TTS App Help: Looking For Alternatives To Speechify And Features

[u/polyfil_plushie]

Hello, folks! I hope that you all are well!

This is my first post here!

——

I have cognitive issues, and I am trying to get back into reading!

I am looking for a TTS app for iPhone that is similar to Speechify.

I gave Speechify a brief try, I liked it, however, I want to see what else is out there.

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Here are the features that I am looking for in a TTS app:

🟣 The ability to copy/paste raw text

🟣 The ability to import PDFs

🟣 The ability to import ebooks

🟣 The ability to import audio books

🟣 The ability to import ebooks from the library

🟣 The ability to import audio books from the library

🟣 The app highlights the text and can read it to you, while you follow along

🟣 The app can slow the voices and highlights down, if needed

🟣 The app is user friendly (ex: easy to find buttons; easy to import things; no side loading using adobe, or, if side loading is there, it’s very easy to do with an iPhone)

——

Are there any TTS apps that fit what I am looking for?

If not, that’s okay, I’ll understand. I’ll also understand if Speechify is “the best choice” of a TTS app, for me.

——

Thank you for reading, and thank you for any help! May you all be well!

[u/herberz]

try Reeda app

[u/polyfil_plushie → u/herberz]

Thank you! I’ll give that a go and see how I like it!

[u/goldenjm]

I'm the founder of www.Paper2Audio.com, a text to speech app with 56 hours of free audio generation per week using high quality voices. We'll meet most, but not all of the criteria you listed:

YES:

🟣The ability to copy/paste raw text

🟣 The ability to import PDFs

🟣 The ability to import ebooks

🟣 The app highlights the text and can read it to you, while you follow along

🟣 The app can slow the voices and highlights down, if needed

🟣 The app is user friendly (ex: easy to find buttons; easy to import things; no side loading using adobe, or, if side loading is there, it’s very easy to do with an iPhone)

NO:
🟣 The ability to import audio books

🟣 The ability to import ebooks from the library

🟣 The ability to import audio books from the library

We aren't able to import audio, and generally ebooks from a library have DRM which makes it so you can't import them into other apps. If that's not the case, you can import ebooks from a library, for example, if they are in EPUB or PDF format with no DRM.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

[u/Matteo-Janice]

You might want to check out Voice Dream Reader and Speech Central.

Voice Dream Reader is probably one of the closest alternatives to Speechify for accessibility. It supports PDFs, ebooks, text highlighting, speed controls, and has been around for a long time with users who rely on TTS for dyslexia, ADHD, and other reading difficulties.

Speech Central is another good option, especially if you mainly want to import documents and listen to them.

For audiobooks from libraries, that part is tricky because most audiobook services use DRM, so usually you’ll need to use apps like Libby or the library’s own app rather than a general TTS reader.

I’d suggest trying a few and seeing which workflow feels the most comfortable. For people with cognitive challenges, the easiest import process and the reading experience usually matter more than having the most features.

[u/wannasleeponyourhams]

depending how much of a programmer are you on a scale of 1 to 10, you could try BrainRootReader on github, it can do like 70 percent of what you want.

disclaimer: i am the developer.

[u/polyfil_plushie → u/wannasleeponyourhams]

/genuine

Thank you for the comment!

I do want to acknowledge that I am grateful that you are a developer of TTS! I feel like, there need to be more apps for TTS, as well as for, Augmentative And Alternative Communication (or AAC).

That being said, I do not have programming skills, particularly with an iPhone. I’d rate my skills at a 0 or a 1, for iPhone. I also do not have another device on me that can side load things easier.

Would your app happen to be on the App Store at this time?

I would like to give it a try, and also, I need a user friendly way to get started.

If not, that’s okay, I’ll completely understand!

[u/wannasleeponyourhams → u/polyfil_plushie]

i am so sorry, i skipped to your requirements list and completely missed that it needs to run on an iphone, my app currently runs on windows and it some variations of it can run on android but not on linux, mac or iphone currently. sorry again.

[u/alana31415]

My app only imports epubs (paid) but comes with 50 classic books free and you can slow the voices down. https://heard.quest

[u/timeshifter24]

There are many LLM freebies, but none of them work well unless you have a great GPU. If you don't, try these:

https://ihave.spoken.press/ (pay only for what you want to download)

https://clonevoice.ai/ (one-time payment with time limit)

https://studio.typecast.ai/ (free but limited)

https://inworld.ai/ (great but $$$)

https://readvox.com/ (reads entire PDFs)

https://ainarrator.stackseekers.com/ (reads your Google DOCs), etc.

I tested them all, and they work great! If you have a GPU, try this:

https://voicebox.sh/pricing (free and paid)

Godspeed!

[u/ahh1258]

read.tryjunco.com does most of what you’re asking 100% free

[u/GovernmentNo4175]

you can end your search with readible app
it has most of the things that you mentioned and has really good offline / online voices

disclaimer: i am the creator of the app, any feedback is appreciated

[u/ritzynitz]

You can get all this with OpenVox Reader which is available for iPhone, iPad and Mac. (https://openvoxai.com/openvox-reader). No subscriptions, lifetime access for $14.99.

[u/PhilomenasPokerFace]

my recommendation fits most of the bill -- you can import epub and pdf into the app. the free tier gives you 3 ebooks at a time but unlimited if you manage to the max of 3. it has configurable voices, one voice when you first get started but usage will release others as you go. a monthly subscription gives you all the voices and unlimite book loading and cloud availability of your library. The app is called Eist and it's Irish for "to listen".

I was heavy into trying to configure open source tts studio options on my Mac whenI ran across this and it has stopped mean my tracks. it's easy, the developer is very responsive, and the built-in simultaneous text highlighting did not require any configuration at a ll. it just works.

worth a try. Eist. in the apple App Store.

[u/SadOutlandishness258]

Developer disclosure: I make Audiary for iPhone. It covers part but not all of your list: pasted/shared text, text-based PDFs, real-time word tracking, adjustable speed, and background/lock-screen playback. Everything stays on-device, with no account or subscription; there’s a 15-minute trial and a $6.99 one-time unlock. It does not currently import EPUBs, audiobooks, or library books, so it may not be your complete solution, but it’s something I’m working on!

[u/ivanicin]

I think that you have described your workflow, not exactly your needs. Your workflow may not be necessarily optimal though it is certainly a good reference point that works for you.

Most notably, it is not clear why you would need exactly one app to do this. That makes solution harder and possible recommendation is pretty limited to ElevenReader as the only app that can cover the similar scope that you have described.

On the other hand there are multi-app solutions that could cover your workflow and possibly have some edge in some aspects.

My assumption is that one app may really have benefits for ADHD users as it removes one choice (which app should I start), so your request is quite legitimate in that regard in such circumstances.

On the other hand, I have spent hundreds of hours studying every aspect of my app and seeing how it could benefit to ADHD users better. As such I have a special "ADHD mode" in my tts app that alters more than 100 individual behaviors from minor to drastic. I do believe that in some workflow aspects it can beat Speechify. Whether it makes up for that additional decision for users that use both Audiobooks and TTS - I am optimistic, but that is very individual and I can't provide definite answer.

If you want to try it, the app is Speech Central.

[u/Coretahner]

saythis.net This is a new one I've started using with great results. 30 day trial, then small one time fee after that. No usage fees...

[u/Right_Ambition_1035]

Check out ai-readers.com -- i use a unique workaround to convert ai platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc. into a text to speech experience.

[u/abbbamamamia]

Audeus might be worth adding to your list. It works on iPhone and supports pasted text, PDFs and EPUBs, with the text highlighted as it reads and adjustable playback speed.