TechRadar review says Speechify turns text and images into audio with 200-plus AI voices

The reviewer said they are a visual learner who can read text but retains little of it and prefers hearing someone read to them. Browser reading modes often have limited voices that sound electronic and overprocessed, the review said, which led the reviewer to use Speechify. The app offers voices that can be customized by type, pitch, and accent, with reading speed up to 4.5 times normal, though the reviewer did not recommend that speed.

Speechify guides users through questions to narrow voice choices. Users can choose conversational, narration, acting, professional, meditation, or educational voice types; bright, soft, neutral, crisp, warm, or deep qualities; low, mid, or high pitch; and British, American, or Australian accents. The review said those are the only three accents currently available, though it expected more to be added.

The app's Home tab provides several workflows. One AI-driven option asks, 'What do you want to work on today?' and is familiar to users of ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar tools, the review said. Users can type or speak a task, attach files, receive text answers that the voice assistant can read, and ask follow-up questions. For existing documents, Speechify offers seven options: uploading files from a phone, uploading from a cloud repository, scanning pages, pasting text, finding a book, pasting a link, and dictating text.

The reviewer said the app handled PDFs and web pages as expected, but was most impressed by its ability to analyze and read out images. Tests with several photos showed it could read different types of information, including technical details, and the images did not have to be high quality or well lit. The reviewer also said Speechify allowed more multitasking, because files or photos could be uploaded and listened to while doing house chores, reducing the need for dedicated reading time.

The free version of Speechify provides a reasonable number of features but lacks offline listening, advanced voices, faster playback, and dictation, according to the review. Premium access costs $175 or £129.99 per year, with a free three-day trial. Speechify also offers a library of more than 100,000 audiobooks across genres including fiction, classics, and self-help. Lifetime access costs $80 or £60 but is often discounted to $35 or £25, which the review described as an affordable alternative to Amazon's Audible.

The review said Speechify can be used for study, leisure, language learning, or productivity, and is available on iOS and Android.

Editor's Summary

TechRadar's review said Speechify offers more than 200 customizable AI voices and multiple document, image, and research workflows, with premium features priced at $175 or £129.99 per year. The reviewer found the app useful for multitasking and reading images aloud, while noting the free version lacks offline listening, advanced voices, faster playback, and dictation. Speechify also sells lifetime access to a 100,000-book audiobook library for $80 or £60, often discounted to $35 or £25.