What is Speechify?
Speechify is a text-to-speech app that reads any text aloud: PDF documents, web pages, emails, ebooks and even photos of printed pages. It is developed by Speechify Inc., started as a tool for people with dyslexia and today claims more than 60 million users among students, professionals and readers.
Unlike voiceover tools for creators, Speechify is built for listening instead of reading: it works on iPhone, Android, desktop and as a Chrome extension, syncs your reading position across devices and lets you speed up playback to five times normal, so you can get through long documents while walking or driving.
Main Features
- Read aloud PDFs, websites, Google Docs, emails and ebooks with text highlighting
- 1,000+ natural voices in more than 60 languages on the Premium plan
- Scan and listen: photograph a printed page and the app reads it
- Up to 5x speed to get through long documents faster
- AI summaries and chat about the document you are listening to
- Voice typing and AI podcasts: write by speaking and turn a text into an audio episode
How Does Speechify Work?
Install the app on your phone or the Chrome extension, open a document or web page and press play: Speechify reads the text in the voice you chose, highlighting words as it goes. Files can also be loaded from Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, and playback resumes from the same point on another device.
Its most distinctive feature is scanning: point the camera at a book page or a photocopy and the text is recognized and read immediately. AI tools also let you ask for a summary of the document.
Who is Speechify for?
- People with dyslexia or reading difficulties
- University students with lots of handouts and PDFs to study
- Professionals who have to read reports, contracts and long emails
- Commuters who prefer to listen to articles and books on the go
- Language learners who want to hear pronunciation
Use Cases
- Listening to exam notes on the way to class
- Having a long article read to you during a walk
- Turning a paper book into audio by photographing its pages
- Proofreading your own writing by hearing it aloud
- Getting a summary of a PDF dozens of pages long
Pricing
The Free plan costs nothing but is limited: 10 robotic-sounding voices, maximum 1.5x speed and basic reading only. Premium costs $29 per month or $139 per year (about $11.60 per month) and unlocks 1,000+ natural voices, 60+ languages, up to 5x speed, page scanning, AI summaries and chat, and cloud integrations. For voiceover production there is a separate product, Speechify Studio, with its own price list.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great for listening to any text, anywhere, on every device
- Very convenient scanning of printed pages
- Natural Premium voices in many languages
Cons:
- Free plan voices sound robotic
- The monthly price is high: only the annual plan is good value
- Not designed for creating voiceovers to publish
Final Verdict
Speechify is the best AI voice reader for anyone who studies or works with lots of text and would rather listen to it: simple, available everywhere and with convincing voices. Regular users should pick the annual plan; anyone looking for voices for videos and podcasts to publish will find better-suited tools in this same ranking.