Hey everyone,

Well… we knew this day was coming.

With ElevenReader and a bunch of other AI voice apps moving to strict time limits or paid plans, I’m wondering if there are any truly 100% free text-to-speech reader apps for iOS still out there in 2025. I’m talking about apps that let you listen to articles, PDFs, or ebooks—without character/time caps, forced upgrades, or intrusive ads.

I’ve checked out some of the usual suspects, but most either:

•	Limit you to a couple hours or a set number of characters per week

•	Require a subscription for anything beyond basic use

•	Have a free tier that’s basically just a trial

I’m aware of a few options like:

•	Text to Speech! – Decent, but pretty basic and has some in-app purchases

•	Speak4Me – Free and supports sharing, but not sure about long-form reading

•	Nagish – Great for accessibility and phone calls, but not really for general reading

•	Speech Central – Free for small amounts of content, but unlimited use is a paid upgrade unless you’re blind and using VoiceOver

Are there any new or lesser-known apps that are actually unlimited and free for regular users? Or any creative workarounds (like using Shortcuts or web-based tools) that are still working well?

Would love to hear what’s working for you all in 2025!

Thanks!

Hi all,

I am on the lookout for a good text-to-speech reader app that allows me to feed it epubs or pdf and have it 'read' me the document. I have been using Voice Dream Reader for the longest time, but unfortunately, they have now switched to a subscription model (I had initially paid $10 for the app, and another $2 for the voice I wanted).

I tried out Natural Reader, and while the voices are good (my favourite voice is the premium UK-English voice of Peter), it too requires a subscription. Also, Natural Reader requires an internet connection for the premium voice to work (whereas on Voice Dream Reader, I could download the voice and have it read documents without being connected to the internet).

So, I am left wondering: are there any good text-to-speech reader apps that do not require a subscription? I do not mind paying $10–20, but I would much prefer that to be a one-time payment.

Thanks a lot for the help!

The native accessibility function changes touch control so this is no good.

Thanks !

There seems to be no audiobook version of Unleader by Jane Overstreet. Is there any text to speech platform that i can use to upload the book and listen to it? Also how is Listening.io?

I've been obsessed with voice input for years. I've used the following tools on my phone:

1. AudioPen

I like it for quick recordings. I think it is a good one for initial practice with speech to text writing. You can change the writing output easily (voice, length, tone, format). I was an early adopter so I got great pricing for the premium version which is now $99 per year. I don’t like the 15 minute time limit and inability to record while switching between apps. https://audiopen.ai

2. Otter

Great for conversations, but you can use it on a monologue too. I’m using Otter to write a course with a group with our virtual meeting transcripts. Paid Otter Pro version is $16.99 per month. https://otter.ai

3. Ultimate Brain Voice Notes

This is my favorite. It integrates with my Notion because I use Thomas Frank’s Ultimate Brain system for Notion. Takes more initial setup, but it's glorious for reducing my administrative burden and digital overwhelm. All I have to do is hit record from my phone, and the transcription shows up in my Notion notes inbox with an AI generated title and even follow up items and a summary. $30 per month for a paid Pipedream account, plus about $0.40/hour for voice recordings. I’m constantly using it. https://thomasjfrank.com/how-to-transcribe-audio-to-text-with-chatgpt-and-notion/

4. Gboard - using it now to write this post by dictating in real time. I use it on my phone to write some texts, emails, etc.

—

I know I left out Dragon Nuance, the OG of dictation everyone says is the gold standard. I haven’t tried it yet. I think I might explore it next. $150 for year for Dragon Anywhere.

Any other favorite mobile speech-to-text apps you love for writing?

There are so many articles I want to read and often I don't have time, so I would rather listen to some of them while I do other tasks. I remember back when I had a Pentium II 400mhz pc using Bonzi Buddy(I think) for text to speech and thinking it was promising but not quite there yet. I already tried Speechify on my IPhone but it pauses too much and lags and I tried another trialware app but uninstalled it so I wouldn't get billed.

