SpeakCoveText to Speech! by Gwyn Durbridge is free with ads, and removing them is a one-time $9.99 in the US App Store as of October 2026. It has been on the App Store since 2013 and has 4.6 stars from about 33,000 ratings. It is a type-to-speak app: you enter text and choose from 178 voices in 63 accents and languages, adjust rate and pitch, star phrases and export the speech as audio files.
SpeakCove does a different job. It imports documents in 10 formats and reads them aloud with its own on-device neural voices, sentence highlighting, saved positions and a sleep timer, with no ads and no account. Here's how the two apps compare.
| Feature | SpeakCove | Text to Speech! |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Reading documents aloud | Speaking typed text |
| Price | Free download (Premium $14.99 one-time) | ✓ Free with ads ($9.99 one-time to remove ads in the US App Store) |
| Ads | ✓ None | Yes, unless you buy Remove Advertisements |
| Input | ✓ 10 document formats plus a document scanner | Typed or pasted text |
| Voices | 10 on-device neural voices (2 free) | ✓ 178 voices in 63 accents and languages, plus Personal Voice |
| Voice Controls | Speed 0.75x to 1.75x | Rate and pitch |
| Offline Support | Reading, OCR and speech work offline | No internet required |
| Highlighting | Current sentence highlighted | Spoken text highlighted |
| Audio Export | Not available | ✓ Export speech to audio files |
| Phrases & Calls | Not available | ✓ Starred phrases in folders; mix speech into phone calls |
| Phrase Backup | No saved phrases | ✓ Exports phrase files with folders and order; imports a plain text file, one phrase per line |
| Reading Tools | ✓ Saved positions, 5 to 60 minute sleep timer, iCloud sync, widgets | Not a document reader |
| Privacy | ✓ No analytics, tracking or ads in the app | App Store label lists location, identifiers, usage and diagnostics data used to track you |
| Requirements | iOS 26 or later | ✓ iOS 17 or later |
Where Text to Speech! Does Well
- 178 voices in 63 accents and languages, plus Personal Voice support
- Strong type-to-speak features: starred phrases in folders, speak as you type, and speech mixed into phone calls
- Exports speech to audio files and works without an internet connection
- Long track record: on the App Store since 2013, with 4.6 stars from about 33,400 ratings, and still updated (version 4.74, October 2026)
Where Text to Speech! Falls Short
- Shows ads unless you pay $9.99 to remove them
- No document import listed: you type or paste the text
- App Store privacy label lists location, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as data used to track you
Where SpeakCove Excels
- Built for reading documents: import a file and listen from start to finish
- Free version with no ads and no time limits: 2 voices, all formats, all 31 languages, speed control, iCloud sync, widgets and sentence highlighting
- $14.99 once for all 10 voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay
- Reading, speech and text recognition run on your device and work offline
- No analytics, tracking or ads in the app
- 10 document formats, including EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, PDF and DOCX
- Remembers your position in every document
- Sleep timer from 5 to 60 minutes, home screen widgets and iPad support
- 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
Text to Speech! is a long-running, well-rated type-to-speak app. If you want to type a sentence and hear it in one of 178 voices, save phrases, export audio or speak into a phone call, it does that well, and $9.99 removes the ads.
SpeakCove is for a different task: listening to documents. It imports 10 formats, reads them with on-device neural voices, highlights each sentence, remembers your place and has a sleep timer, all without ads. Premium is a one-time $14.99 for all 10 voices, background playback and CarPlay.
If you mostly type short texts, Text to Speech! is the better fit. If you only need to type and be heard now and then, try Apple's free Live Speech first; it is built into iOS 17 and later. If you want to listen to books, PDFs and other documents, SpeakCove is.
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
- What is Text to Speech! best at?
- Speaking text you type or paste. It offers 178 voices in 63 accents and languages, rate and pitch control, highlighting of spoken text, starred phrases in folders, export to audio files, and the option to mix speech into phone calls. It also supports Personal Voice.
- Do I need Text to Speech! if my iPhone has Live Speech?
- Maybe not. Live Speech is built into iOS 17 and later: turn it on in Settings > Accessibility > Live Speech, type, and your iPhone speaks the words, including in phone and FaceTime calls. It keeps saved phrases and can use Apple's system voices or a Personal Voice you create. Text to Speech! adds 178 voices in 63 accents and languages in one list, rate and pitch control, highlighting of the spoken text, starred phrases in folders and export to audio files. Neither is built to read a whole PDF or e-book; that is what SpeakCove does.
- Can I move my saved phrases in and out of Text to Speech!?
- Yes. Its October 2026 update (version 4.74) says exported phrase files now keep your folders and the order of your phrases, and that you can import a plain text file with one phrase per line. You can also edit a starred phrase by pressing and holding it. SpeakCove has no saved phrases: it reads documents.
- Is SpeakCove really free, or does it have ads like Text to Speech!?
- SpeakCove has no ads in any version. Its free version includes 2 voices, all 10 formats, all 31 languages, speed control, the sleep timer, iCloud sync, widgets and sentence highlighting, and its free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech has all 10 voices. Text to Speech! is free with ads, and as of October 2026, removing them is a one-time $9.99 in-app purchase.
- How much does SpeakCove cost compared to Text to Speech!?
- Both are free downloads with a one-time purchase. Text to Speech! charges $9.99 to remove ads. SpeakCove's $14.99 Premium (US) adds 8 more voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay; its free version already has no ads.
- Do both apps work offline?
- Yes. Text to Speech! says no internet is required. SpeakCove's reading, speech and text recognition run on your device. Its book store, paper search, iCloud sync and the purchase need a connection.
- Which app supports more document formats?
- SpeakCove imports 10 formats (PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT, HTML) and has a document scanner. Text to Speech!'s App Store listing describes entering text and doesn't list document import.
- Which app is better for privacy?
- SpeakCove's app has no analytics, tracking or ads. Text to Speech!'s App Store privacy label says location, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites.