SpeakCoveSpeak4Me Text to Speech Reader is free to download, and its Pro features cost $4.99 or $6.99 a week, or $29.99 to $59.99 a year, in the US App Store as of October 24, 2026; an Ultra plan is $9.99 a week. SpeakCove's Premium is $14.99 once, and its app lets you import a document and start listening right away, with no account and no ads. Two neural voices, all 10 formats and all 31 languages are included free.
Speak4Me, with 4.5 stars from about 14,000 App Store ratings as of October 2026, takes a broader approach: it reads PDFs, documents, web articles and photos of printed pages, works as a type-to-speak tool, exports MP3 voice-overs and offers 120+ AI voices. Its Pro features are sold as weekly or yearly subscriptions. Here is how the two compare on cost, features and privacy.
| Feature | SpeakCove | Speak4Me |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Price | ✓ $14.99 one-time (lifetime) | Pro from $4.99/week or $29.99 to $59.99/year; Ultra $9.99/week (US App Store) |
| What It Reads | 10 formats (PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT, HTML) | PDFs, documents, books and web articles |
| Scan Printed Pages | Document scanner with on-device OCR | Photo of a page read aloud |
| Voices | 10 on-device neural voices (2 free), 31 languages | ✓ 120+ AI voices in 20+ languages and accents |
| Type to Speak | Not available | ✓ Yes, with favorite phrases |
| Audio Export | Not available | ✓ MP3 export and sharing |
| Text Highlighting | Current sentence highlighted | Real-time text highlighting, dyslexia-friendly font |
| Privacy | ✓ No analytics, tracking or ads in the app | Usage and diagnostics data collected, not linked to you |
| Requirements | iOS 26 or later | ✓ iOS 15 or later |
Where Speak4Me Does Well
- 120+ AI voices in 20+ languages and accents, including its Ultra voices
- Doubles as a type-to-speak tool for people who can't speak, with favorite phrases
- Exports MP3 voice-overs, reads web articles and photos of printed pages, and skips PDF headers and footers
- Large user base: 4.5 stars from about 14,000 ratings as of October 2026
- Free for schools, according to its website, which also lists file uploads from iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive
Where Speak4Me Falls Short
- Pro features are sold as subscriptions: from $4.99 a week or $29.99 to $59.99 a year as of October 2026
- At $4.99 a week, a year of Pro costs about $259; the yearly plans cost less
- The App Store lists two prices for Pro Weekly ($4.99 and $6.99) and four for Pro Yearly ($29.99 to $59.99) without saying which one you'll be offered
- Collects usage data and diagnostics, according to its App Store privacy label
Where SpeakCove Excels
- Start listening right away: no account, no sign-up, no email
- Free version with no ads and no time limits: 2 voices, all 10 formats, all 31 languages, speed control, iCloud sync and widgets
- $14.99 once instead of a weekly or yearly subscription
- Reading, speech and text recognition run on your device and work offline
- No analytics, tracking or ads in the app
- 10 on-device neural voices (2 free, 8 with Premium)
- 10 document formats, including MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and CBZ
- Sleep timer from 5 to 60 minutes, widgets, iPad support, and lock-screen and CarPlay playback with Premium
- Free Project Gutenberg store and research-paper search (arXiv, Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex)
- iCloud sync keeps your library and progress across iPhone and iPad
The Verdict
Speak4Me does a lot: it reads documents, web articles and photos of pages, speaks what you type, and exports MP3 voice-overs, with 120+ AI voices to choose from. If you need type-to-speak or audio export, it covers ground SpeakCove doesn't. Its Pro features cost from $4.99 a week or $29.99 to $59.99 a year as of October 2026.
SpeakCove is narrower and simpler. You open the app and start listening, with no account and no ads. The free version includes all 10 document formats, all 31 languages, speed control, the sleep timer, iCloud sync and sentence highlighting. Premium is a one-time $14.99 for all 10 voices, background playback and CarPlay.
Because SpeakCove's speech runs on your device, listening works in airplane mode. If you mainly want to listen to your own documents without a subscription, SpeakCove is the simpler choice.
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
- Can I use SpeakCove without creating an account?
- Yes. SpeakCove requires no account, no email and no sign-up. Open the app, import a document and start listening.
- Is SpeakCove really free?
- SpeakCove is a free download with no ads and no time limits. The free version includes 2 of its 10 voices (Serena and Max), all 10 formats, all 31 languages, speed control, the sleep timer, iCloud sync, widgets and sentence highlighting. Premium is a one-time $14.99 purchase (US) for the other 8 voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay. Without Premium, playback pauses when you leave the app or lock the phone. The free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech has all 10 voices, with no sign-up.
- How much does Speak4Me cost compared to SpeakCove?
- As of October 2026, Speak4Me's App Store listing shows Pro subscriptions at $4.99 or $6.99 a week and yearly plans from $29.99 to $59.99, plus an Ultra plan at $9.99 a week. SpeakCove's Premium is a one-time $14.99 payment with no subscription.
- What does a year of Speak4Me cost on each plan?
- As of October 2026, the US App Store lists Speak4Me Pro Weekly at $4.99 and $6.99, Pro Yearly at $29.99, $39.99, $49.99 and $59.99, and an Ultra weekly plan at $9.99. Paid weekly, a year comes to about $259 at $4.99, $363 at $6.99 and $519 for Ultra. The yearly plans cost $29.99 to $59.99. The listing doesn't say which price a new user sees, so check the payment screen before you subscribe. SpeakCove Premium is $14.99 once.
- Does SpeakCove work offline?
- Yes for reading and listening. Speech, document reading and text recognition run on your device, so it works in airplane mode or on the subway. The book store, paper search, iCloud sync and the purchase need a connection.
- Is Speak4Me free for schools?
- Its website says Speak4Me is free for schools and that you can upload files from iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive. It doesn't explain how a school signs up, so ask the developer. SpeakCove has no school plan; its free version and free web reader need no account.
- What can Speak4Me do that SpeakCove can't?
- Speak4Me also works as a type-to-speak tool for people who can't speak, exports MP3 voice-overs, reads web articles, offers 120+ AI voices in 20+ languages, and has a dyslexia-friendly font. SpeakCove doesn't export audio and isn't built for type-to-speak.
- Which app is better for privacy?
- SpeakCove's app has no analytics, tracking or ads, and its speech runs on your device. Speak4Me's App Store privacy label says it collects usage data and diagnostics that are not linked to your identity.