--- title: "Is there an app that reads text to you?" url: https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-reads-text-to-you/ answer: "yes" summary: "Yes, several, and your phone may already do it. Apple says iPhone can speak the whole screen or selected text once you switch it on in Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak." category: "Audio & transcription" published: 2026-10-02 updated: 2026-10-02 author: "Jack Stovell" publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" language: en-GB --- # Is there an app that reads text to you? **Answer: yes.** Yes, several, and your phone may already do it. Apple says iPhone can speak the whole screen or selected text once you switch it on in Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak. (Source: [Apple: Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text and typing feedback](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hear-whats-on-the-screen-or-typed-iph96b214f0/ios)) Yes, several apps read text to you, and your phone may already do it. Apple says iPhone can speak the whole screen or selected text once you switch it on in Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak, and standalone apps cover files, PDFs and web pages. ## The shortlist ### iPhone Speak Screen and Speak Selection Built-in iPhone accessibility settings that read the screen or selected text aloud. - Link: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hear-whats-on-the-screen-or-typed-iph96b214f0/ios - Free tier: not verified. No separate price is stated on the Apple page; it is a setting in iOS. - Paid from: not checked (not verified) - Best at: Reading everything on screen aloud with Speak Screen, or just chosen text with Speak Selection. - The catch: You turn it on first in Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak. Apple also lists Accessibility Reader for a full-screen reading view. - Platforms: ios - Source: [Apple: Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text and typing feedback](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hear-whats-on-the-screen-or-typed-iph96b214f0/ios) ### Android Select to Speak Built-in Android accessibility feature that reads selected items on screen aloud. - Link: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/7349565?hl=en-GB - Free tier: not verified. No separate price is stated on the Google page; it is an accessibility setting. - Paid from: not checked (not verified) - Best at: Hearing text or items you tap or drag across, and reading text from a camera view, per Google's help page. - The catch: Some steps only work on Android 11 and up. If you cannot see it in Accessibility settings, Google says to install the Android Accessibility Suite from Google Play. - Platforms: android - Source: [Google Android accessibility Help: Use Select to Speak](https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/7349565?hl=en-GB) ### Microsoft Edge Read aloud Read aloud in Edge's Reading mode, which strips a web page back to its text and reads it out. - Link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/use-immersive-reader-in-microsoft-edge - Free tier: not verified. No separate price is stated on the Microsoft page; it is a browser feature. - Paid from: not checked (not verified) - Best at: Reading web pages aloud in the browser with no extra app. - The catch: It works on webpages in Edge, so it will not read text in other apps. - Platforms: web - Source: [Microsoft Support: Use Reading mode in Microsoft Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/use-immersive-reader-in-microsoft-edge) ### Speechify A text-to-speech reader for web pages, PDFs and documents, with apps and browser extensions. - Link: https://speechify.com/pricing/ - Free tier: yes. Free: listen at speeds up to 1.5x with 10 robotic-sounding voices, text to speech features only (Speechify pricing page). - Paid from: $29 per month (Premium, monthly view) (checked 2026-10-02; USD; annual price not read) - Best at: Reading documents and pages aloud in many voices, with scan-and-listen on Premium. - The catch: The free plan listens at up to 1.5x with 10 robotic-sounding voices; Premium is $29 a month on the monthly view of the pricing page. - Platforms: web, ios, android, mac, windows, chrome - Source: [Speechify pricing](https://speechify.com/pricing/) ### NaturalReader Text-to-speech for documents, PDFs, ePub and web pages, with apps and a Chrome extension. - Link: https://www.naturalreaders.com/ - Free tier: yes. The site says it has a free forever plan with no credit card needed; what it includes was not detailed on the page we read. - Paid from: not checked (not verified) - Best at: Listening to PDFs, Word docs, ePub and web pages, and scanning physical text with the camera. - The catch: Paid plan prices did not appear on the page we read, so we cannot quote one. - Platforms: web, ios, android, chrome - Source: [NaturalReader homepage](https://www.naturalreaders.com/) ### ElevenReader ElevenLabs' reader app that voices ePubs, PDFs, articles and pasted text. - Link: https://elevenlabs.io/text-reader - Free tier: yes. The app is completely free to download and use today, per ElevenLabs. - Paid from: Free (checked 2026-10-02) - Best at: Voicing your own files, links and pasted text in 32 languages for free, per the app's FAQ. - The catch: You cannot export audio from the app; ElevenLabs says that is only on its web platform. It also says a premium version may arrive later, though it will keep a generous free plan. - Platforms: ios, android - Source: [ElevenReader (ElevenLabs)](https://elevenlabs.io/text-reader) ## How they compare The right pick comes down to three things: what you're reading, what phone or browser you use, and how much the voice matters to you. ### If you want it already on your iPhone iPhone has Speak Screen and Speak Selection. Speak Screen reads everything on the screen, and Speak Selection reads just the text you choose. Both are built in, but you have to switch them on first, in Settings, then Accessibility, then Read & Speak. Apple also lists Accessibility Reader