SpeakCoveIs ElevenReader free? Yes, up to a point: as of October 24, 2026, ElevenReader's pricing page lists a free plan with 10 hours of text-to-audio a month, 1,000+ voices, 4x speed and a sleep timer. Ultra costs $11 a month or $99 a year ($8.25 a month billed annually), with a 3-day free trial, imports of up to 24 hours of audio a day, and offline downloads. The App Store also lists a Plus plan at $10 a month or $96 a year, and hour packs from $5. SpeakCove, the app behind this page, is free with 2 voices; Premium is a one-time $14.99.
ElevenReader comes from ElevenLabs, the company behind some of the most realistic AI voices available, and it generates audio from your files online. SpeakCove takes the opposite approach: its own neural voices run on your device, with no account, in the iPhone and iPad app and in a free web reader with all 10 voices at speakcove.com/text-to-speech. In this comparison, we look at how the two compare on pricing, privacy and everyday use.
| Feature | SpeakCove | ElevenReader |
|---|---|---|
| Account | ✓ None | Account-based plans, hours and sync |
| Free Version | 2 neural voices in the app (playback pauses when you leave it), all 10 in the free web reader; no hour limit | 10 hours of new audio a month, 1,000+ voices |
| Premium Price | ✓ $14.99 one-time (US) | Ultra $11/month or $99/year; Plus $10/month or $96/year (App Store) |
| Voice Quality | 10 on-device neural voices | ✓ 1,000+ ElevenLabs AI voices; custom voices on Ultra |
| Offline Support | ✓ Reading and speech on-device, work offline | Ultra only: up to 150 hours of downloads a month, kept up to 60 days |
| Privacy | ✓ No analytics, tracking or ads in the app; on-device reading | Files uploaded to generate audio; App Store label lists tracking identifiers |
| Speed Control | 0.75x to 1.75x | ✓ 0.25x to 4x |
| Supported Formats | PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT, HTML (DRM-free) | PDFs, docs, ePub, text files, web links |
| Sleep Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Free Books | Project Gutenberg store + arXiv, Semantic Scholar and OpenAlex paper search | Thousands of free audiobooks and eBooks |
| Platforms | Free web reader in the browser (all 10 voices) + iPhone and iPad app | iOS, Android, web, Chrome extension |
| Cross-Device Sync | Yes, via iCloud | Yes, web and mobile |
Where ElevenReader Does Well
- Some of the most realistic AI voices available, from ElevenLabs, with 1,000+ to choose from
- A usable free plan: 10 hours of generated audio a month
- Thousands of free audiobooks, plus premium audiobooks on Ultra
- Apps for iOS, Android, the web and Chrome; 4.7 stars from about 11,000 US App Store ratings and an App Store Editors' Choice
Where ElevenReader Falls Short
- Audio is generated online from your files, so new listening needs a connection
- Offline downloads require Ultra ($11 a month or $99 a year) and expire after 60 days
- Free listening is capped at 10 hours of new audio a month
- Audio can't be exported from the app
- Ultra's unlimited listening is capped at 24 hours of generated audio per day
- App Store privacy label lists identifiers that may be used to track you, and email, name and usage data linked to your identity
Where SpeakCove Excels
- Start listening immediately: no account, no sign-up, no email
- Free version with 2 neural voices and no hour limit, plus 10 formats, 31 languages, speed control, iCloud sync, widgets and sentence highlighting. No ads. Playback pauses when you leave the app
- $14.99 once instead of $99 a year: over $280 less over three years
- Reading, scanning and speech run on your device and work offline, with no downloads that expire
- Your documents are read on your iPhone or iPad, not uploaded to generate audio
- No analytics, tracking or ads in the app
- 10 on-device neural voices: 2 free in the app, all 10 free in the web reader
- 10 DRM-free formats, including MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and CBZ
- Sleep timer, widgets and iPad support; lock-screen playback and CarPlay with Premium
- Built-in Project Gutenberg book store + research-paper search (arXiv, Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex)
The Verdict
If voice realism is what matters most, ElevenReader offers some of the most natural-sounding AI voices available, and its free plan's 10 hours a month is enough for many readers. Ultra costs $11 a month or $99 a year as of October 2026.
SpeakCove is the better fit if you want to pay once and listen offline. The free version has no hour limit and needs no account, though playback pauses when you leave the app. $14.99 once adds the other 8 voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay.
Because reading and speech run on your device, your documents are not uploaded to generate audio, and SpeakCove plays them anywhere, even in airplane mode. Three years of Ultra's yearly plan costs $297; SpeakCove costs $14.99 once.
Try SpeakCove Free. No sign-up required. Start listening in seconds.
One-time purchase, no subscription
Free to start with 2 voices and every format. $14.99 once unlocks all 10 voices, background playback and CarPlay. No subscription, ever.
Listen in the car with CarPlay
Your documents on your car's screen and speakers, with CarPlay in Premium.
Works offline, fully on-device
Your documents never leave your device. The app has no analytics and no ads, and reading and voices work in airplane mode.
Free Text to Speech, Right in Your Browser
Paste text or open any file (PDF, EPUB, Word, scans and more) and press Play. SpeakCove reads it aloud with natural voices in 31 languages. It's free, with no sign-up and no length limit, and your text never leaves your browser.
Open the reader →Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ElevenReader free to use?
- Yes. As of October 2026, the free plan includes 10 hours of text-to-audio a month, 1,000+ voices, thousands of free audiobooks, 4x speed and a sleep timer. Hours reset monthly and are only used when new audio is generated. Offline downloads need Ultra. SpeakCove's free app has 2 voices and no hour limit, but playback pauses when you leave the app; its free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech has all 10 voices, also with no limit.
- How much does ElevenReader cost compared to SpeakCove?
- ElevenReader Ultra costs $11 a month or $99 a year on its website and in the US App Store, and the App Store also lists a Plus plan at $10 a month or $96 a year. Three years of Ultra's yearly plan comes to $297. SpeakCove's Premium is a one-time $14.99 purchase that unlocks all 10 voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay.
- Does ElevenReader work offline?
- Partly. ElevenReader generates audio from your files online, so new listening needs a connection. Ultra subscribers can download up to 150 hours a month for offline listening, and downloads stay in the app for up to 60 days. SpeakCove's reading and speech run on your device, so imported documents play offline, on the free version too.
- What files can each app import?
- ElevenReader imports PDFs, docs, ePub files, text files and web links, and its site promotes Kindle read-aloud. SpeakCove imports 10 DRM-free formats: PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT and HTML. It cannot import Kindle books bought from Amazon, and it adds research-paper search across arXiv, Semantic Scholar and OpenAlex.
- Which app is better for privacy?
- SpeakCove needs no account, its app has no analytics, tracking or ads, and it reads documents on your device. ElevenReader generates audio from the files you upload, and its App Store privacy label lists identifiers that may be used to track you, plus email address, name, user ID and usage data linked to your identity.
- Which app has better voice quality?
- ElevenLabs is known for some of the most realistic AI voices, and ElevenReader offers 1,000+ of them, plus custom voice design on Ultra. SpeakCove has 10 neural voices that run on your device, 2 of them free. If voice realism matters most and you are online, ElevenReader has the edge; if offline use and a one-time price matter more, SpeakCove fits.