5 Best Apps to Read PDFs Aloud on iPhone and Android

Sick of pinching, zooming, and scrolling through PDFs on your phone? With a read-aloud app, you don’t have to! 

The right app can turn almost any PDF into something you can listen to anywhere. The key is choosing one that works with your files, your routine, and the way you prefer to listen. 

So to help you do just that, we’ve put together the following article covering five of the very best apps to read PDFs aloud on iPhone and Android.

Summary

• ElevenReader is our top app to read PDFs aloud, thanks to its natural voices, simple imports, synchronized highlighting, and progress syncing across web and mobile.
• Voice Dream Reader offers extensive Apple accessibility features, while @Voice Aloud Reader gives Android users detailed controls without requiring a subscription.
• Speech Central suits people who prefer a one-time upgrade, and Speechify is worth considering for cloud imports, scanned pages, and high-speed listening.
• All five apps can work with scanned PDFs, although the OCR tools available and their cost vary between products.
• Before choosing, consider how the app handles imports, background playback, offline listening, and progress after you close it.

How does an app read a PDF aloud?

A PDF read-aloud app pulls the text from your file and uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to turn that text into audio. Once the document is ready, you can then choose a voice, set your preferred speed, and press play, much like you would with an audiobook or podcast.

Most dedicated apps also offer features that make longer documents easier to manage. They might highlight each word as it’s spoken, save your place, keep playing when your screen is locked, or sync your library between your phone and computer. This can be especially useful for reports, textbooks, research papers, and manuals that are uncomfortable to read on a small screen.

The type of PDF matters, too. If it contains selectable text, the app can usually read it straight away. But if the pages are scanned images, the app will need optical character recognition (OCR) to identify the words first. Columns, footnotes, and tables can also make the text harder to process in the right order.

The best apps to read PDFs aloud

Since every app handles voices, layouts, and mobile playback a little differently, it’s worth testing a few options to get a feel for which features you find the most useful. 

With this in mind, here are our top five picks for the best apps to read PDFs aloud. 

1. ElevenReader: Best overall

• Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, and web
• Best for: Natural voices and a straightforward mobile listening experience
• Pricing: Free for up to 10 hours of imported text audio each month; Ultra costs $11 monthly or $8.25 per month when billed annually
• Main limitation: Offline downloads require Ultra, and personal imports cannot be exported as standalone audio files

If you want your PDFs to sound more like audiobooks than documents being read by a computer, ElevenReader will be your best bet. 

Getting started couldn’t be much easier. All you have to do is upload or share your PDF, choose from more than 1,000 natural AI voices, set your preferred speed, and press play.

As you listen, synchronized highlighting follows each word on the screen. You can read along when you need to concentrate, then put your phone away and continue listening when you’re on the move.

ElevenReader also uses smart imports to remove recurring clutter such as headers, footers, and page numbers. That means fewer interruptions and a smoother experience across longer reports, textbooks, and research papers.

Another big advantage is that your library and listening progress sync between web and mobile. You can upload a document on your computer, open it on your phone later, and pick up where you stopped.

The free plan includes 10 hours of text-to-audio each month (that’s around 400 pages of text), and if you sign up for Ultra, you’ll have unlimited listening for personal imports and offline downloads. 

2. Speech Central: Best one-time-purchase option

• Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, macOS, and Windows
• Best for: Readers who prefer a one-time upgrade to another monthly payment
• Pricing: Limited free use with a one-time Pro purchase; licenses may be separate across platforms
• Main limitation: Getting advanced cloud voices set up can take more work

If you have a large listening list and want plenty of control over how your content is organized and plays, Speech Central gives you a lot to work with.

The app supports PDFs, ebooks, documents, and web articles. It can also handle scanned and multi-column PDFs, with cleanup settings that reduce interruptions caused by headers, footnotes, citations, and links.

Speech Central mainly uses voices installed on your device. This makes offline listening straightforward, although the quality will depend on your phone or computer. You can connect supported cloud AI voices using your own API key, but the setup is more involved than selecting a built-in narrator.

You’ll also find annotations, custom reading profiles, syncing across selected devices, and audio export. Free use is limited, while a one-time Pro purchase removes the daily restrictions on the relevant platform. Just keep in mind that you may need to buy the upgrade separately for each operating system.

3. Voice Dream Reader: Best for Apple accessibility

• Available on: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro
• Best for: Apple users who want detailed accessibility and display controls
• Pricing: Free trial followed by a subscription; some voices may cost extra
• Main limitation: There is no Android version

If you’re a devoted Apple user, Voice Dream Reader will fit effortlessly into your routine. 

You can use the app to listen to PDFs, ebooks, Word documents, web pages, and plenty of other formats. It also gives you lots of control over how everything sounds and looks, with options to adjust the voice, speed, pitch, pronunciation, pauses, font, spacing, colors, margins, and highlighting.

Voice Dream also works with Apple accessibility features such as VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Voice Control, and compatible braille displays, which is ideal if you want your PDF reader to work alongside the accessibility tools you already use. 

Of course, all that Apple integration comes with one obvious trade-off: there’s no Android version. You’ll also need a subscription after the free trial, and certain premium voices cost extra, so it’s worth checking the full cost before signing up. 

4. Speechify: Best for cloud imports and fast listening

• Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, web, and desktop
• Best for: People who keep PDFs in cloud storage or listen at higher speeds
• Pricing: Free version available; natural voices, faster playback, and advanced features require a Premium subscription
• Main limitation: The free version leaves out many of the features that make the app appealing

If you have PDFs spread across several different cloud accounts, Speechify could be a super convenient option for you (as long as you’re willing to splash out on a Premium plan). 

