Speechify is pretty good for basic text-to-speech, but you'll probably run into some annoying limitations if you use it much. If you're looking for a speechify alternative that actually solves these problems, you'll want something that gives you more control and flexibility. They keep everything super simple, which is nice at first, but it means you can't really customize things or use it for anything beyond just listening to stuff.
Here's the thing: most "speechify alternative" options are basically the same thing with different voices. But these five actually solve different problems. Speechify makes some choices that'll frustrate you if you want to do more than just have your phone read articles to you. You can't connect it to other apps, you can't train the voices to say specific words correctly, and everything takes a few seconds to process instead of being instant.
We've actually tried a bunch of these tools to find which ones are worth your time instead of just offering "130 new voices!" like that matters.
Five Speechify Alternatives That Actually Fix Different Problems
1. NaturalReader: Works Everywhere and Plays Nice with Other Apps
NaturalReader is probably the closest thing to Speechify that actually works on all your devices and lets you do more with it.
You can connect it to other tools if you need to, export audio files in different formats, and batch process a bunch of documents at once. It works across 20+ languages and the quality is decent. You can even set it up to run on your own servers if you're paranoid about privacy.
The downsides? It's slower than Speechify and some languages sound better than others. Plus they limit how many things you can convert per hour even on paid plans, which is annoying.
Costs $119 per year and you get plenty of usage. Go with this if you want Speechify's convenience but need it to work with other stuff you're already doing.
2. Voice Dream Reader: iPhone Users Get the Best Voice Control
Voice Dream Reader only works on iPhone and iPad, but if that's what you use, it's way better than anything else for controlling exactly how things sound.
You get dozens of different voices from multiple companies, and you can tweak everything - speed, pitch, how it emphasizes words, even create custom pronunciations for names or technical terms. Everything works offline once you download the voices, so you don't need internet. It's like having a really advanced voice engine that actually listens to what you want.
The catch is it only works on Apple devices, period. And since you pay once instead of monthly, you don't get new features - just bug fixes.
It's $14.99 one-time, which is a steal. Perfect if you're on iPhone and want way more control than Speechify gives you.
3. Murf AI: Professional Voices Without the Hassle
Murf AI gives you really high-quality AI voices through a simple website. No downloads, no setup - just type and listen.
They have dozens of voices that actually sound human, and you can adjust speed, pitch, and add emphasis to specific words. The web editor handles long documents well and lets you preview changes before you commit. You can export to different audio formats for whatever you're working on.
The monthly subscription adds up if you're not using it regularly, and you can't customize voices as much as some other platforms. The free version is pretty limited.
Starts around $19/month after the free trial. Choose this if you want professional voice quality with an interface that doesn't make you feel like you need a computer science degree.
4. ReadSpeaker: Actually Reads Websites Properly
ReadSpeaker is built specifically for reading web content, and it's surprisingly good at handling messy websites that confuse other tools.
It works as a browser extension and can read almost any webpage, even ones with weird layouts or lots of ads. It handles 45 languages pretty well and you can target specific parts of pages. Speed control works from super slow to very fast while keeping voices natural, and it deals with different types of web content better than most.
But it only works in browsers - no standalone app for your own documents. Voice quality varies between languages, and you need to pay monthly for regular use since the free version has daily limits. Everything needs internet.
Free version with limits, premium from $4.90/month. Pick this if you mainly read stuff online and want something that actually works reliably across different websites.
5. Balabolka: Free Windows Option That Does Everything
Balabolka is completely free and gives you total control over text-to-speech on Windows computers.
It works with whatever voices you have installed on Windows and can handle tons of document types. You can set up batch processing to convert multiple files automatically, and it has tools for customizing exactly how text gets converted to speech. Comes as a portable version that doesn't need installation.
The big downside is voice quality depends entirely on what Windows voices you have, which are usually pretty bad. Windows-only, no mobile or web versions. Everything runs on your computer only, so you're limited to what your machine can handle.
Completely free, no catches. Perfect if you're on Windows and want basic text-to-speech without paying anything monthly.
Choosing the Right Speechify Alternative for You
Honestly, which speechify alternative you pick depends on what you actually need:
|
|---|
| Platform |
| NaturalReader |
| Voice Dream Reader |
| Murf AI |
| ReadSpeaker |
| Balabolka |
If you want something that works everywhere like Speechify but costs less, try NaturalReader. iPhone users who want maximum control should definitely check out Voice Dream Reader. For occasional use with really good voices, Murf AI's monthly plan makes sense. ReadSpeaker is affordable and great if you mainly read web stuff, and Balabolka is solid if you're on Windows and don't want to pay anything.
They all make different trade-offs. None of them will replace Speechify perfectly for everyone, but they each do specific things way better.
When Reading Apps Aren't Enough: Vapi
The five alternatives above are great for reading documents and converting text to audio. But sometimes you need something that can actually have a conversation with you - like talking to customer service, getting answers to questions, or using voice assistants that can actually help with tasks instead of just reading prepared content.
Vapi handles real conversations where you can talk back and forth naturally. Unlike text-to-speech apps that just read stuff out loud, Vapi lets you interrupt, ask follow-up questions, and get responses that remember what you talked about earlier. People use it for phone support, voice assistants that can schedule appointments, answer product questions, or walk you through processes step-by-step.
It responds in about half a second and handles interruptions smoothly, working with high-quality voice providers without you having to build conversation features yourself.
» Talk to Vapi right now.
Just Pick One and Try It
Use one of these five speechify alternative options if you need to convert text documents to audio, help with accessibility, create audiobook-style content, or read web pages and articles out loud.
Consider Vapi if you need actual conversations with quick responses, memory across turns, connections to business systems during calls, or natural handling of interruptions.
The text-to-speech world has plenty of good alternatives to Speechify for reading stuff. When you need to build actual conversational experiences, you're looking at different tech entirely. Understanding that difference helps you pick the right tool for what you actually want to do.
Whether you're looking for a speechify alternative for personal reading or exploring conversational voice tech, at least now you know what's actually out there and what each one is good for.
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