Audioread vs ElevenReader (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick ElevenReader: it is second in our ranking of AI voice generators, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.2.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ElevenReader grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Audioread
Turns articles, PDFs and emails into audio for podcast apps
ElevenReader
Reader app that reads your files and audiobooks aloud in AI voices
Which one is for you
Pick Audioread if
- Fits if you listen to articles in your podcast app
- Works for a team of 2 to 9 on Team at $8.99 a user
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you listen to many articles, as Basic allows 3 a month
- Tight if you stay free: 1,000 characters per article
- Pricey if you go past the allotment, as packs are $15 per 1 million Pro characters or per 200,000 Premium ones
- Watch out: the yearly rate was not readable, and the FAQ mentions a 7-day trial with unreadable terms
Pick ElevenReader if
- Fits if you want PDFs and articles read to you in a natural voice on your phone
- Works for readers who might stay inside 10 hours a month
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you read a lot: free stops at 10 hours of text-to-audio a month
- Pricey if you want offline listening or custom voices, because both need Ultra at $8.25 a month
- Watch out: premium audiobooks are capped at 20 hours a month even on Ultra
- Watch out: the Ultra trial is 3 days, which is short, and the Black Friday offer on the site shows no end date
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAudioreadFair | 2.8GPAElevenReaderGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$9.99 a month for Pro, at the category's $9.99 middle. | CUltra is $8.25 a month billed yearly ($11 monthly). The middle for voice tools is about $10, so this is ordinary. A Black Friday offer is shown but not counted. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic is free: 3 articles a month, up to 3 feeds and 1,000 characters per article. | BFree plan: 10 hours of text-to-audio a month, about one 400-page book, with 1,000+ voices and sync. One person can live on that, but it stops mid-book for heavy readers. |
| Features | CMany input types, a private podcast feed, voices, offline listening and team plans. The free plan is capped hard. | BUploads PDF, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown and text, 1,000+ voices in 90+ languages, a catalog of audiobooks and playback controls. Offline downloads and custom voices need Ultra. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you connect a feed to a podcast app. | BNo store rating on record. Upload a file and press play, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Slack. No desktop app. | BWeb, iOS, Android and a browser extension, synced across them. No desktop app and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | articles, PDFs and emails as podcast audio | listening to your own files with AI voices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Audioread and ElevenReader. How we grade
Price against what you get
Audioread starts at $9.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ElevenReader starts at $8.25 a month and scores 3.0.
ElevenReader scores higher and starts $1.74 a month lower. Of the other AI voice generators on the chart, 8 score higher than Audioread for less, and 1 scores higher than ElevenReader for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| Audioread | ElevenReader | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month for Pro | $8.25 per month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Basic is free: 3 articles a month, up to 3 feeds and 1,000 characters per article. | 10 hours of text-to-audio each month, 1,000+ voices, free audiobooks, sync between web and mobile, up to 4x speed, sleep timer and bookmarks. |
| Free trial | None listed | 3-day free trial of Ultra |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Audioread | ElevenLabs |
| Price read from | audioread.com | elevenreader.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Audioread
- The Basic plan allows only 3 articles a month at 1,000 characters each.
- Extra characters are sold in packs: $15 per 1 million Pro characters or $15 per 200,000 Premium characters.
- The page has a Monthly and Yearly toggle, but only $9.99 was readable, so the yearly rate is not recorded.
- The FAQ mentions a 7-day trial, but its terms were not readable.
ElevenReader
- The free plan caps text-to-audio at 10 hours a month; unlimited listening to your own imports needs Ultra.
- Premium audiobooks are limited to 20 hours a month on Ultra.
- Offline downloads and custom voices are Ultra-only.
- The site shows a Black Friday offer of 30% off the first year with no end date; it is listed under offers, not in the plan price.
Key features
Audioread
- Many input types
- Converts links, PDFs, DOCX and plain text, forwarded emails and RSS or Atom feeds.
- Private podcast feed
- Finished audio appears in a playlist and a private feed that works with Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other players.
- Voices and languages
- Nearly 1,000 AI voices across more than 150 languages.
- Offline listening
- Audio can be downloaded through a podcast app for listening without a connection.
- Team plans
- Volume pricing for organizations with central billing and optional admin controls.
ElevenReader
- Read your own files aloud
- Upload PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown or TXT files and listen to them. Ultra skips headers, footers and filler text on import.
- Voice choice
- The site lists 1,000+ voices and narrators in 90+ languages, and Ultra can create custom voices.
- Audiobook catalog
- A catalog of 200,000+ audiobooks; the free plan has a selection of free titles and Ultra includes 20 hours of premium titles a month.
- Playback controls
- Speed up to 4x, a sleep timer and bookmarks on every plan, with sync between web and mobile.
- Offline listening
- Ultra can download books and articles for listening without a connection.
Plans
Audioread
Basic$0
3 articles a month, up to 3 feeds, 1,000 characters (about 1 minute) per article.
Pro$9.99
per month; yearly rate not confirmed
1 million characters a month, unlimited article length, premium voices, audio downloads and RSS feeds by URL.
Team$8.99
per user / month for 2 to 9 users
Everything in Pro with central billing. $7.49 per user for 10 to 49 users and $5.99 for 50 to 199.
ElevenReader
Free$0
10 hours of text-to-audio per month, about one 400-page book, with 1,000+ voices and free audiobooks.
Ultra$8.25
per month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)
Unlimited text-to-audio for imports, 20 hours of premium audiobooks a month, offline downloads, custom voices and priority support.
Ways to pay less
Audioread
No public discounts listed.
ElevenReader
- Annual discount
Save 25% with annual billing
The pricing page shows Ultra at $8.25 a month billed annually against $11 billed monthly, a saving of $33 a year.
- Other savings
Black Friday: 30% off the first year
A banner on the site offers 30% off the first year of a plan. No end date is shown.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Audioread or ElevenReader?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ElevenReader is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month, against $9.99 a month for Audioread. Audioread starts at $9.99 per month for Pro, and ElevenReader starts at $8.25 per month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Audioread or ElevenReader?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Audioread and ElevenReader have a free plan.
Which platforms do Audioread and ElevenReader run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only ElevenReader lists a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.