What it is
Speechify is a text-to-speech reader. It reads web pages, PDFs, emails, books and scanned pages aloud, on phone, desktop and as a browser extension. It started as a tool for people with dyslexia and is still widely used by students and people who prefer listening to reading.
Premium adds more than 1,000 natural voices in 60+ languages, playback up to 5x speed, scan-and-listen for printed pages, and links to Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. Newer Premium features include AI summaries and chat about what you are reading, voice typing, AI podcasts made from a document, and a voice assistant you can talk to about a page or book.
Speechify Studio (voiceovers and dubbing), audiobooks and a developer text-to-speech API at speechify.ai are separate products with separate prices. The API gives 500,000 characters a month free, then plans from $10 to $499 a month.
Our review
Speechify's value is in the reading, not the AI extras. It reads web pages, PDFs, email, books and photographed pages aloud on phone, desktop and in the browser, and for people with dyslexia, ADHD or eye strain that one job outweighs everything else on the feature list. Summaries, AI podcasts and voice typing are pleasant additions, not reasons to buy.
The pricing punishes the monthly buyer. Premium is $29 a month billed monthly, and the pricing page advertises 60% off for yearly billing, which works out at about $139 a year; over twelve months the monthly plan costs two and a half times as much. The free plan offers 10 voices the company itself calls "robotic" and 1.5x speed. The screen readers built into iOS, macOS, Windows and Android cost nothing and are enough for many people who only need basic listening.
The data terms are worth a read before uploading work documents. The privacy policy allows staff to review uploaded content to improve Speechify's algorithms, as set out in its terms, though files imported from Google Drive are excluded from training general AI models under Google's Limited Use rules. Paying subscribers must cancel before they can delete their account.
The more interesting product for engineers is the separate API. It includes 500,000 characters a month free, then Starter at $10, Pro at $99 and Scale at $499 a month, with rates on the Simba 3.0 and 3.2 voices falling from $10 to $6 per million characters. Simba 3.5, which covers 48 languages, is billed at those rates until 21 November 2026 and at double afterwards. SOC 2 Type II, SSO and a custom data processing agreement are reserved for committed-volume contracts, so a self-serve developer gets the cheap rate without the paperwork a procurement team will ask for.
Where it earns its place
A university student with dyslexia
Get through 200 pages of PDF reading a week
Premium reads PDFs and scanned handouts at up to 5x in natural voices and costs about $139 on yearly billing. UK students can check the pricing page's Disabled Students' Allowance route before paying themselves.
A developer adding narration to a news app
Generate audio for about 10 million characters of articles a month
The Pro API plan at $99 includes 13.5 million characters on Simba 3.0 and 3.2, so that volume fits. On Simba 3.5 the allowance halves to 6.75 million after 21 November 2026, and the overflow bills at $16 per million.
An HR lead at a 500-person company
Offer read-aloud as a workplace adjustment
Team and enterprise pricing is not published; the pricing page routes to a contact form and to the UK Access to Work scheme. The free screen readers in Windows and macOS may cover staff who only need basic listening.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Install the app or browser extension and paste, upload or photograph text; listening starts straight away. API keys come from platform.speechify.ai.
- Integrations
- Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive on Premium. The API has Python and TypeScript SDKs, an MCP server, and integrations with LiveKit, Pipecat, Vapi and the Vercel AI SDK.
- Data and privacy
- Uploaded content may be reviewed to improve Speechify's algorithms; Google Drive data is not used to train general models. SOC 2 Type II and a custom DPA are offered only on committed-volume API contracts.
- Cost at scale
- Ten staff on monthly Premium pay $3,480 a year, or about $1,390 on yearly billing; team pricing is not published. API production traffic of 78 million characters a month fits the $499 Scale plan.
- Limits
- Free plan: 10 voices, 1.5x speed, text to speech only. The free API tier stops at 500,000 characters until the next month.
What's good
- Reads web pages, PDFs, books and scanned pages
- 1,000+ voices in 60+ languages on Premium
- Apps on every major platform plus a browser extension
- Developer API with 500K free characters a month
What's not
- $29/month on monthly billing
- Free plan limited to 10 'robotic' voices at 1.5x
- Uploaded content can be reviewed to improve its algorithms
- Studio, API and audiobooks billed separately
Best for
Students and professionals who want to listen to their reading on a phone or computer every day.
Alternatives
Speechify: common questions
- Is Speechify worth it?
- A capable reader for people who must listen rather than read, sold at a monthly price that only makes sense if you never pay it. We rate it 4.1 out of 5.
- How much does Speechify cost?
- Free plan with 10 basic voices up to 1.5x speed; Premium $29/month, or 60% less billed yearly (about $139/year). API free for 500K characters/month, then $10, $99 or $499/month. Studio and audiobooks billed separately.
- What are the downsides of Speechify?
- $29/month on monthly billing; free plan limited to 10 'robotic' voices at 1.5x; uploaded content can be reviewed to improve its algorithms; studio, API and audiobooks billed separately.
- Who is Speechify best for?
- Students and professionals who want to listen to their reading on a phone or computer every day.
- How much does Speechify cost for a team or in production?
- Ten staff on monthly Premium pay $3,480 a year, or about $1,390 on yearly billing; team pricing is not published. API production traffic of 78 million characters a month fits the $499 Scale plan.
- Is Speechify safe for company data?
- Uploaded content may be reviewed to improve Speechify's algorithms; Google Drive data is not used to train general models. SOC 2 Type II and a custom DPA are offered only on committed-volume API contracts.
- What are the best Speechify alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are ElevenLabs and Wispr Flow.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.
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