SpeakCoveCommon Challenges for People with Visual Impairments
- Many documents, such as PDFs, scanned papers, and ebooks, are not optimized for screen readers and take extra effort to get through.
- VoiceOver reads interface elements well but offers limited control over long-form document playback, speed, and voice selection.
- Subscription-based TTS apps create recurring costs that add up, especially when assistive technology is a daily necessity rather than a convenience.
- Cloud-dependent apps can fail mid-read when connectivity drops, interrupting a critical accessibility workflow.
- Complex visual interfaces make it hard to set up and control playback without sighted assistance.
How SpeakCove Helps
Use It Alongside VoiceOver
SpeakCove is built with standard iOS controls, so you can use VoiceOver to find a document and start playback, then let SpeakCove's voices handle the long-form reading with its own playback controls.
10 Document Formats, One App
Open PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT, and HTML files (DRM-free). No need to convert documents or juggle multiple apps. Printed letters and handouts can be scanned with the built-in scanner, which recognizes the text on your device.
Lock Screen and Background Playback (Premium)
With the one-time Premium purchase, you can start playback, lock your phone, and keep listening, with pause, play, and skip on the lock screen or your headphone controls. In the free version, playback pauses when the screen locks or you leave the app.
Offline and Reliable
All voice synthesis happens on your device. Imported documents play without dropped connections or buffering, on the bus, underground, or anywhere without Wi-Fi.
Natural Voices for Extended Listening
When you rely on TTS for hours each day, voice quality matters. SpeakCove has 10 on-device neural voices (2 free) that read 31 languages, with five speeds from 0.75x to 1.75x so you can listen at a comfortable pace.
Usage Scenarios
Reading Work Documents
Import a DOCX report or PDF from a colleague into SpeakCove and listen at your preferred speed, without fighting a screen reader through a complex page layout.
Enjoying Books and Literature
Download free books from the built-in Project Gutenberg store and listen at home or on the go. DRM-free EPUB, MOBI, and AZW3 ebooks also open.
Catching Up on Articles
Save web articles as HTML or PDF files and import them into SpeakCove. Listen to long reads during a walk or while cooking.
Reviewing Personal Documents
Listen to your own notes, letters, or any text file. iCloud sync keeps your library available across iPhone and iPad without manual transfers.
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 →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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does SpeakCove work with VoiceOver?
- You can use VoiceOver to navigate SpeakCove's standard iOS controls and start playback. Once a document is playing, SpeakCove reads it with its own neural voices and playback controls.
- Is SpeakCove free for people with visual impairments?
- The download is free for everyone. It includes 2 voices, all 10 document formats, all 31 languages, speed control, sleep timer, iCloud sync, widgets, and sentence highlighting, with no ads, no account, and no time limits. The optional $14.99 one-time Premium purchase (US price) unlocks 8 more voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay.
- Can I control playback without looking at the screen?
- With Premium, yes: playback continues on the lock screen, and you can pause, play, and skip with lock-screen controls or headphone buttons. Without Premium, SpeakCove reads only while the app is open and the screen is on.
- Does SpeakCove need an internet connection?
- Not for reading. Voice synthesis, document processing, and text recognition happen on your device, so SpeakCove reads in airplane mode. The book store, paper search, iCloud sync, and the Premium purchase need a connection.
- What document formats can SpeakCove read?
- SpeakCove supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT, and HTML: 10 formats in total, DRM-free only. You can import files from the Files app or other apps, or download free books from Project Gutenberg within the app.
- Does SpeakCove collect any personal data?
- No. There is no account, and the app has no analytics, tracking, or ads. Documents are processed on your device and aren't uploaded to SpeakCove. If iCloud is on, your library syncs between your devices through your own private iCloud account.