Is there a a text to speech app for IOS that is tolerable?

Anyone know the best text to speech app that has natural voices and is completely free. So quality and free?

What's the best text to speech app? I'm not much of a reader, but I enjoy some stories on nosleep. I'd like to have an app read the stories to me. What would be the best app for achieving this?

Hello! Dyslexic author and reader here and I am frequently using the text to speech robotic free voices to help edit my own work and read the works of others. Recently, I have been using free trials of premium voices to help me read through fics and it has made it so much nicer. I also set my font to 'dyslexic font' option on the speechify chrome extension which makes a huge difference for reading for me. I use my laptop and not a phone or ipad because i need the bigger screen but most of the text to speech based apps are for phones or ipads and when you purchase subscriptions there are hard limits on voices for the web extensions (which seems not great for accessibility purposes especially after you have paid for the service).

Whether or not it is for a disability or just for your own reading and editing preferences I am wondering what speech to text services you are using (if any) for AO3 posts? Do you have any recommendations? I know you can't get premium voices for free but is there anything better than the robot voice that doesn't have word limits? I find it shocking that Apple and Google don't offer even an offline version of AI generated voices to help with editing your own pages/word docs? Thank you for your help and suggestions!

natural reader only lets you download a million characters per month, and it is 22$ a month. eleven labs doesnt let you read more than 22k minutes and cant even download it, even for 1.3k$ a month, and cloud tts only allows like500 charcaters at a time. i have 100k's of chacrers i need to copy and download, maybe even millions.

Disclaimer: I am sighted and trying to help my also sighted friend, I'm here because I feel like visually impaired and blind people have the most valuable experience with this topic.

She's a mom that has gone back to school and is pursuing post secondary for the first time in her life. She's trying really hard, has had some diagnoses in the course of starting all this, and really wants to succeed. Unfortunately, really needs textbooks transcribed to speech so she is able to "read" and still get mom and home duties done. She texted me this morning during a meltdown because she can't find any legitimate apps.

I know she might be just stress clicking and searching poorly but I don't have all the time in the world myself to look for apps and screen them myself to help her. I figured this community would surely have the resources. I checked the sidebar and couldn't seem to find anything in specific so I'm asking here.

If I did miss something in the sidebar, I apologize, I'd gladly take a link to a list. I'm also a busy mom trying to juggle everything and get out of the house this morning lol

Thank you so much!!

Hi, I’m a student currently struggling to find spare time so I want to create audio notes. Problem is I hate the sound of my own voice, so I’ve been looking at apps like speechify but the free voices don’t sound right and the premium is expensive (£130 a year with no option for monthly). Rinse and repeat for other apps I’ve found like natural reader.

Any suggestions welcome.

I’m a college student and struggle paying attention with reading and would love to have an app that reads the text on a website I’m reading for school that would read out that page. I know speechify exists but the free model gives horrible robotic voices and doesn’t let you navigate on safari you have to import it. Any suggestions?

Hey, I am looking for free PDF Text to Speech for IOS. Right now, I have tested:

1. Natural Reader Application: It's having text to speech feature, but it's limited too few minutes a day.

2. PDF Element: This application does not work.

So, if someone have suggestion for free PDF Text to speech application then feel free to share. Thank You in advance.

Update: Using PDFElement now, it's good enough.

So my father in law has recently bought an iPhone. He is very deaf and as a result usually avoids all calls. I have an android and think Google live caption is brilliant but unfortunately isn't supported on iphone. What is the best speech to text app that is available for iPhone that can live caption phone calls. Would prefer free but willing to pay for it if it works. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Been trying to journal more lately, but I'm absolutely horrible when it comes to typing out my thoughts.

Are there any good (free) apps out there that will transcribe my ramblings into words so I can just save my stream of consciousness and skim through it later?