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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Voice Aloud Reader vs Text to Speech!

Voice Aloud Reader 4.6★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Tie
Text to Speech! 4.6★ · Free + IAP 60

Voice Aloud Reader offers more advanced features for reading documents and books, but its recent monetization changes and technical issues make Text to Speech! a more reliable, albeit simpler, choice for basic text-to-speech needs.

Full reviews: Voice Aloud Reader · Text to Speech!

Voice Aloud Reader provides robust features for reading various document types and web content, but recent updates have introduced frustrating subscription models, character limits, and technical glitches. Text to Speech! is praised for its simplicity and usefulness in communication, though it suffers from frequent freezing, ads, and a lack of advanced features.

Head to head

Features & Use Cases edge: Voice Aloud ReaderR2R8R15R17
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader is highly valued for its ability to read PDFs, ebooks, and web content, allowing users to create an audio library and listen while multitasking R2R8R40. Users appreciate its utility for studying and retaining information R40. However, some users find it not suitable for books and note issues with scanning documents containing pictures R15. There are also requests for features like chapter summaries, bookmarks, and highlights R17.
Text to Speech! Text to Speech! is primarily used for immediate communication, especially by individuals who have temporarily lost their voice due to surgery or illness R89. Users value its simplicity and ease of use for quick communication . However, some find it 'too simple' and desire more advanced features like loop playback or better export options .
Voice Quality & Selection tieR1R4R7R9
Voice Aloud Reader Users frequently complain about the poor quality of the free or initial voices, describing them as 'sub-1980s robo voice,' 'terrible,' 'unlistenable,' or 'creepy' R1R7. Many feel forced to pay for premium voices, only to find them still unsatisfactory or to encounter issues accessing them R4R13R55. Recent updates have removed previously liked voices and made available ones worse R9.
Text to Speech! While some users find the voices 'demonic' for certain words or wish for more realistic and clearer options, many find the voices acceptable for basic communication . There are specific complaints about the removal of favored voices like 'Aaron' or 'Gordon' . Users also express difficulty in changing voices or adjusting pitch and rate .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR17R18R20R22
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader is generally considered user-friendly for its core function of reading text R17. However, many users report significant reliability issues, including glitches where purchased premium features disappear, subscriptions aren't recognized, or the app stops working R20R22. There are also complaints about text being read in the wrong order or being jumbled R18.
Text to Speech! Text to Speech! is praised for its simple and clear interface, making it easy to use for quick communication . However, reliability is a major concern, with frequent reports of the app freezing, crashing, or becoming unresponsive after a few seconds or minutes of use R61R69R71R72. Some users also report issues with text size controls and misplaced letters in slide-over view .
Pricing & Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR1R3R6R9
Voice Aloud Reader Users are highly frustrated with Voice Aloud Reader's monetization strategy, describing it as a 'bait & switch scam' and 'money grab' R1. Many paid for one-time purchases for premium voices or unlimited reading, only to find these features later locked behind new monthly subscriptions or character/scan limits R1R3R6R9. The free version is heavily restricted with listening limits and ads .
Text to Speech! Text to Speech! is praised for being free and simple, with ads being the main trade-off R89. However, ads are a significant point of contention, described as 'annoying,' 'bombarding,' and making the app 'unusable' for those with communication needs R64R66R70. There are also complaints about a recently implemented text length limit, reducing usability . Users wish for a paid, ad-free version .
Customer Support edge: Voice Aloud ReaderR4R22R43R45
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader users report significant difficulty contacting support for help with issues like premium voices not working or subscriptions disappearing R4R22R43R45. Some mention that the website doesn't work or that there's no one to call R45.
Text to Speech! Reviews for Text to Speech! do not frequently mention customer support. The issues reported are primarily technical glitches and app performance, suggesting a lack of direct user interaction with support, or that users do not attempt to contact support for a free app.
Pick Voice Aloud Reader if

You need to convert long documents, PDFs, or web articles into audio, and you are willing to navigate its complex and often frustrating payment model and potential technical glitches for more advanced reading features R2R8R40.

