Looking for a Readwise alternative? Meet ElevenReader
ElevenReader vs. Readwise
If your reading list keeps growing, a Readwise alternative that lets you listen your way through it might be just what you need.
ElevenReader turns your own content into natural-sounding audio and gives you an audiobook library too. Readwise takes a different approach, with more tools for saving and working with what you read.
Let’s see how they stack up.
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How do ElevenReader and Readwise compare?
Both apps can turn saved content into audio, but they are built around different habits. Here’s a quick comparison.
| Feature | ElevenReader | Readwise |
|---|---|---|
| Free access | Ongoing free plan with 10 hours of text to audio each month | 30-day free trial, then a paid plan |
| Paid plan | Ultra: $11/month or $99/year | Full: $12.99/month or $119.88/year |
| Text to speech | 1,000+ natural voices across 90+ languages | Natural voices in dozens of languages in the Reader app |
| Playback speed | Up to 4.0x | 0.5x to 3.0x |
| Offline listening | Available with Ultra in the mobile apps | Reading works offline, but text to speech needs an internet connection |
| Personal content | PDFs, EPUBs, Word files, web pages, scans, and more | Articles, newsletters, EPUBs, PDFs, videos, RSS feeds, X posts, and more |
| Highlights and notes | Synced text highlighting during playback plus bookmarks | Highlighting, notes, tags, and automatic sync to Readwise |
| Note integrations | Focused on in-app bookmarks | Notion, Obsidian, Evernote, Roam, Logseq, OneNote, and more, plus Apple Notes export on Mac |
| AI tools | Listening-focused experience | Ghostreader summaries, questions, translation, library search, and more |
| Audiobooks | Thousands free; 200,000+ premium titles on Ultra | Focused on uploaded EPUBs and saved content |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, and a Chrome extension | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and more |
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Try ElevenReader for freeA closer look at the features
Both apps can help you get more from saved content, but they’re built for different experiences. ElevenReader puts listening first, while Readwise gives you more tools for working with what you save.
Text to speech and voice choice
Both apps can turn saved content into audio, but listening is a much bigger part of the ElevenReader experience. Readwise includes text to speech alongside its wider reading tools.
- Listening with ElevenReader
ElevenReader gives you more than 1,000 natural voices across 90+ languages, with playback up to 4.0x. Once you add a book or document, you can choose a narrator that sounds right for what you’re listening to.
The text highlights as the audio plays, and your progress syncs between web and mobile. Stop whenever you need to, then carry on from the same place later.
- Listening with Readwise
Readwise Reader has text to speech too, with natural voices in dozens of languages. You can change the playback speed from 0.5x to 3.0x.
Reader pairs text to speech with its wider tools for working with saved content, so choosing between voices is a smaller part of the experience than it is with ElevenReader.
Highlights and notes
Readwise gives you more ways to work with the things you want to save for later. ElevenReader keeps that side of the experience simpler, with tools that help you follow along and come back to useful parts.
- Highlights on Readwise
Reader lets you highlight passages, add notes, and organize what you save with tags. Your highlights can then sync with apps like Notion, Obsidian, Logseq, Roam, Evernote, and OneNote. That makes it a good fit if you like keeping useful quotes and notes organized outside the app too.
- Following along on ElevenReader
ElevenReader highlights the text as the audio plays, so you can see exactly where you are. You can bookmark useful sections as you listen and return to them later. It keeps note-taking simpler than Readwise, which suits people who mainly want to stay focused on listening.
AI and library tools
Readwise gives you more tools for digging into saved content, while ElevenReader keeps the focus on listening. Which one feels more useful will come down to what you want to do once your content is in the app.
- Ghostreader on Readwise
Ghostreader can summarize a document, explain a term, translate a passage, or answer questions about what you are reading. On web and desktop, Global Ghostreader can search across your Reader library and point you back to the source. That can be handy for research or study if you like asking questions as you work through saved material.
- A simpler listening library on ElevenReader
ElevenReader takes a more focused approach. Add a book or document, choose how you want it to sound, and start listening. There is less emphasis on research tools, which can make the experience feel more direct if your main goal is to turn content into audio and get on with listening.
Premium text to speech
Turn anything into natural-sounding audio
Listen as you commute, exercise, cook, finish chores, or unwind. Take your reading with you everywhere.
