Verdict
Reviewers rate Speechify's reader among the most polished for dyslexic readers and students, and the camera scan reads printed pages aloud. Premium costs $29 a month or $139 a year, the free plan keeps 10 robotic voices, and user threads are full of trial-billing and refund complaints. In July 2026 the Consumer Federation of America asked the FTC to investigate its voice cloning, which it said needs only seconds of audio and a self-attestation tick box.
Privacy note. Policy lets staff view user content to improve algorithms with no training opt-out (speechify.com/privacy); CFA asked the FTC to investigate its tick-box voice cloning in July 2026 (consumerfed.org).
Best for
Dyslexic readers and students working through long PDFs on the annual plan
Skip if
You'd rather staff couldn't view your content, or you worry about how easily voices can be cloned
Key facts
- Made by
- Speechify Inc.
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2017
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web, Mac, Windows
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- $29 a month
- Free plan
- Free reader with 10 robotic-sounding voices, speeds up to 1.5x, text to speech only
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (monthly) | $29 | month |
| Premium (yearly) | $139 | year |
What it does
- reads text, documents and web pages aloud in over 1,000 voices and 60+ languages
- scans printed pages and reads them aloud
- summarises and answers questions about what is being read
- types by voice dictation
- turns content into AI podcasts
- connects to Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive
Ratings
What people say
Users who stay praise the voices for textbooks and manuscripts, but 2026 user threads in user repeatedly call it a scam over trial charges, refunds and a cover-scan promotion that did not work. That sits awkwardly against 4.7 on Trustpilot (7,148 reviews) and 4.57 on the UK App Store; Google Play GB is lower at 3.88 from 282,348.
“I have had really good experience with Speechify. I actually like it. Amazing for school textbooks.”
Individual user review, 2 October 2026 · source
“I have been using speechify for a few months, to read my manuscripts back to me. It's mostly very good, I love the voices. Once an a while it will skip a word. On the downside it's quite expensive.”
Individual user review, 14 August 2026 · source
“Search speechify scam in this sub and you will find loads of threads complaining. I don't recommend them.”
Individual user review, 27 July 2026 · source
“Terrible Customer Service, Refund Granted, Charged Again for Something, Had to chat with them again!!!”
Individual user review, 14 May 2026 · source
“My favorite voice that I use literally every single day for more than 2 years is gone. Now you can't make cloned voices.”
Individual user review, 11 September 2026 · source
Press reviews
- Reedsy 2025-12-15
Helpful for editing by ear, research and dyslexic writers, with natural premium voices, but free voices are 'noticeably robotic' and it cannot replace a human narrator; 3/5.
- Unite.AI 2026-06-09
Reliable for turning documents, web pages and images into natural audio and very easy to use, but premium voices are paywalled and technical words can be mispronounced.
- UniversSmartphone 2026-08-03
Voices sound more natural than Edge's free Read Aloud, but 'not worth its subscription cost' just to listen to articles.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- unclear; the privacy policy (updated 22 Jul 2026) says data is used to 'improve the features, algorithms, and usability' and that User Content may be viewed 'to improve our algorithms'. It rules out training general models only for Google Drive and Workspace data
- Opt-out
- No AI-training opt-out described; personal data can be removed by deleting the account
- Retention
- Kept 'for as long as reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests', plus fraud-prevention and legal holds; no fixed period
- Incidents
- Jul 2026: Consumer Federation of America complaint to the FTC and US state attorneys general alleging Speechify's voice cloning enables impersonation scams with 'little more than a self-attestation checkbox' (no regulator response found). Mar 2025: Consumer Reports found its free voice cloning relied on a tick box. Recurring billing and refund complaints in user reviews and Trustpilot
- Age limit
- 13+ per the privacy policy (higher where local law requires); App Store rating 4+
Official videos
- How to use Speechify - Tutorial 2023-09-19
FAQ
Is Speechify free?
There is a free plan with 10 robotic-sounding voices at up to 1.5x speed. Natural voices, faster speeds and camera scanning need Premium at $29 a month or about $139 a year.
Is Speechify a scam?
It is a working product that reviewers rate well, but many individual reviewers report being charged after free trials and struggling to get refunds. Cancelling before the trial ends and checking the renewal date avoids most of the complaints.
Is Speechify good for dyslexia?
Reviewers say yes. It was built by a dyslexic founder, highlights each word as it reads, and won an Apple Design Award in 2025 according to TechSifted.
Speechify vs ElevenReader?
Both read documents aloud in natural voices. ElevenReader is cheaper at $11 a month with a 10-hour free allowance, while reviewers prefer Speechify's camera scanning and word highlighting.
Can Speechify clone voices?
Yes, and that is the problem consumer groups have raised. The Consumer Federation of America says a clip of seconds plus a tick box is enough, and asked US regulators to investigate in July 2026.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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