# Seeing AI vs Speechify

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Seeing AI at none against Speechify's 10. Seeing AI also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (69% vs 34%). Speechify's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Speechify sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Seeing AI asks for nothing beyond the download.

Speechify holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Speechify has 528K ratings behind it against 633, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Seeing AI's written reviews are positive against 34% of Speechify's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Seeing AI ships an update every 2 months, Speechify weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Seeing AI | Speechify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (633 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seeing-ai/id999062298/reviews) | **[4.7 (528K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speechify-text-to-speech-pdf/id1209815023/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 633 | **528K** |
| Positive reviews | **68.6% of reviews** | 34.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#18** |
| Size | 309 MB | 531 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Speechify Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263322875) |

## What reviewers say

### Seeing AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seeing-ai/id999062298)

This free app uses AI to narrate the visual world for individuals who are blind or have low vision. It describes people, text, and objects, assisting with daily tasks like reading documents, identifying products, and recognizing faces.

**Highlights:** Read text and documents, Describe photos and objects, Scan product barcodes, Recognize people and currency, Identify personal objects, Augmented reality environment exploration, Identify colors and light levels

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for visually impaired users
- 🚀 Accurate text and document recognition
- 🚀 Useful for reading labels, mail, and other text
- 👍 Comprehensive set of features in one app
- 👍 Life-changing for some users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes or becomes unusable after updates
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance in scanning barcodes and recognizing colors
- 🐛 Facial recognition not very accurate
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with facial recognition
- 👎 Difficult to navigate for blind users due to small buttons

**Reported bugs**

- Barcode scanning not working consistently
- Document reader sometimes fails to load or process documents
- Frequent crashes or app becoming unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Add support for more languages, including Arabic and Chinese
- Improve accuracy of color and facial recognition
- Allow users to read digital displays like clocks and appliances
- Integrate with screen readers like VoiceOver for better accessibility
- Add an offline mode for using the app without an internet connection


### Speechify

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speechify-text-to-speech-pdf/id1209815023)

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Grossing · Productivity, #43 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app transforms text into spoken word with lifelike voices, reads documents, images, and articles aloud, and offers voice typing. It also features an AI assistant for summarizing and quizzing, and allows for AI podcast creation.

**Highlights:** Reads text aloud from various sources, Voice typing for faster input, AI assistant for summarization and quizzes, Customizable listening speeds, Human-like voices, Cross-device syncing, AI podcast creation

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $160 Donation No HD voices | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $24.99 | per month |
| Dyslexia Donation | $139.99 | per year |
| Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| Premium | $139.99 | per year |
| Speechify Premium | $159.99 | per year |
| Speechify Library | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient text-to-speech
- 👍 Diverse voice options
- 🤖 Realistic AI narration
- 💡 Helpful for dyslexic/ADHD users
- 🤓 Improved reading comprehension

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔇 Inconsistent voice quality
- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔀 Unreliable page navigation
- 🚫 Restrictive word limits on premium voices

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Text syncing issues
- Incorrect word pronunciations
- Inconsistent highlighting/pacing
- Unexpected voice switches

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit/annotate text
- Improved PDF/document handling
- More affordable subscription options
- Seamless integration with ebooks/websites
- Automatic removal of citations/formatting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Seeing AI free?

Seeing AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Speechify free?

Speechify is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Seeing AI or Speechify?

Speechify is rated higher. Seeing AI averages 4.3 out of 5 from 633 ratings, while Speechify averages 4.7 from 528K ratings.

### Do Seeing AI or Speechify have ads?

Speechify shows ads; Seeing AI does not.

### Which is updated more often, Seeing AI or Speechify?

Seeing AI ships an update every 2 months, and Speechify weekly. Most recently, Seeing AI was updated on November 3, 2026 and Speechify on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*