Free trial
No trial is needed because the free tier is permanent: 5,000 characters a day, 20,000 a month, 2 voices, sentence highlighting and adjustable speed, with no account or card required.
Learn moreReadAloud
Paste text or a PDF and hear it read out loud in a neural voice, free in any browser.
Beginner
What is ReadAloud?
ReadAloud is an AI narration tool. A free browser based read aloud tool that converts pasted text, PDFs, DOCX, EPUB files and article URLs into speech using neural voices, with sentence highlighting, adjustable speed and MP3 export on paid plans.
Read Aloud Reader is a browser based text to speech workspace that turns written material into spoken audio. You paste an article, an email, a chapter or a set of notes into the studio, choose one of the neural voices, and press play. There is no install and no account required to start. The tool reads text out loud in a voice built to sound like a person rather than a navigation system, and it highlights each sentence as it plays so you can follow the words on screen. The practical workflow is short: paste or drag in a document, pick a voice and a speed between 0.5x and 2x, then listen. Paid tiers widen the inputs to PDF, DOCX, EPUB and article URLs, raise the character ceiling to 200,000 with Pro, and unlock MP3 export so audio can be kept and played offline in any podcast app. A Chrome extension extends the same idea to the open tab: one keyboard shortcut reads the article you are on, or just the text you highlighted, and keeps playing while you browse other tabs. The audience is anyone who reads more than their eyes can keep up with. Students and researchers listen to papers and lecture notes on commutes, lawyers and analysts turn contracts and reports into a private podcast, and writers hear their own drafts read back to catch awkward phrasing. The accessibility case matters too: word by word highlighting and slower speeds anchor attention for readers with dyslexia or ADHD. On a more basic level, the free tier is enough for casual listening, while the paid plans target people who run long documents through the tool daily and want to keep the audio. Against Speechify and NaturalReader, the pitch is simplicity and a generous free allowance rather than a large voice catalog or deep ecosystem. Six to eight voices and English focused accents keep the scope narrow, which suits light users and frustrates anyone needing many languages or voice cloning.
How do you use ReadAloud?
1Open the studio
Go to readaloudreader.com and open the studio. No account or card is needed to begin, and the reading pane appears with an empty text area ready for input.2Paste your text or import a document
Drop in an article, an email, notes or a chapter by pasting directly. Free accounts accept typed or pasted text, while paid plans add PDF, DOCX, EPUB and article URL imports.3Choose a voice and set the speed
Preview the neural voices and pick the accent and tone that fits. Use the speed control, from 0.5x to 2x, to slow down dense material or speed up easy passages.4Press play and follow the highlight
Playback starts instantly and each sentence lights up as it is spoken. Follow along on screen or listen hands free while doing something else.5Export an MP3 on a paid plan
Pro and Studio accounts can download the generated audio as a clean MP3 without a watermark. The file plays offline in any podcast app, including on a phone lock screen.6Install the extension for web pages
Add the Chrome extension to read any open article aloud with Alt+R, or just the passage you highlighted. Audio continues while you switch tabs and can be controlled from the popup.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free tier is usable without an account: 5,000 characters a day and 20,000 a month with the neural voices includedAI
- Sentence and word highlighting during playback makes it easy to follow along, which helps comprehension and focusAI
- Works in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox on Mac, Windows, Chromebook, iPhone and Android with no installAI
- Chrome extension reads any open article or highlighted passage with a keyboard shortcut and keeps playing across tabsAI
- Paid plans add MP3 export, PDF, DOCX, EPUB and URL imports, and a commercial licence on the Studio tierAI
Cons
- Voice selection is narrow, with six to eight English accented voices and no support for other languages mentionedAI
- Scanned or image only PDFs cannot be read without OCR first, and OCR sits only on the top Studio planAI
- MP3 export is limited on free (one download a week) and unlimited only from Pro upward, so offline listening costs moneyAI
- No desktop or mobile app, so background playback depends on keeping a browser tab alive unless you export audioAI
- Commercial use requires the $19.99 Studio plan, which will surprise freelancers and small teamsAI
How much does ReadAloud cost?
Pricing
Free tier at $0 with 2 natural voices and 5,000 characters a day (20,000 a month), plus one MP3 download a week. Pro costs $9.99 per month with 1,000,000 characters, all 8 voices, unlimited MP3 downloads, document and URL imports and a library. Studio costs $19.99 per month and adds a commercial licence, 6 premium voices, photo and scanned PDF reading and priority queue.
Learn moreIntegrations
A Chrome extension (also usable on Edge, Brave, Arc and Opera) reads the current page or highlighted text with Alt+R. Document imports cover PDF, DOCX, EPUB and article URLs, and exported MP3s play in any podcast app.
Features
Six neural voices on the free tier and eight on paid plans, powered by OpenAI. Sentence and word by word highlighting during playback, speed presets from 0.5x to 2x, and a distraction free reading pane. Paid plans accept PDF, DOCX, EPUB and article URL imports up to 200,000 characters with Pro, keep a personal library, and export clean MP3 files. Studio adds Clean Read and reading of photos of pages and scanned PDFs.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions about ReadAloud
How much does ReadAloud cost?
Free tier at $0 with 2 natural voices and 5,000 characters a day (20,000 a month), plus one MP3 download a week. Pro costs $9.99 per month with 1,000,000 characters, all 8 voices, unlimited MP3 downloads, document and URL imports and a library. Studio costs $19.99 per month and adds a commercial licence, 6 premium voices, photo and scanned PDF reading and priority queue.Does ReadAloud offer a free trial?
No trial is needed because the free tier is permanent: 5,000 characters a day, 20,000 a month, 2 voices, sentence highlighting and adjustable speed, with no account or card required.How do you use ReadAloud?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Open the studio 2. Paste your text or import a document 3. Choose a voice and set the speed 4. Press play and follow the highlight 5. Export an MP3 on a paid plan 6. Install the extension for web pages.What platforms does ReadAloud support?
ReadAloud is available on Web App and Browser extension.What does ReadAloud integrate with?
A Chrome extension (also usable on Edge, Brave, Arc and Opera) reads the current page or highlighted text with Alt+R. Document imports cover PDF, DOCX, EPUB and article URLs, and exported MP3s play in any podcast app.What are the limitations of ReadAloud?
Voice selection is narrow, with six to eight English accented voices and no support for other languages mentioned. Scanned or image only PDFs cannot be read without OCR first, and OCR sits only on the top Studio plan. MP3 export is limited on free (one download a week) and unlimited only from Pro upward, so offline listening costs money.
Status
StatusActive
Views0
Outbound clicks0
Added10/21/2026
Platforms
Web AppBrowser extension
Pricing
FreemiumSubscription