Pick Text to Speech! if

You need a simple, free text-to-speech app for immediate, short-form communication, such as when you've temporarily lost your voice, and you can tolerate frequent ads and occasional app freezing R89.

Evidence note: Voice Aloud Reader's recent reviews are heavily skewed negative due to changes in its monetization model, which has converted many one-time purchases into subscriptions or introduced limits, leading to a perception of 'scam' or 'money grab' among long-time users. Text to Speech! reviews are more balanced but highlight consistent issues with app stability and intrusive ads.

Frequently asked

Are the premium voices worth paying for in Voice Aloud Reader?
Many users who paid for premium voices in Voice Aloud Reader found them to be 'terrible' or 'unlistenable,' and some reported that the voices they paid for were later locked behind additional subscriptions or character limits, making the purchase feel like a 'waste' R1R7R13R55.
Does Text to Speech! have a lot of ads?
Yes, Text to Speech! has frequent and intrusive ads, which many users find 'annoying' and 'unusable,' especially for those relying on the app for critical communication R64R66R70R89.
Can Voice Aloud Reader read PDFs and books?
Yes, Voice Aloud Reader is praised by users for its ability to read PDFs and a library of books, allowing them to listen while multitasking R2R8R40.
Why does Text to Speech! keep freezing or crashing?
Many users report that Text to Speech! frequently freezes, crashes, or becomes unresponsive after a few seconds or minutes of use, a problem that seems to have worsened with recent updates R61R69R71R72.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Voice Aloud Reader 5/5 · US Es lo máximo: La amo me solucionó la vida tengo un montón de libros en pdf y ahora los puedo escuchar mientras hago otros labores wow mil estrellas lastima q solo puedo darle 5 🫶🏻
  2. [R8] Voice Aloud Reader 5/5 · US As advertised: For a free app, it does the job. Looked at other reader apps, you can pay far more than this app for premium features. I’ve had this app for years. Highlight what you want to read off the Internet, and click copy, open the voice reader app, as long as you have it turned on in settings, your text will appear, click the arrow at the bottom of the page and start listening. You might
  3. [R15] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Not for books: I didn’t not like this app for reading books.
  4. [R17] Voice Aloud Reader 4/5 · US Great App: And it’s free at least right now I’ve been using it for about two years. I wish that they had a feature to summarize each chapter and also if you could take a bookmark and Mark where you were at and maybe get some highlights in there I really like it even more so than it’s very user-friendly considering Speechify takes you an hour to get on and then you end up having to pay eventually s
  5. [R1] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Bait & Switch Scam: I THOUGHT I was buying a pay-once product. But the voice for that product is a sub-1980s robo voice. Unlistenable. To get a better quality voice, you have to make a SECOND purchase, and that is for a SUBSCRIPTION. The app should be banned from the App Store.
  6. [R4] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Frustrated!: I purchased the ability to use premium voices for $9.99, and I’ve tried everything to change from the horrible robot voice and nothing works. I also can’t contact support for help! Cancelling this one!
  7. [R7] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Bad purchase: I wish I could have tried out the voices before purchasing, they’re terrible… completely unlistenable. I just threw away money on a terrible product I will never use.
  8. [R9] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Upgrade is a money grab: In the latest upgrade they took away one-time- payment voice options and made the ones that are available worse. I used the ‘Adam’ voice for years and I used this app all the time for ebooks and for text books. Opening to find my voice of choice gone and a monthly subscription paywall for any voice that is actually understandable was disappointing. I would have given it
  9. [R18] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Wrong order: The words came out in a different order
  10. [R20] Voice Aloud Reader 5/5 · US Great app! But..: Honestly I’ve had this app for years and it’s great, but today my app glitched and took away my pro, and the restore purchase function didn’t work either, I had to wait 30 or so minutes and completely shut down my phone and restart it to fix it. I just thought you should know @Admin
