Speechify and ElevenReader both read your PDFs, documents and web pages aloud, so you can listen to readings on a commute, proofread by ear or give your eyes a break from the screen. Speechify is a long-established text-to-speech app with study features like Scan & Listen and AI summaries. ElevenReader comes from ElevenLabs, the AI voice company, and stands out for a generous free plan and a free year for eligible students. Here's how they compare on price, free-plan limits, student deals and features.
| Feature | Speechify | ElevenReader |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Listening on every device, with scanning and AI study tools | Natural voices on a free plan and a free year for students |
| Free plan | 10 basic voices, up to 1.5x speed | 10 hours of text-to-audio a month, up to 4x speed |
| Paid price | Premium $139/year (about $11.58/month) or $29/month | Ultra $99/year or $11/month |
| Student deal | 25% off Premium for verified students via UNiDAYS | One year free with a verified school email at an eligible institution (18+) |
| Voices | 1,000+ voices in 60+ languages on Premium | 1,000+ voices; narrators in 90+ languages |
| File types | PDFs, documents, web pages; Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive on Premium | PDF, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown, TXT, article links, pasted and scanned text |
| Scanning printed pages | Scan & Listen on Premium | Text scanned from images |
| AI study features | AI summaries and chat, AI podcasts, voice typing (Premium) | Focused on listening; fewer study tools |
| Offline listening | Offline listening on mobile with Premium | Offline downloads with Ultra |
| Platforms | iPhone/iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge extensions, web | iOS, Android, Chrome extension, web |
Prices and features as of October 2026 — check the official site for current details
Prices and features as of October 2026 — check the official site for current details
Best for: listening across every device, with scanning and AI study tools
Speechify is a text-to-speech app for iPhone and iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Edge extensions and the web. The free plan includes 10 basic, robotic-sounding voices and listening speeds up to 1.5x. Premium adds 1,000+ natural voices in 60+ languages, speeds up to 5x, Scan & Listen for reading printed pages with your phone camera, AI summaries and chat, AI podcasts, voice typing and Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive integrations. Premium costs $29/month billed monthly or $139/year (about $11.58/month), and Speechify says verified students can get 25% off Premium through UNiDAYS.
Why students use it:
Best for: natural-sounding voices on a free plan, or a free year for eligible students
ElevenReader is ElevenLabs' read-aloud app for iOS, Android, a Chrome extension and the web. It reads PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown and TXT files, article links, pasted text and text scanned from images in 1,000+ voices, with narrators in 90+ languages. The free plan includes 10 hours of text-to-audio a month (ElevenReader says that's about a 400-page book), playback up to 4x, a sleep timer and bookmarks. Ultra costs $11/month or $99/year and adds unlimited text-to-audio for your own imports, offline downloads, custom voices and smart imports that skip headers and footers. Eligible students and educators can get one year free with a verified school email at a participating institution (18+); it renews at the regular annual price unless you cancel.
Why students use it:
Choose ElevenReader if you want natural-sounding voices without paying — its free plan covers about 10 hours of listening a month — or if your school qualifies for its free year. It's also the cheaper paid option. Choose Speechify if you want apps on your Mac or Windows laptop, Scan & Listen for printed textbooks and built-in AI summaries, and use the student discount with annual billing to bring the price down. Both have free plans, so try each with one of your own readings before paying.
Listening to your readings with text-to-speech is generally fine and is a common accommodation — if you have a documented disability, your campus disability services office may be able to provide text-to-speech tools for free. AI summaries are a study aid, not a substitute for doing the reading, and using AI features on graded work should follow your instructor's policy.
Compare more options in our Best text-to-speech apps for students guide.