NaturalReader vs TTSReader (2026): which should you pick?

Pick NaturalReader if

• Fits if you'd rather listen to PDFs and articles than read them
• Works for schools, which can buy group or site licenses

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to publish what the reading plans make, even for internal training, as that needs the Commercial app
• Not for you if you want one subscription for listening and voiceovers
• Pricey if you want the desktop software too, sold separately from $99.50 to $199.50
• Watch out: Commercial subscriptions are non-refundable, and credits are spent per character at a rate that varies by voice
• Tight if you convert a lot to MP3, as paid personal plans cap it at 1 million characters a month; there's no API either

Pick TTSReader if

• Fits if you want text read aloud with free voices
• Works for someone exporting MP3s of articles

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need commercial use on the free plan, as it bars commercial use or publishing
• Tight if you want premium voices free, as the total is 5K characters
• Watch out: Premium is single-seat, and more users need extra licenses or credits
• Watch out: Premium Plus at $20.99 is listed as not yet available
• Watch out: the pricing page was last updated on 20 June 2025

NaturalReader

• Audio from the Free, Plus and Pro plans is for private listening only; publishing it, even for internal training or a nonprofit, needs a Commercial plan.
• Commercial is a separate app and subscription, and its downloads need a paid plan. Commercial subscriptions are non-refundable.
• Paid personal plans cap MP3 conversion at 1 million characters a month, and Commercial credits are spent per character at a rate that varies by voice.
• The desktop software is sold apart from the subscriptions, as one-time licenses of $99.50, $129.50 or $199.50.

TTSReader

• The free plan allows only 5K characters of premium AI voices in total and bars commercial use or publishing.
• The Premium plan is single-seat; more users need extra licenses or pay-as-you-go credits.
• A Premium Plus plan ($20.99 a month) is listed as not yet available.
• The pricing page was last updated on June 20, 2025, and says the mobile apps have their own separate plans.

NaturalReader

Read anything aloud

Listen to text, PDFs, Word files, ePubs, web pages and photos of printed pages, with an OCR scanner on the paid personal plans.

AI reading tools

Turn a document into a podcast-style episode, get a recap of its key points, ask questions about it or generate quizzes.

Chrome extension and mobile apps

A Chrome extension reads web pages where you find them, and iOS and Android apps let you listen on the go.

Commercial voiceover app

A separate app for voiceovers you may publish, with voices from Gemini, OpenAI, Azure and ElevenLabs models in more than 90 languages and delivery set by prompt.

Voice cloning

Commercial plans include cloning, which NaturalReader describes as recording or uploading your own voice to make a multilingual AI voice.

Desktop software

Windows and Mac software for personal use, free with basic voices or sold as one-time licenses that add natural voices and MP3 export.

TTSReader

Reads text, files and web pages

Plays plain text, PDFs, e-books and web pages aloud, and remembers the text and your position so you can resume later.

Free and premium voices

Free voices have no cap on the free plan; premium AI voices from Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and TTSReader's own are metered by characters.

MP3 export

Export speech as downloadable MP3 audio, mixing voices, languages, speeds and pauses.

Extension and mobile apps

A Chrome extension reads any web page, and iOS and Android apps support listening on the go, including CarPlay and Android Auto.

Pronunciation dictionary

Custom pronunciation entries let you fix how names and terms are spoken.

API and automation

Programmatic access is part of the pay-as-you-go credits plan; the free and Premium plans exclude API, bots and automation.

NaturalReader

• Free$0

  Unlimited listening with free voices and 5 minutes a day of Plus AI voices, for personal use only.

• Plus$9.92

  per month, billed annually ($20.90 billed monthly)

  Personal use: Plus AI voices for 500,000 characters a day, MP3 downloads of 1 million characters a month, AI features and an OCR scanner.

• Pro$13.25

  per month, billed annually ($25.90 billed monthly)

  Personal use: everything in Plus, with Gemini and OpenAI voices whose tone and emotion you set with a prompt.

• Commercial Starter$16.5

  per month for 500,000 credits, billed annually ($29 monthly)

  Commercially licensed voiceovers for a single user, with Gemini, OpenAI, Azure and ElevenLabs voices and voice cloning.

• Commercial Creator$24.75

  per month for 2M credits, billed annually ($49 monthly)

  The Starter features with 2 million credits a month, for a single user.

• Commercial Team$16

  per user / month, billed annually ($33 billed monthly)

  Sold from 2 users with 4 million shared credits a month. Each extra user is $16 a month and adds 2 million credits.

TTSReader

• Free$0

  Unlimited free voices, 5K premium characters in total, no commercial use or publishing of audio.

• Premium$8.25

  per month, billed annually ($99); $10.99 billed monthly

  Single seat, 1M premium-voice characters a month, commercial use and publishing allowed.

• Pay-as-you-go$10

  for 200K characters, prepaid credits valid 1 year

  Prepaid credits for API use or going over plan limits: $32 for 1M characters, $300 for 10M.

NaturalReader

• Annual discount

  Save about 50% with yearly billing

  Plus is $119 a year ($9.92 a month) against $20.90 monthly, and Commercial Starter is $198 a year ($16.5 a month) against $29 monthly.

• Education

  Discounted group and site licenses for schools

  NaturalReader EDU sells discounted group licenses, or site licenses for a whole school, with one license covering several platforms. The page lists no prices.

TTSReader

• Annual discount

  Annual billing on Premium

  Premium is $99 a year ($8.25 a month) against $10.99 a month when billed monthly.