What you can do
Bring in almost anything you would rather hear than read, and listen at home, on a walk or in the car.
Import almost anything
PDF, Word (DOCX), EPUB and DRM-free Kindle files (MOBI and AZW3). Paste a link to hear a web article, scan a printed page or a photo with the camera, or simply type or paste text.
Natural voices, made on device
Studio voices in English (US and UK), Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Arabic, Hindi and Chinese are generated right on your iPhone, plus every Apple voice in 60+ languages. ReadAloud picks a voice that matches the language of each book.
Read along, or just listen
The sentence being read is highlighted and the page follows it. Tap any sentence to start from there, switch to the original layout, or open the reader quietly and start listening whenever you like.
Only the text worth hearing
Repeated page headers and footers, page numbers and citation markers are skipped, and two-column academic PDFs are read in the right order. Jump by chapter in EPUB and Word, or straight to any page of a PDF.
Keep your place everywhere
Bookmarks, highlights and dictionary look-up while you listen. Organize your library in folders, line up books in Up Next, and pick up where you left off on your other devices with iCloud.
Listen from anywhere
Background playback with Lock Screen, Control Center and AirPods controls, speeds from 0.75× to 2×, a sleep timer, an Apple Watch companion, Siri and Shortcuts. Export to audio files or your highlights to Markdown notes.
How it works
From a file to your ears in three steps.
- Add something to read. Open a file, share one from another app, paste a link or text, or scan a page.
- Press Listen. ReadAloud picks a voice for the book's language. Change the voice or speed any time.
- Read along or put it away. Follow the highlighted sentence, or lock your phone and keep listening.
Private by design
Many text to speech apps send your documents to a server to make the voice. ReadAloud makes it on your device.
Your documents stay with you
Files, text, scans and the audio made from them stay on your iPhone or iPad, and in your own iCloud if you use it. The only time ReadAloud goes online on your behalf is when you paste a web link, and then it contacts only that page.
No accounts, no tracking
There is no sign-up, and the app contains no analytics, crash-reporting or advertising SDKs.
Read the full Privacy Policy.
Made for many languages
ReadAloud speaks 60+ languages with Apple's voices, and adds studio voices made on your device for the languages below.
Studio voices
App interface
Frequently asked questions
- Are my documents uploaded anywhere?
- No. Importing, reading and speech generation all happen on your iPhone or iPad. The only time ReadAloud goes online on your behalf is when you paste a web link, and then it contacts only that page.
- Does ReadAloud work offline?
- Yes. Speech is generated on your device. Studio voices for some languages download once from the App Store the first time you use them; after that they work in Airplane Mode. Importing a web article needs a connection to that site.
- Which files can it read?
- PDF, Word (DOCX), EPUB and DRM-free Kindle files (MOBI and AZW3), plus web articles from a link, photos and printed pages you scan, and any text you type or paste.
- Can it read DRM-protected Kindle books?
- No. ReadAloud opens DRM-free MOBI and AZW3 files only. It does not remove or work around DRM, and protected or KFX files are declined with a clear message.
- Which voice will it use?
- A voice that matches the language of the book, chosen for you. You can pick a different voice for any book, or set a default in Settings, and preview every voice before choosing it.
- Is ReadAloud free?
- It is free to download, and importing and reading are free. It includes 10 minutes of listening; unlimited listening and audio export come with a monthly or yearly plan, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Some plans include a free trial for eligible new subscribers. Purchases are handled by Apple.
At a glance
- Platform: iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later
- Speech: generated on your device; studio voices for some languages download once
- Formats: PDF, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, web articles, camera scans, text
- Account: none required
- Price: free download with 10 minutes of listening; monthly or yearly plan, or one-time Lifetime purchase
- Support: Help & contact