NaturalReader - Text To Speech 4+

The best of the best, but not perfect

This has got to be the best voice reader I have ever found, and trust me, I’ve searched a lot. The voices in the premium are miles better than anything any other company produces, most certainly better than comes standard on my laptop. That is why I give this five stars, because this app deserves it. That being said, it’s still not perfect. I use this primarily to read back my work while I am writing. It’s incredibly helpful to do so, to separate my mind from my work. However, the reader does not distinguish the purposes of punctuation, such as quotation points or ‘...’s (I cant for life of me remember it’s name), nor does it hesitate when it jumps from paragraph to paragraph. Then again, I do understand why it works like that (most people use this for reading articles or things like that). All I’m asking for is perhaps an option that allows the reader to change between the normal reading and the ‘writer-story’ reading.

Extortionate pricing model

Something I’ve noticed about apps these days, is that most of them have a premium subscription option. Even apps that are absolutely ridiculous to pay monthly for, such as this TTS app. When I started using it, I was pleased that the voices could read PDF files and I liked the Matthew voice. I’m listening to it while working, then just a few minutes later the audio stops. I check the app, and what do ya know? I’m being asked to pay almost $20/month to use TTS voices. I think okay, I’ll just switch to one of the free voices. I switch to Mike and continue listening. Then it stops a few minutes later. No way, I say to myself. I check and it says that PLUS VOICES cost $8.99/month. Oh really?? So then I have 4 actually free voices left, one of which is Stephen Hawking’s robot wheelchair voice, the others are trash. Why can’t the app just be a flat fee, rather than a subscription. Not everything needs to be a subscription. Software on a pc is quite often free and open source, but when it’s not they at least charge a flat fee. Unless it is VERY advanced software like Adobe products, which I’m afraid this TTS has nothing in common with and does not deserve the same pricing model. In conclusion, the app seems great but the company who made it is greedy like many app developers and has locked it behind a paywall that simply isn’t worth paying.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We understand your frustration with the subscription model and pricing. Our goal is to provide high-quality voices and features, which requires ongoing development and updates. We offer a range of free and premium options to cater to different needs, but we will definitely consider your feedback regarding pricing and subscription models as we continue to improve. If you have any other concerns or suggestions, please feel free to reach out.

Capitalism at its finest

I used to love this app, I mean what I could use before I was bombarded with messages that I couldn’t use the app no more unless I paid for it. I’m not entirely sure when it became acceptable for apps to start charging for the most mundane things ever like someone reading to us in a realistic fashion (could be because I never agreed with it therefore I never cared for it) but apparently it has. All I wanted to do was be read to, as someone who loves reading I am more than capable of reading to myself however I should have the leisure and liberty to have someone read to me without having to dig into my pocket to pay that company. We as consumers don’t look at the fact that you guys are asking for money as a donation to keep your company running because you don’t need any money to keep a company that designed realistic reading voices running, we look at it as what it is: a money hungry business that can’t do the most simplistic things without asking for money. Not everything has to be a rouse to get money, and if you have to depend on your consumers to make your product, start producing a product that is worth spending money on, hence why the food industry is so successful. Don’t waste your time and energy on a product that won’t change any market you put on. It’s not necessary and it makes your product less desirable.

- A very angry past-user

Developer Response ,

We understand your concern about the pricing, and we continuously strive to offer the best value for our customers. We hope that out of our various subscription plans, you will find one that works best for you. Alternatively, if you would like, you can use our free subscription plan, with no limit to how long you can use it or the characters you can listen to.