ElevenReader and Readwise pricing
The paid plans are pretty close in price, but the free options work very differently. ElevenReader has a free plan you can keep using, while Readwise starts with a 30-day trial before you need a subscription.
| Feature | ElevenReader | Readwise |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 with 10 hours of text to audio each month | 30-day free trial |
| Paid monthly | Ultra: $11/month | Full: $12.99/month |
| Paid annually | Ultra: $99/year | Full: $119.88/year |
| Read-aloud app | Full app on Free and Ultra | Reader app included with Full, not Lite |
| Audiobooks | Thousands free; 200,000+ premium titles on Ultra | No comparable audiobook library |
Readwise does have a cheaper Lite plan at $5.59 per month when billed annually, but Reader is not part of that plan. If Reader is the feature you want, you should compare the Readwise Full plan with ElevenReader Ultra.
ElevenReader comes in a little cheaper on both monthly and annual plans. You can also stay on the free plan if 10 hours of text to audio each month gives you enough listening time.
Readwise prices from Readwise pricing, Readwise Reader, Readwise exporting highlights, checked October 5, 2026.
What it’s like to listen with ElevenReader
I had so many PDFs for this episode...ElevenReader totally saved my butt by letting me listen to what I had to research.
While searching for an app that would allow our severely disabled son to "read" books and magazines, I stumbled across this one. He can even navigate the menus independently. Another step towards greater freedom for our teenager.
I never write app reviews. Like, ever. But ElevenReader? Oh, this app deserves a standing ovation, a round of applause, and maybe a five-star Michelin review while we’re at it.
I had so many PDFs for this episode...ElevenReader totally saved my butt by letting me listen to what I had to research.
I never write app reviews. Like, ever. But ElevenReader? Oh, this app deserves a standing ovation, a round of applause, and maybe a five-star Michelin review while we’re at it.
While searching for an app that would allow our severely disabled son to "read" books and magazines, I stumbled across this one. He can even navigate the menus independently. Another step towards greater freedom for our teenager.
My favorite app right now is ElevenReader....Send any article or PDF to ElevenReader and it will either convert it into audio or turn it into an AI “podcast” summary.
I am absolutely thrilled with this app. Kudos to the team for the exceptional work. As a visually impaired person, I rely entirely on this app to read absolutely everything in my life.
Why choose ElevenReader as a Readwise alternative
ElevenReader is made for people who want to spend more time listening and less time managing a reading system. Keep your content and audiobooks together, with simple tools that help you keep listening.
- Keep audiobooks beside your own files
- Your personal uploads and audiobooks live in the same ElevenReader library. Our free plan includes thousands of audiobooks, and Ultra adds more than 200,000 premium audiobooks, most of them professionally narrated, plus 20 hours of premium listening each month. That makes it easy to move between a document you uploaded and the book you are listening to next.
- Take your audio offline
- ElevenReader Ultra lets you download content in the mobile apps for offline listening. That is useful for travel, or anywhere your connection is unreliable. Readwise can cache documents for offline reading, but its text to speech needs a reliable internet connection.
- Let smart imports clean up the clutter
- Long documents can sound strange when a reader keeps repeating headers, footers, page numbers, and other filler. ElevenReader Ultra can remove that clutter during smart imports. The result is cleaner audio with fewer interruptions when you are listening to a long PDF or document.
Frequently asked questions about using ElevenReader as a Readwise alternative
Is ElevenReader a good Readwise alternative?
Yes, especially if listening is more useful to you than building a detailed highlight and note system. ElevenReader turns your content into natural-sounding audio and has an ongoing free plan. You also get an audiobook library in the same app.
Which costs less, ElevenReader or Readwise?
ElevenReader Ultra costs $11 per month or $99 per year. Readwise Full, which includes Reader, costs $12.99 per month or $119.88 per year. ElevenReader also has an ongoing free plan, while Readwise starts with a 30-day free trial.
Does Readwise have text to speech?
Yes. Readwise Reader can read documents aloud with natural voices in dozens of languages and supports speeds from 0.5x to 3.0x. ElevenReader gives you 1,000+ voices and speeds up to 4.0x. Ultra also adds offline listening.
How do ElevenReader and Readwise handle highlights and notes?
Readwise is the stronger choice for detailed highlighting, notes, tags, and syncing those highlights into other apps. ElevenReader has synchronized text highlighting and bookmarks, but it’s built more around listening than managing notes.
Can I listen offline with ElevenReader and Readwise?
ElevenReader Ultra lets you download content in the mobile apps and listen without an internet connection. Readwise works offline for reading cached documents, but its text to speech requires an internet connection.