Speechify vs TextAloud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Speechify grades higher than TextAloud: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Speechify grades higher on features and platforms. TextAloud grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Speechify
Text-to-speech reader for listening to documents and web pages
Free plan · from $29/mo
TextAloud
Windows text-to-speech program that reads documents and saves audio
Free trial · from $34.95 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Speechify if
- Fits if you'd rather listen to articles and PDFs on your commute
- Works for students who want a chapter summarized before they listen
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $29 against $139 for a whole year
- Skip it if you want to publish voiceovers, which need Studio, a separate plan at $100 or $300 a year
- Not for you if robotic voices put you off and you won't pay: free has 10 of them at up to 1.5x
- Watch out: the 3-day Premium trial charges the yearly plan on day 3
- Tight if you want scanning or AI summaries for free, as both are Premium; Studio's free plan has no commercial rights
Pick TextAloud if
- Fits if you are on Windows and prefer to pay once instead of every month
- Works for people who want to turn long text into audio files in batches
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac, iPhone or Android, as it is Windows only
- Tight if you want better voices: premium voices from other companies are paid extras
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated on the pages we read
- Watch out: the home page mentions a limited-time upgrade discount without giving its price
- Not for you if you want a web or cloud tool, since the Edge extension only works with TextAloud 4 installed
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASpeechifyGood | 2.4GPATextAloudFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $139 a year or $29 a month, a little dearer than NaturalReader's Plus. For voiceovers you'd want Studio instead: $100 a year with commercial rights, which the listing says buys about 24 hours of voiceover. Paying monthly costs more than twice the yearly price. | A$34.95 one time, well under a year of the category's middle subscription at about $10 a month. Premium voices are extra, for example $25 for AT&T Natural Voices. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan never ends, but it's 10 robotic-sounding voices at up to 1.5x. Natural voices, scanning and the AI tools are Premium, whose trial charges the yearly plan on day 3. Studio's free plan has no commercial rights, so it's no use for voiceovers. | CA free download trial is offered, but the length isn't stated. A 30-day money-back guarantee is a refund, not a trial. |
| Features | B1,000+ natural voices in 60+ languages, up to 5x speed, Scan & Listen, AI summaries, chats and podcasts, voice typing and a voice assistant. As a reader it covers the whole job. Voiceovers and cloning live in Studio and the API, sold separately. | CReads documents, email, web and PDFs, saves audio with a splitter and batch converter, highlights words. Without premium voices you get the Windows voices already installed, and the Edge extension needs the program installed. |
| Ease of use | B4.66 from 526,597 App Store ratings, just short of an A. Open a PDF or a web page and press play. | BNo store rating on record. You install it and start reading, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AiPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and the web, Chrome and Edge extensions, imports from Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, and an API. | DWindows only, Vista through 11. No Mac, phone or web version. |
| Best for | listening to anything you'd otherwise read | Windows text-to-speech with a one-time price |
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: Speechify and TextAloud. How we grade
Where they differ
- TextAloud can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Speechify also covers dictation and voice cloning.
In commonWindowsText to speech
At a glance
| Speechify | TextAloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month, billed monthly | $34.95 one-time, uses the Windows voices already on the PC |
| Free plan | Listen anywhere at up to 1.5x speed with 10 robotic-sounding voices, text to speech features only. | None |
| Free trial | 3-day free trial of Premium in the app; the yearly plan is charged on day 3 | Free download trial of TextAloud 4; the page does not state its length |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Speechify Inc. | NextUp Technologies, LLC |
| Price read from | speechify.com | nextup.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Speechify
- The free plan is limited to 10 robotic-sounding voices at up to 1.5x speed; natural voices, scanning and the AI features need Premium.
- Voiceovers for publishing need Speechify Studio, a separate plan: free with 600 credits and no commercial rights, or $100 or $300 a year with commercial rights.
- Studio credits are spent per second: 1 for voiceover, 3 for dubbing and 30 for avatars, so $100 a year buys about 24 hours of voiceover.
- Cloned voices need the voice owner to pass Speechify's verification or a written business agreement; users must be 18, and politicians' and deceased people's voices are barred.
TextAloud
- Windows only, listed as Vista through 11; there is no Mac or mobile version.
- Without extra voices it uses the Windows voices already installed, and premium voices are extra purchases.
- The Edge extension is free but works only with TextAloud 4 installed.
- The site says it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the homepage mentions a limited-time upgrade discount whose price it does not state.
Key features
Speechify
- Listen to any text
- Have PDFs, documents, emails and web pages read aloud in natural voices, at speeds up to 5x on Premium.
- Scan & Listen
- Photograph a printed page or book and listen to it. Scanning is a Premium feature.
- AI summaries, chats and podcasts
- Premium can summarize what you are reading, answer questions about it and turn it into a podcast-style episode.
- Voice typing and voice assistant
- Dictate text in other apps with voice typing, and talk to the Voice AI Assistant about a website, book or anything else.
- Apps and cloud imports
- Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows, extensions for Chrome and Edge, and imports from Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive.
- Studio and API
- Speechify Studio, sold separately, makes voiceovers and dubbed videos with commercial rights. The API lets developers add Speechify voices and voice cloning to their apps.
TextAloud
- Speak from many sources
- Reads text from documents, email, web pages and PDF files, with extensions for Chrome, Edge and Microsoft Word and a floating toolbar for selected text.
- Save to audio files
- Saves reading as audio files, with a file splitter and a batch converter for working through a book chapter by chapter.
- Word highlighting
- Highlights words as they are spoken, which the vendor pitches for dyslexia, ADD and low vision.
- Optional premium voices
- Sold separately from Acapela, Ivona, Cerence and ReadSpeaker, in more than 29 languages according to the homepage.
- Pocket and Instapaper import
- Bookmarked articles from Pocket and Instapaper can be imported into TextAloud.
Plans
Speechify
Free$0
Listening at up to 1.5x speed with 10 robotic-sounding voices, and text to speech features only.
Premium$29
per month, billed monthly
1,000+ natural voices in 60+ languages, 5x speed, Scan & Listen, AI summaries and chats, AI podcasts, voice typing and cloud drive imports. $139 a year billed yearly.
TextAloud
TextAloud 4$34.95
one-time purchase
Uses the Microsoft voices already on the PC. Premium voices are optional extras; AT&T Natural Voices Mike and Crystal add $25.
Ways to pay less
Speechify
- Annual discount
Premium for $139 a year
Yearly billing costs $139 against $29 a month on monthly billing; the pricing page says this saves 60%.
TextAloud
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Speechify or TextAloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Speechify starts at $29 per month, billed monthly, and TextAloud starts at $34.95 one-time, uses the Windows voices already on the PC.
Which has a free plan, Speechify or TextAloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Speechify has a free plan. TextAloud does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Speechify and TextAloud run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Speechify lists a web app, macOS, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a Windows app. 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.