Voice Dream Reader 4+

I purchased this app several years ago. Since I purchased it I have used it to “read” hundreds of books and articles. Most of the material I have “read” with this app is not available as a professionally narrated audio and never will be. This includes many obscure religious and medical texts and manuscripts — more than I can count. I am constantly on the go and almost never have time to sit down and read a printed or digital book. Yet, with this app I have been able to get through many thousands of pages of material that never would have been possible otherwise. I listen nearly every day while I drive, walk, jog and sometimes while I work. Although the app is not perfect (pronunciation is sometimes incorrect) it is good enough for me to understand. I appreciate that the developer has continued to improve the product. For example, in the last year I discovered I can use it to listen to podcasts and even videos that I download for offline use. I would be ungrateful not to leave a 5 star review, because without exaggerating I can say that this has changed my life. I now have a steady stream of valuable information flowing to my mind. This is information that was simply out of reach to me before — mainly due to constraints on my time. This has helped me immensely with preparing to teach classes and in my medical career.

This is a really amazing app, and I am very happy about the recent decision to allow legacy users to continue to use it. The interface is easy to use, the font size and voices and speed choices are great, I can’t say enough positive things about what the app has meant to us. It was a shock to realize it could go away, as Voice Dream Reader has become so important in our family, and although occasionally something has gone wrong briefly, it’s always quickly gone back to working smoothly. I am sad about the move to subscription, and at such a high price. I know it would be complex, but hope that the developers if they ever go to subscription only, will keep legacy people in mind and find a way to allow items to be exported. I am sad that the subscription price is likely to be an obstacle to young children ever benefiting from this app, as it takes awhile to learn to use assistive technology and it’s hard to imagine parents wanting to spend so much on something their child will not be ready to use for some time, maybe months, after trying out. Still, I hope that the app can be enjoyed and appreciated by as many as possible, and although most will likely not be young children anymore, this app is worth trying for anyone who needs or wants to listen to text.

I have had this app since 2019 and use it almost every day. I was originally upset about the developers switching to a subscription-based model as I had previously paid for the app, as well as additional voices. It really is a two-edged sword. Some of the companies out there are doing amazing things with AI voices that sound so much more genuine, with the included ability to pull Kindle books directly from your Kindle account to listen to. And I totally understand. Changes like that take money...money to pay developers to keep the app running how it is and fix bugs, and money to make improvements, like including accessibility options with commonly used apps and less-robotic voices. Let me tell you, even at the $5/month fee, Voice Dream is a heck of a lot cheaper than a lot of the services out there. While I can’t commit to the subscription fee at this time (I’m grandfathered in on the legacy plan), I would be happy to pay a one-time fee to get certain improvements as they come out or make donations when I’m able. I hope the developers will consider having these options for their legacy customers going forward. I know I’m not the only one who would be lost with an app like this.