Free trial
A free starting tier is mentioned, with Free and Pro labels shown on voices. The API offers 3,000 trial characters per account over 30 days with daily limits, billed apart from reading plans.
Learn moreCastReader
Read pages, PDFs and Kindle books aloud with synced highlighting
Beginner API
What is CastReader?
CastReader is an AI book generator tool. A browser extension and mobile and desktop app that reads web pages, PDFs, Kindle and WeRead books, documents and AI answers aloud with synchronized highlighting, plus a Read & Explain mode that unpacks difficult or foreign-language passages.
CastReader is a read-aloud tool that keeps the original text in view while it narrates. A webpage, a PDF, a Kindle or WeRead book, a Google Doc or Notion page, an email, or a single answer from ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini can all be spoken with the current paragraph highlighted and the page scrolling to follow. It runs as a browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari and as native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows. The public Voice Hub lists voices across 32 languages, each with a real sample and a label showing whether the voice is Free or Pro and whether its language is general availability, beta or lab. The feature that separates it from a plain screen reader is Read & Explain. When a passage is dense or in a language the reader does not command well, CastReader summarizes and unpacks the meaning in a chosen explanation language while a pen circles, underlines and highlights the source lines it refers to. The foreign text stays on screen, so a Spanish article or a technical paper can be followed with ears and eyes together. Signed-in users can also clone a private voice from a recorded sample, confirm ownership, and apply it to Read Aloud and Explain in PDF, EPUB, Word and TXT files for 120 minutes per membership month on Pro. Local documents stay on the device; playback sends only the paragraph being spoken. it fits between accessibility readers and AI study tools. It is lighter than a screen reader and more literal than a summarizer, since the narration follows the source rather than replacing it. The core audience is students, researchers, language learners, commuters and anyone with long reading queues. Developers have a separate REST voice API at $8 per 1M characters with 3,000 trial characters per account, billed independently of reading plans. Coverage varies by app and by source, so the per-site guides for Kindle, Google Docs, Medium and the AI chat platforms are worth checking before committing.
How do you use CastReader?
1Install the extension or app
Add CastReader from the Chrome Web Store or install the iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or Windows build. The extension is the fastest route for web pages, PDFs and AI chat answers.2Open something worth listening to
Load a webpage, a local PDF, a Kindle or WeRead book, or a document in Google Docs or Notion. CastReader reads the text available through those reading workflows.3Press play and follow along
Start playback and the current paragraph highlights while the page advances on its own. Adjust speed and pick a different voice if the first one does not suit long sessions.4Pick a voice in the Voice Hub
Preview real samples, compare languages, and note which voices are Free or Pro before choosing one for books, study or documents.5Turn on Read & Explain for hard passages
When a section does not land, open Read & Explain and choose an explanation language. Spoken guidance, subtitles and pen marks connect the explanation back to the source.6Add your own cloned voice
Sign in, record a clean sample, confirm that you own or are authorized to use the voice, then apply it to documents on a Pro plan.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Synchronized highlighting and auto-scroll keep the source visible while it readsAI
- Read & Explain summarizes hard passages and marks the source lines it refers toAI
- Broad platform reach: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, iOS, Android, Mac and WindowsAI
- Voice Hub shows real samples and labels Free versus Pro access before you commitAI
- Local document parsing means the file itself stays on your deviceAI
Cons
- Voice and language availability is uneven, with many languages still marked beta or labAI
- Support depends on the page layout, and several workflows are documented as unreliable per siteAI
- Cloned voice playback in documents is capped at 120 minutes per membership month on ProAI
- Read & Explain works on available source text, so scanned or poorly extracted pages will disappointAI
- The 32-language figure applies to the voice library, not to every app or sourceAI
How much does CastReader cost?
Pricing
The site states that reading is free to start, with AI usage and voices following your plan, and it separates Free and Pro tiers in the Voice Hub. Voice cloning and its application to documents are Pro features. No public price points for reading plans are listed on the homepage; the voice API is billed separately at $8 per 1M characters.
Learn moreSupport
The site points readers to per-source troubleshooting and setup guides, including a Google Docs read aloud troubleshooting page and individual guides for Kindle, Claude, ChatGPT, Medium, Substack and Reddit. No dedicated help centre or contact channel is described on the homepage.
Integrations
Document and reading workflows cover Google Docs, Notion, Feishu, Yuque and Gmail, plus Kindle, WeRead and O'Reilly. AI answer reading is documented for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi and Doubao. A REST voice API is available for developers.
Learn moreFeatures
Read aloud with synced highlighting and auto-scroll across web pages, PDFs, Kindle, WeRead and O'Reilly books, Google Docs, Notion, Feishu, Yuque and Gmail. Read & Explain unpacks difficult or foreign-language passages in a chosen language with pen annotations. Right-click reading of selected text, per-response Listen buttons on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, private voice cloning, a Voice Hub with samples in 32 languages, and a REST text to speech API.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions about CastReader
How much does CastReader cost?
The site states that reading is free to start, with AI usage and voices following your plan, and it separates Free and Pro tiers in the Voice Hub. Voice cloning and its application to documents are Pro features. No public price points for reading plans are listed on the homepage; the voice API is billed separately at $8 per 1M characters.Does CastReader offer a free trial?
A free starting tier is mentioned, with Free and Pro labels shown on voices. The API offers 3,000 trial characters per account over 30 days with daily limits, billed apart from reading plans.Does CastReader have an API?
Yes, CastReader offers an API.How do you use CastReader?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Install the extension or app 2. Open something worth listening to 3. Press play and follow along 4. Pick a voice in the Voice Hub 5. Turn on Read & Explain for hard passages 6. Add your own cloned voice.What platforms does CastReader support?
CastReader is available on Web App, iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and Browser extension.What does CastReader integrate with?
Document and reading workflows cover Google Docs, Notion, Feishu, Yuque and Gmail, plus Kindle, WeRead and O'Reilly. AI answer reading is documented for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi and Doubao. A REST voice API is available for developers.
Status
StatusActive
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Added10/21/2026
Platforms
Web AppiOSAndroidMacOSWindowsBrowser extension
Pricing
FreemiumSubscription