  11. [R22] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Subscription purchased, unusable: I purchased a monthly subscription to use the more realistic voices. Unfortunately, the next day I am unable to use any subscription features. I’ve tried restarting the app, restoring purchases, and uninstalling and reinstalling it, to no avail. I’ve also tried reaching out to the customer support team and was unable to send the email for whatever reason.
  12. [R3] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Amazing yet infuriating: There is a character limit for premium voices that makes this amazing app worthless. It harms my productivity when I have to wait a week just to get my voices back. Frankly, I feel cheated. Why an I paying for this if I keep getting cut off without options?
  13. [R6] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Money waist: Paid for pro because of the listening limit and it gave me additional voices. A few months later it took them away. Also changed the listed features to say they aren’t included when it was before. I feel like my money was waisted.
  14. [R43] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Bad pronunciation and limited functions: It can be distracting to use because I’ve had to “translate” it’s bad pronunciation. The premium subscription did not improve its functions. Once I let premium lapse, the pro version I paid for was inaccessible, as were the additional scans I had purchased. There is no viable customer service or troubleshooting.
  15. [R45] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Subscription: It keeps saying I used up my free time and to buy it but I have been paying every month can this get resolved there’s no one to call or ask about this and the website doesn’t work but I have a subscription and it’s acting like I don’t This is still happening This is happening again This is happening again why can’t yall fix this
  16. [R13] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US SCAM: I paid $9.99 for subscriptions + premium voices but it won’t let me use the premium voices!
  17. [R55] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Creepy voices: I paid $10 just to have the creepiest voices ever read to me. Now it wants me to play $10 a month to unlock regular voices, yeah right. Totally misleading, and no refund option.
  18. [R64] Text to Speech! 1/5 · US Ads: Annoying ads not good quality software but doesn’t say yeah very well
  19. [R66] Text to Speech! 3/5 · US To many adds: So every time I click a the words I saved like if I click 3 or 5 and add always pops up so if you could pls put less adds
  20. [R70] Text to Speech! 1/5 · US 5 stars must be fake: The in-app ads make this unusable and infuriating. A person who can’t speak doesn’t want or need an ad interrupting what could be a desperate need to communicate. My friend with PLS can barely use his hands in the first place, so just using the device is an obstacle already…this app is 100% useless as long as it has video ads that play while trying to use it.
  21. [R89] Text to Speech! 4/5 · US Overall great.: Overall very helpful. I had vocal cord surgery and cannot speak for 1 week, only 5 mins per hour the next week. The only bad thing is that the ads. It’s challenging enough to not be able to speak even a whisper, laugh, cough, etc. But then you have to wait for an ad. That’s very annoying. For someone who can’t speak ever, that’s just unacceptable. I will be able to speak eventual
  22. [R40] Voice Aloud Reader 5/5 · US Must download !: This app is amazing , it has given me the tools I needed to study and retain information!
  23. [R61] Text to Speech! 2/5 · US Glitchy already: I just downloaded this app cause of surgery so I can “talk” still and it’s already glitching out and making my keys stick
  24. [R69] Text to Speech! 3/5 · US Bugs: This app is so buggy but it’s the only fully free one out there so i don’t really care. It won’t let me put any of files in for it to read and it also crashes if I add too much text when typing or copy and pasting
  25. [R71] Text to Speech! 4/5 · US Problems recently though: Love the app had it for a few years works perfectly up until last month. When it started freezing. Had to delete app and reload now it seems like it’s happening every couple days. If not sooner is the latest update the problem? Is there a resolution for this? Please fix the app Thank you.
  26. [R72] Text to Speech! 3/5 · US Amazing app but freezes a lot: The app freezes a lot but other than that it’s amazing please fix it asap

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store