Speech Central is built for focused, serious reading — across PDFs, web articles, books, and documents.
Designed for productivity and accessibility, it combines powerful controls, deep customization, and seamless integration across Apple devices.
No subscription. A one-time upgrade unlocks unlimited use. Free access is available for blind users with VoiceOver and for schools deploying the app through Apple School Manager.
READING WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS
Optimized PDF & Web Reading
• Accurate reading order and navigation
• Optional cleanup to reduce distractions such as headers, footnotes, citations, and links
• RSS support and easy sharing from Safari and other apps
Broad Document Support
• PDF (including scanned PDFs with two-column layout)
• EPUB
• Word (.docx)
• PowerPoint (.pptx)
• OpenOffice formats
• HTML, TXT, RTF, Markdown, and more
VOICES: OFFLINE AND CLOUD AI
• Use high-quality Apple system voices offline
• Connect cloud AI voices (OpenAI-compatible APIs, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, xAI) using your own API keys
• Proprietary enhancement layer improves realism and streaming playback
• Optional AI summarization tools help you review content more efficiently
BUILT FOR THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM
• Sync reading position and playlists across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• CarPlay support for listening and control in your vehicle
• Independent Apple Watch app — listen without your iPhone nearby
• Optional Health integration to track mindful listening time
ACCESSIBILITY FIRST
• Dedicated profiles for ADHD, dyslexia, and low vision
• Interface and reading behavior adapt for reduced distraction and improved comprehension
• Fully accessible with VoiceOver
STUDY & KNOWLEDGE TOOLS
• Annotate while reading
• Export annotated text to .docx
• Export text to audio files for offline listening
PRIVACY BY DESIGN
• No ads
• No tracking
• No usage analytics
WHO USES SPEECH CENTRAL
• Students and researchers
• Professionals converting reading into listening time
• Users who rely on assistive reading tools
• Anyone who prefers distraction-reduced, hands-free reading
Notes:
- Free version limited by the number of daily articles; unlimited access available with Pro upgrade.
- Some features require the latest OS version.
- License is valid only on iOS/watchOS; separate licenses required for other platforms.
- DRM-protected books (e.g. Kindle) are incompatible.
- AI features may occasionally perform unexpectedly.
I really appreciate this app, especially since premium is a one off purchase instead than a subscription like most apps these days. I also love how you can listen to music while still having text to speech playing at the same time. This app uses Apple’s voices and has the option to add voices from Microsoft, Google, or Open AI. It’s a shame that Microsoft and Google require you to pay to continue using their free tier after your free trial with them ends, so keep in mind you’ll have to use their pay as you go subscription if you want to continue to use their voices (this is not the fault of this app’s developer). I wish Apple would allow their Siri voices to be used with apps like this, since they are high quality and wouldn’t require a subscription (also not the developer’s fault). I’ve tried giving feedback to Apple regarding this; hopefully one day we’ll see Siri voices in this app in addition to the regular Apple voices. Regardless, I highly recommend this app, it’s definitely worth it.
I’ve been using this app since October 2022
Shmurt.
I use this app every single day. I love to read but I also want that experience where I can listen to it whilst I’m reading. This has resulted me to become a faster reader with better comprehension because of this app. However I have suggestions on what will make the app better and the user experience better: This will be a game changer for everyone. 1. There are a few bugs and causes my app to crash I’m using a 14 pro. For example one bug is that the voice reader stops and then changes to the default one for no reason. Other times I have to deal with crashes. The word’s highlighting when your reading are sometimes off and don’t match. 2. Another thing is, Add human like-higher quality voices for premium users pre-installed. Thanks to the devs this is an amazing app non the less.
Developer Response
Hi, first thanks for your nice review. One thing to understand is that the app doesn’t provide any voices and it can’t as their general pricing is far above this price rank. As such out of box the app can offer only Apple’s voices. It is correct that sometimes they don’t provide exactly precise feedback on the reading position (but at least due to smart tricks in Speech Central those problems do not cumulate like in most other apps - in them once the glitch appears it never disappears and multiple glitches add up). Other than that the app supports Microsoft neural voices and if you register on their website you can use them. Also in iOS 16 Apple has changed their voices quite a bit and as a side effect there are some crashing bugs in them that may affect minority of users, according to the feedback that I receive. It seems that most of those problems have been fixed by Apple in iOS 16.4, so try to update. Other than that if problems persist you can always workaround bugs from Apple voices by using Microsoft voices.
This one’s the best. (I’ve tried all the others)
Mitochon
I am a very audio centric. I listen to lectures, books, podcasts constantly. I’m tried other similar apps like Voice dream and Eleven reader. To me this is much better. Audio is great when I use Microsoft Azure voices (clear instructions in FAQ)Interface is surprisingly robust. Book marks and notes, can be used as a decent eReader by itself which is very impressive.Sorting and filtering the library is fantastic!Sorting is great, date, length etc. but being able to add a filter on top eg author, has annotations. Takes it to the next level!I think Speech central beats Kindle in this regard. 1 thing I’d love to see:Easier access to “Chapter list” in reading mode. I use the “Chapter list” function the most. I find it very useful when reading non fiction when scanning for different topics. Something that would suit me might be Select more “…” button -> chapter list Then swipe to bring up current “…” screen. This app is heads and shoulders better than the competition. Thank you so much for making it. It’s made my life much easier!I have been recommending this app to my family and friends. Go buy this app!
The Best TTS on iOS
conqtc
Ticks all the boxes that I need: narrator-like AI voices for non-English; support ePub ebooks; ability to play other music app with lower volume (thoughtful).However, as a heavy Vietnamese/Chinese reader I would say your ebook functionalities is still far behind other popular ebook reader apps. Lots of my ebooks fail to have font rendered correctly. Also the ebook navigation is not very user friendly and unnecessarily slow. If you could make those work, I will switch my main phone to iPhone in a heartbeat lol.Update: can you add the pitch setting for google voice please, appreciate it, awesome app.
Instant mode supports Audio File Export
Version 17.7.2
The developer, Labsii, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More