Speechify review: is Premium worth it?
Short answer
Speechify Premium is worth it if you listen to a lot of reading, such as textbooks, PDFs or long articles, and want natural voices at high speed: it costs $139 a year (about $11.58 a month) or $29 billed monthly, and adds 1,000+ voices, speeds up to 4.5x and scanning of printed pages. If you only listen now and then, Speechify's free plan (10 basic voices, up to 1.5x) or the read-aloud built into Edge and your phone is enough.
Speechify is the best-known app for having text read aloud to you: web pages, PDFs, documents, emails and photos of printed pages, on your phone, computer or browser. The question most people ask is whether Premium is worth paying for over the free plan. This review is based on Speechify's pricing, help and policy pages, checked on the date above; it doesn't include our own listening tests.
Free vs Premium
| Free | Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0, no time limit | $139/year (about $11.58/month) or $29/month |
| Voices | 10 basic voices | 1,000+ natural voices in 60+ languages |
| Top speed | 1.5x | 4.5x |
| Scan printed pages (Scan & Listen) | No | Yes |
| AI summaries and chat about what you're reading | No | Yes |
| Other extras | Cloud storage imports, voice typing, AI podcasts, voice assistant |
Sources: Speechify pricing, Speechify's free vs Premium page and its FAQ is Speechify no longer free?. Some older Speechify pages give different figures, such as 5x top speed or a three-day free trial; the numbers above are from its newer pages. Speechify also says Premium includes up to 1,000,000 Premium-voice words a month, far more than most people read. On iPhone, the free plan keeps up to 5 files in your library.
Yearly or monthly?
Twelve months on monthly billing costs $348, against $139 for a year paid up front, so the yearly plan is much cheaper if you know you'll keep using it. The catch is refunds. Speechify's terms say an unused annual plan may qualify for a refund if you ask within 7 days of paying, and that monthly, quarterly and discounted plans aren't refundable. App Store purchases are refunded through Apple, not Speechify. Its refund policy says there are no partial refunds.
A sensible way to decide: use the free plan for a week or two. If you keep wishing it read faster or sounded less robotic, Premium's main upgrades are exactly those two things.
Who Premium is worth it for
- Students with heavy reading lists, who can listen to textbooks and PDFs at 2x or 3x and scan printed handouts.
- People with dyslexia or ADHD, or anyone who takes in text better by listening while reading along.
- Commuters and walkers who want to get through articles, reports and documents as audio.
Who should skip it
- Occasional listeners. The free plan reads anything at up to 1.5x with basic voices, and your devices have read-aloud built in.
- People who want voiceovers for videos. That's Speechify Studio, a separate product, or a voice generator such as ElevenLabs or Murf. See ElevenLabs vs Murf vs Speechify.
Free and cheaper alternatives
| Option | Price | What it reads |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge Read aloud | Free with the browser | Web pages and PDFs, on desktop and in the Edge mobile app |
| iPhone and iPad Speak Screen / Speak Selection | Free, built in | Anything on screen, or the text you select |
| Speechify free plan | Free | Anything you add, with 10 basic voices up to 1.5x |
| NaturalReader Plus | $119/year or $20.90/month | Documents, web pages and PDFs, with a web app, mobile app and Chrome extension |
Sources: Microsoft's Read aloud page (dozens of natural-sounding voices online, a few offline), Apple's guide to Speak Screen and Speak Selection (Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak), NaturalReader's personal plans and pricing.
Edge's Read aloud is the strongest free option on a computer: its online voices are natural-sounding and it handles PDFs. Speechify's advantages over the free tools are its higher speeds, scanning printed pages and AI summaries.
For more voice tools, see ElevenLabs alternatives and our Murf AI review.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Speechify Premium?
$139 a year, which works out to about $11.58 a month, or $29 a month on monthly billing, per Speechify's pricing page. Prices in the App Store and Google Play are set by the store and can differ slightly.
Is Speechify free?
Yes, there is a free plan with no time limit and no card needed. It reads text aloud with 10 basic voices at up to 1.5x speed. Premium unlocks the natural voices, faster speeds, scanning printed pages and AI summaries.
Can I get a refund from Speechify?
Speechify's terms say an unused annual plan may qualify for a refund if you ask within 7 days of paying, while monthly plans aren't refundable. If you subscribed through Apple's App Store, refunds go through Apple. Check the current refund policy before you subscribe.
Is Speechify Premium the same as Speechify Studio?
No. Premium is the reading app that reads text to you. Studio is a separate voiceover product for making audio and video, sold yearly from $100. See our ElevenLabs vs Murf vs Speechify comparison for Studio.