# TextAloud review (2026): is it worth $34.95? > Windows text-to-speech program that reads documents and saves audio Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. TextAloud 4 is a one-time-purchase Windows program that speaks text from documents, email and web pages and can save it to audio files. It uses the Windows voices already on the PC unless premium voices from companies such as Acapela, Ivona, Cerence or ReadSpeaker are bought separately. It is made by NextUp Technologies. - **Category:** AI Voices & Text to Speech - **Made by:** NextUp Technologies, LLC (since 2000) - **Website:** https://nextup.com - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use a Mac, iPhone or Android, as it is Windows only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, TextAloud is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $34.95 one-time, uses the Windows voices already on the PC. - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** Free download trial of TextAloud 4; the page does not state its length. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://nextup.com/purchase.html on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with TextAloud before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Windows users who want a one-off purchase instead of a subscription - Proofreading documents and email by hearing them read back ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. TextAloud is a Windows program that reads documents, email and web pages aloud and saves them as audio files, for $34.95 once. It uses the voices already on your PC unless you buy premium ones, and it runs on Windows only. - **Value for money: 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: C.** A free download trial is offered, but the length isn't stated. A 30-day money-back guarantee is a refund, not a trial. - **Features: C.** Reads 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: B.** No store rating on record. You install it and start reading, with nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows only, Vista through 11. No Mac, phone or web version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from NextUp Technologies's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among AI voice generators - TextAloud's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 47 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade, and level with 16. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 68 of 72) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/ai-voices ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace TextAloud you would be making a voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $34.95, paid once. - You could not: A voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make. - You could not: A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Word among them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Word, Pocket, Instapaper, iTunes **Tags:** Text to speech, One-time purchase, Works offline ## Alternatives - [NaturalReader](https://toolgpa.com/tools/naturalreader): Text-to-speech reader for listening to documents, with a voiceover app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/naturalreader-vs-textaloud) - [Speechify](https://toolgpa.com/tools/speechify): Text-to-speech reader for listening to documents and web pages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/speechify-vs-textaloud) - [TTSReader](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ttsreader): Online text reader with free voices, premium AI voices and MP3 export. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/textaloud-vs-ttsreader) - [Voice Dream Reader](https://toolgpa.com/tools/voice-dream): Accessibility-minded reader app that speaks PDFs, books and web pages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/textaloud-vs-voice-dream) - [Cepstral](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cepstral): Desktop and phone-system text-to-speech voices and engines. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cepstral-vs-textaloud) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://nextup.com/ - https://nextup.com/purchase.html - https://nextup.com/TextAloud/index.html - https://nextup.com/download.html - https://nextup.com/about.html Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/textaloud Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).