You can upload documents, paste links, photograph printed pages, and connect services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive. This saves you from downloading files and moving them between apps before you can start listening.

The free plan does include basic voices and a few different playback speeds, but a Premium plan is where you’ll get a large selection of natural voices, speeds of up to 5x, cloud integrations, and additional AI tools.

These extras make the most sense if you regularly scan printed material, store documents across several platforms, or like to listen at faster speeds. If you only want to play the occasional PDF at a normal pace, however, the free version may feel restrictive, and the paid plan may offer more than you need.

5. Voice Aloud Reader: Best Android app without a subscription

• Available on: Android
• Best for: Android users who want local controls and a one-time payment
• Pricing: Free with ads; a one-time Premium purchase removes ads and adds selected features
• Main limitation: The interface takes time to configure, and voice quality depends on your chosen speech engine

If you use Android and like having lots of different settings, @Voice Aloud Reader is one of the most flexible options available.

You can open PDFs stored on your phone or send them directly to the app through Android’s share menu. @Voice uses speech engines installed on your device, including common Google and Samsung voices. This makes offline listening possible, although the narration quality will depend on the voice you select.

Like other PDF readers on this list, you can adjust the speed, pitch, volume, pauses, and pronunciation. @Voice also gives you more control over difficult PDFs than many alternatives. For example, it can use OCR for image-based pages, crop out repeated headers and footers, and create separate reading regions when columns appear in the wrong order.

The interface may take a little time to configure, and the free version does contain ads. However, that extra control could be worth it if you’re looking to regularly listen to complicated PDFs on your Android device. 

What to check before downloading a PDF read-aloud app

The five apps above can all read PDFs, but that doesn’t mean they’ll handle your documents (or fit into your routine) equally well.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when evaluating different apps to read PDFs aloud. 

How do your PDFs usually reach you?

Think about the point before you press play. Do PDFs arrive by email, sit in a course portal, live in cloud storage, or start on your work computer?

The right app should fit naturally into that routine. If you normally open attachments on your phone, test how well the app works with the iPhone or Android share menu. If you start reading on a laptop, look for web access and progress syncing. And if everything lives in Google Drive or Dropbox, see how many steps it takes to open a file and start listening. 

The fewer hoops you have to jump through, the more likely you are to keep using the app. 

Will you listen with the screen locked?

If you want to listen while walking, commuting, cooking, or working out, background playback is a must. Check that the audio continues when your screen is locked and that you can pause, play, or skip ahead using your lock screen or headphones.

It’s also worth seeing what happens when a notification interrupts you, or you close the app. A good mobile reader should remember your place and let you pick up where you left off without searching through the document.

Do you need to follow the words on screen?

Synchronized highlighting can make it easier to keep your place and move between reading and listening. If you’re studying, you may also want bookmarks, notes, search, and annotation tools close at hand.

On the other hand, if you plan to put your phone away as soon as the audio starts, a simple player and natural-sounding voice may be more useful than a long list of display controls.

Is offline listening essential?

Offline listening doesn’t work the same way in every app. Some let you download generated audio, while others rely on a voice stored directly on your device. Access may also depend on your plan.

Before counting on an app for a flight or long journey, switch off Wi-Fi and mobile data and test the exact document and voice you want to use. A PDF may be saved to your phone even when its audio or narrator isn’t available offline.

What will your normal use cost?

Don’t judge an app by its headline price alone. Think about how many hours you’re likely to listen each month and which paid features you’ll use, such as natural voices, OCR, offline access, or audio export.

A limited free plan may be perfectly adequate for the occasional report. But if you listen regularly, a subscription could make more sense. Alternatively, an app that uses device voices and offers a one-time upgrade may cost less over the long term.

Put your PDFs in your listening queue with ElevenReader

It’s clear that each app in this list has its own unique strengths. Speech Central offers one-time pricing, Voice Dream Reader is built around Apple accessibility, Speechify connects to popular cloud platforms, and @Voice gives Android users detailed controls.

But if you want your PDFs to sound natural and stay easy to follow, you just can’t beat ElevenReader. Upload your PDF document, choose a voice, and start listening, with 10 free hours available every month.

Ready to give your eyes a break? Try ElevenReader for free today! 

Frequently asked questions about the best apps to read PDFs aloud

What is the best free app to read PDFs aloud?

ElevenReader is our top free option for natural narration. Its free plan includes up to 10 hours of imported text audio each month, more than 1,000 voices, synchronized highlighting, bookmarks, and progress syncing. @Voice Aloud Reader is another useful free choice for Android users who prefer device voices and do not mind ads.

Can I make my phone read a PDF aloud?

Yes. Upload or share the PDF with a text-to-speech app such as ElevenReader, select a voice, and press play. iPhone and Android also include accessibility features that can speak some on-screen text, although a dedicated reader usually offers better PDF imports, saved progress, highlighting, and voice choices.

Can I listen to a PDF with my screen locked?

Many dedicated reading apps support background playback, although the exact controls vary. Test the app with your screen locked and check that it resumes correctly after calls, notifications, or other interruptions.

Can I turn a PDF into an MP3?

Some apps, including Speech Central and @Voice Aloud Reader, provide audio-export options for personal use. ElevenReader is designed for listening inside the app and does not export personal imports as MP3 files.