if you'd like a full-screen reading view. The catch is small. You do a bit of setup, and Apple's page doesn't state a separate price because it's a setting in iOS. What you give up compared with a dedicated reader app is choice: you get what your phone offers. ### If you use an Android phone Android has Select to Speak. It reads aloud the items you tap or drag across, and Google's help page says it can read text from a camera view too. Some steps only work on Android 11 and up. Like the iPhone options it's an accessibility setting, with no separate price stated on Google's page. ### If you only want web pages read aloud Microsoft Edge has Read aloud. Reading mode in Edge strips a page back to its text and reads it out, with no extra app. That suits articles. But it works on webpages in Edge, so it won't read text in other apps. ### If you want your own files and pasted text voiced for free ElevenReader fits this one. ElevenLabs says the app is completely free to download and use today, and it voices ePubs, PDFs, articles and pasted text, in 32 languages according to the app's FAQ. The cost is that you can't export audio from the app (ElevenLabs says that's only on its web platform). It's on iOS and Android. ### If you want documents and PDFs read in many voices Speechify reads web pages, PDFs and documents aloud, with apps and browser extensions across web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Chrome. The free plan listens at up to 1.5x with 10 robotic-sounding voices, which matters if you plan to listen for long stretches. Scan-and-listen comes with Premium, which is $29 a month on the monthly view of its pricing page. NaturalReader sits in the same corner, handling PDFs, Word docs, ePub and web pages, and it can scan physical text with the camera. The site says it has a free forever plan with no credit card needed, but what that includes wasn't detailed on the page we read, and no paid prices appeared either, so we can't tell you what upgrading costs. ### When paying is worth it The built-in iPhone, Android and Edge options carry no separate price, but each is limited to its own corner: your phone's screen, or Edge's web pages. ElevenReader is free today and covers your own files, but it can't export audio. Speechify Premium at $29 a month (monthly view) is the only quoted paid price here, and NaturalReader's paid prices did not appear on the page we read. Paying makes sense when the free options don't cover what you read, or when the choice of voices matters most. Otherwise, try the free ones first. ## What to watch for Speechify's prices are in US dollars, and we did not read its annual price, so the monthly figure is all we can give you. If you're thinking of subscribing for a year, check that page yourself first. On Android, some Select to Speak steps only work on Android 11 and up. If you can't see it in Accessibility settings, Google says to install the Android Accessibility Suite from Google Play. ElevenLabs says a premium version of ElevenReader may arrive later, though it also says it will keep a free plan. ## How we checked On 2026-10-02 we read Apple's iPhone User Guide page on speaking the screen, Google's Select to Speak help page, Microsoft's Edge Reading mode page, the Speechify pricing page, the NaturalReader homepage and the ElevenReader page on elevenlabs.io. Nothing was tested hands-on, so what's here is what those pages say, not how the voices sound. ## If none of these fit If an app won't read what you need, try the built-in options first: iPhone Speak Screen, Android Select to Speak, or Edge Read aloud for web pages. None of our products reads text aloud. ## Also typed as - is there an app that will read text to me - is there an app that reads text to you for free - is there a tool that reads text to you - is there a website that reads text to you - is there a website that can read text aloud - is there an ai that can read text out loud - is there something that will read text aloud - is there an ai that will read to me ## Related questions - [Is there an app that can transcribe audio to text?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-can-transcribe-audio-to-text/) - [Is there a website that can summarize youtube videos?](https://isthereathing.com/a-website-that-can-summarize-youtube-videos/) ## Sources - [Speechify pricing](https://speechify.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [NaturalReader homepage](https://www.naturalreaders.com/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [ElevenReader (ElevenLabs)](https://elevenlabs.io/text-reader) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Apple: Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text and typing feedback](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hear-whats-on-the-screen-or-typed-iph96b214f0/ios) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Google Android accessibility Help: Use Select to Speak](https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/7349565?hl=en-GB) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Microsoft Support: Use Reading mode in Microsoft Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/use-immersive-reader-in-microsoft-edge) (checked 2026-10-02) ## Questions people ask ### Is there a free app that reads text aloud? Yes. ElevenLabs says the ElevenReader app is completely free to use today, Speechify has a free plan with 10 robotic-sounding voices, and NaturalReader says it has a free forever plan. ### How do I make my iPhone read text to me? Go to Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak. Turn on Speak Screen to have the iPhone read all text on the screen, or Speak Selection to have it speak text you select. ### How do I make my Android phone read the screen? Turn on Select to Speak in Accessibility settings, then use its shortcut and tap an item or press Play to hear everything. Google says some steps only work on Android 11 and up. ### Can a browser read a web page aloud? Yes. Microsoft says Reading mode in Edge includes Read aloud, which you start from the Reading mode toolbar or More tools.