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

Voice Aloud Reader vs Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader

Voice Aloud Reader 4.6★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Voice Aloud Reader
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 4.5★ · Free + IAP 60

Voice Aloud Reader has a slight edge for its core functionality and free tier, but both apps suffer from significant issues with premium features and customer support.

Full reviews: Voice Aloud Reader · Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader

Voice Aloud Reader offers a functional free tier for basic text-to-speech, but its paid features are plagued by issues like disappearing purchases and character limits. Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader also struggles with glitches, poor pronunciation, and a confusing subscription model, making both apps a risky investment.

Head to head

Features edge: Voice Aloud ReaderR2R5R9R12
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader allows users to listen to PDFs and other documents, create a library of files, and control speech rate R2R5. However, recent updates have removed previously available voices and features R9R16. Some users report issues with scanning pages, especially those with pictures, and difficulty reading documents R12R15.
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader supports reading textbooks and PDFs R62. Users appreciate the ability to adjust speech speed . However, it lacks support for Apple Personal Voice and has issues with reading apostrophes, footnotes, and endnotes R62. Some users also report difficulties with chapter navigation and offline functionality .
Ease of Use edge: Voice Aloud ReaderR1R4R8R18
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader is generally considered easy to use, with a straightforward process for copying text and listening R8. However, some users find the app confusing, especially regarding premium voice selection and subscription management R1R4. There are also reports of words coming out in the wrong order or being jumbled R18.
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader is described as intuitive and easy to use by some . However, many users report issues with the app freezing, buffering, or crashing frequently . The app also forces users to answer unnecessary questions upon opening, which can lead to freezing .
Reliability tieR3R6R20R22
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader has significant reliability issues, particularly with paid features. Users report one-time purchases for unlimited reading being revoked, premium voices disappearing, and subscriptions not being recognized R3R6R20R22. The app also has character limits on premium voices, which frustrates paying users R3.
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader struggles with reliability, with frequent reports of glitches, freezing, buffering, and crashing . The app often mispronounces words and jumbles text R69R75. Some users also report issues with the app not reading from the correct spot or skipping lines R69.
Price/Value tieR1R3R6R7
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader offers a free tier with ads and reading limits R8. The paid options, including one-time purchases and subscriptions, are widely criticized as a "bait and switch" or "money grab" due to poor voice quality, disappearing features, and hidden character limits R1R3R6R7. Many users feel the premium features are not worth the cost.
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader also has a free tier with many ads R75. The app is criticized for requiring payment for almost everything and for misleading free trials that result in immediate charges R70R94. Users feel the app's performance does not justify its price, with some calling it "not worth the money" .
Support tieR4R22R43R45
Voice Aloud Reader Voice Aloud Reader users report significant difficulty contacting support or receiving help for issues like disappearing purchases or subscription problems R4R22R43R45. The website is also reported to not work R45.
Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader users have had mixed experiences with support. One user reported a positive interaction where the developer quickly resolved an account access issue . However, others report being unable to get refunds for unwanted charges or receiving no help from customer service R70.
Pick Voice Aloud Reader if

you need a free app for basic text-to-speech functionality and are willing to tolerate ads and potential issues with paid upgrades R8. It's also suitable if you primarily need to listen to PDFs and other documents for studying or multitasking R2R5.

Pick Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader if

you are looking for an app to read textbooks and are hoping for responsive developer support for specific issues, though this is not guaranteed R62.

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews, particularly concerning their paid features and subscription models, which contrasts with their higher lifetime ratings. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is very strong for both, as many negative reviews stem from friction with free-tier limits or dissatisfaction with paid features that don't meet expectations.

Frequently asked

Are the premium voices worth paying for in Voice Aloud Reader?
Based on user reviews, the premium voices in Voice Aloud Reader are generally not considered worth paying for, with many users describing them as "terrible," "unlistenable," or "creepy," and often locked behind additional subscriptions or character limits even after purchase R1R7R9R16.
Does Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader offer a reliable free trial?
No, several users report that Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader's "free trial" is misleading, resulting in immediate charges without providing the advertised trial period, and refund requests are often denied R70R94R109.
Can Voice Aloud Reader read books and PDFs?
Yes, Voice Aloud Reader is designed to read books and PDFs, with users praising its ability to listen to books while doing other tasks R2R5. However, some users report issues with it not being suitable for books or struggling with document reading R12R15.
What are the main issues with Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader's voices?
The main issues with Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader's voices are that they often sound congested or robotic, mispronounce words (especially apostrophes, names, and acronyms), and the app struggles with reading accuracy, sometimes skipping or jumbling words R62R65R69R75.

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. [R5] Voice Aloud Reader 5/5 · US Very good vocals: They gave me all of voices randomly what a nice app and I love how you can just make a library of your Files
  3. [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
  4. [R12] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Good w/ Issues: Worked for how I used it biggest issue nowadays is that mobile doesn’t show cover images in library and can’t read docs
  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. [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
  8. [R18] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Wrong order: The words came out in a different order
  9. [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?
  10. [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.
  11. [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
  12. [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.
  13. [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.
  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. [R16] Voice Aloud Reader 1/5 · US Absolutely unusable. Do Not. Download!: This had previously been my favorite and most used app on my phone. Being able to make ‘audiobooks’ to listen at work, school, and commuting was something I did frequently. After updating the app is now entirely unusable. Previously a purchase meant full use of the app features and choice of voice. Now they have locked any ‘bearable’ voices (extremely AI sou
  17. [R70] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 1/5 · US I just got scammed: Free trial button didn’t give me a free trial but made it look like it would. Super sketchy. Want my money back. It had been a few days, my refund was denied and I have had to SPEAK (further damaging my vocal cords) to customer service reps who won’t help me with a refund. Legit evil company, don’t use these guys.
  18. [R94] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 1/5 · US Said free trial but charged me anyways: It said that I had a free trial so I got it for three days free the same day I got the free trial. It charged me 40 bucks.
  19. [R109] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 1/5 · US Don’t trust the free trial: Tried the free trial but was instantly charged. Cancelled immediately but refund request says ineligible for refund. The app has a 5-10+ second “spinning wheel” for sentences to read out your text.
  20. [R15] Voice Aloud Reader 3/5 · US Not for books: I didn’t not like this app for reading books.
  21. [R62] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 4/5 · US Pretty good overall, needs support for apostrophes: I am using this app for reading textbooks to me. I like it a lot, the cheaper tier works just fine for me. The voice is obviously synthetic, but listenable. Right now I’m having real issues with the fact that the app can’t read apostrophes correctly. It’s distracting to hear about “Occam ess razor” instead of Occam’s razor. I hope that’s somethin
  22. [R65] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 4/5 · US The voices in the app sound congested: I really like the app because I hate reading and it’s relatively cheap compared to other apps. I only have the pro version of the app, but the voices all sound congested when reading 😭 I was using ChatGPT to read stuff to me at first, but it stopped working and would cut out in the middle of reading so I switched to this. It isn’t bad, I just can’t pick a voi
  23. [R69] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 3/5 · US Good. Not great.: Voices are good. Quality of the read leaves more to be desired. It skips words or jumbles them up. It can’t read documents offline. It pauses frequently when screen is turned off.
  24. [R75] Speak4Me Text to Speech Reader 3/5 · US Would not rely on this as your only form of communication: It works and has different peoples voices but it pronounces so many things wrong, like grr is G-R-R and also people’s names that aren’t as common. Also way too many ads that pop up in the middle of me typing and you can only add around 5 favorites. The voices are very robotic sounding. It’s okay if you want to use it for fun or if your thr

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