How we chose
This is a category roundup of iPhone text to speech readers — docs, PDFs, books and web pages — not a converter-only list. Facts come from each app's own website or App Store page. We have not tested every app by hand. CocoReader is our app; it is not ranked first overall.
For EPUB converters side by side, see best EPUB to audiobook apps. For a Speechify-focused comparison, see Speechify alternatives for EPUB.
Quick picks
| App | Best for | Import / input | Offline | Highlight | Platforms | Price note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Speak Screen | Reading whatever is already on the screen, at no extra cost. | Whatever is on screen. It does not import EPUB files into its own library. | Uses downloaded system voices. | Highlight style is in Settings. | iPhone (built into iOS). | Free, built into iPhone. |
| Speechify | Cross-device listening in many languages, plus web pages and scans. | PDF, EPUB, DOCX, XLSX, TXT; web links; scanned pages (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026). | On-device iOS voices (newsroom, 18 Dec 2025); offline listening by downloading converted audio on a paid plan (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026). | Word for word (App Store listing, 27 Oct 2026). | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, web, Chrome (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026). | Its pricing page (10 Nov 2026) lists a free option with speeds up to 1.5x and a small set of robotic voices. Paid tier: Speechify Premium. Its App Store page lists in-app purchases named Premium Monthly ($11.99 and $24.99), Premium ($139.99) and Speechify Premium ($159.99) (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store). |
| CocoReader: Book to Audiobookour app | English books and docs you already own on a recent iPhone, plus 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app. | Import EPUBs that aren't copy-protected, PDFs, text files, web articles and photos of printed pages on iPhone. EPUB on Mac. On iPhone you can also scan printed pages with the camera, type or paste text, and use on-device OCR for photos and image-only PDF pages. You can import from the Share sheet or Safari Open in CocoReader. Links that end in .epub or .pdf import as files. Not supported: Word documents (DOCX), MOBI, Kindle formats (AZW, AZW3, KFX), RTF, HTML files, copy-protected EPUBs, and Kindle books. | Once your voice and books are downloaded, you can listen with no internet connection. That behaviour is not unique to CocoReader. | Word-by-word highlighting. | iPhone (Mac early version available). iOS 26.2 or later. English only. | See the App Store listing. This page does not state a CocoReader price. |
| ElevenReader | Natural voices, many languages, and an audiobook catalogue. | PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, MD, TXT; articles and links; scan (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026). | Offline download on a paid plan (elevenreader.io/pricing, 10 Nov 2026: 150 hrs/mo offline downloads on Ultra). | Text highlighting (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026). | iOS, Android, web, Chrome (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026). | Free option with a monthly text-to-audio hour cap; Ultra billed monthly or annually, with a short trial (elevenreader.io/pricing, 10 Nov 2026). Paid tiers: ElevenReader Ultra and Plus. Its App Store page lists Ultra Monthly ($11.00), Ultra Annual ($99.00), Plus Monthly ($10.00) and Plus Annual ($96.00) as in-app purchases (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store). |
| Voice Dream Reader | Accessibility, Bookshare and offline listening on older iOS. | PDFs, EPUBs, Word, PowerPoint, web pages (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026). | Listen offline (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026). App Store: "All voices work offline" (27 Oct 2026). | Highlight key passages (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026). | iPhone and Mac (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026). | Paid tier: Premium. Voice Dream Reader's App Store page lists in-app purchases named Premium ($79.99), Monthly Subscription ($4.99) and Annual Subscription ($39.99, $59.99 and $79.99) (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store). |
| Sandbook | Free on-device text to speech with no account. | EPUB, PDF, Word, TXT, RTF, MD, HTML; paste a link; scan or photo (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026). | Model and 41 voices in the app; airplane mode (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026). | Word-by-word (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026). | iPhone and Mac (Apple silicon); no Android (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026). | Free; no subscription or account (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026). |
CocoReader's own price is omitted on purpose. Competitor dollar figures are copied from the 10 Nov 2026 listicle brief or from US App Store in-app purchases already listed on this site (27 Oct 2026). Prices change; check each source.
Apple Speak Screen
Best for: Reading whatever is already on the screen, at no extra cost.
Skip when: You want a library of imported EPUBs, PDFs or articles, or listening that continues as a book rather than a screen.
- Import / input: Whatever is on screen. It does not import EPUB files into its own library.
- Offline: Uses downloaded system voices.
- Highlight: Highlight style is in Settings.
- Platforms: iPhone (built into iOS).
- Price note: Free, built into iPhone.
Source: Apple Support.
Speechify
Best for: Cross-device listening in many languages, plus web pages and scans.
Skip when: You only need English books you already own on iPhone, and you want a smaller, book-focused app.
- Import / input: PDF, EPUB, DOCX, XLSX, TXT; web links; scanned pages (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Offline: On-device iOS voices (newsroom, 18 Dec 2025); offline listening by downloading converted audio on a paid plan (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Highlight: Word for word (App Store listing, 27 Oct 2026).
- Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, web, Chrome (speechify.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Price note: Its pricing page (10 Nov 2026) lists a free option with speeds up to 1.5x and a small set of robotic voices. Paid tier: Speechify Premium. Its App Store page lists in-app purchases named Premium Monthly ($11.99 and $24.99), Premium ($139.99) and Speechify Premium ($159.99) (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store).
Source: speechify.com.
CocoReader: Book to Audiobook
Best for: English books and docs you already own on a recent iPhone, plus 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app.
Skip when: You need many languages, a sleep timer, Bookshare, or a version for older iOS.
- Import / input: Import EPUBs that aren't copy-protected, PDFs, text files, web articles and photos of printed pages on iPhone. EPUB on Mac. On iPhone you can also scan printed pages with the camera, type or paste text, and use on-device OCR for photos and image-only PDF pages. You can import from the Share sheet or Safari Open in CocoReader. Links that end in .epub or .pdf import as files. Not supported: Word documents (DOCX), MOBI, Kindle formats (AZW, AZW3, KFX), RTF, HTML files, copy-protected EPUBs, and Kindle books.
- Offline: Once your voice and books are downloaded, you can listen with no internet connection. That behaviour is not unique to CocoReader.
- Highlight: Word-by-word highlighting.
- Platforms: iPhone (Mac early version available). iOS 26.2 or later. English only.
- Price note: See the App Store listing. This page does not state a CocoReader price.
Source: CocoReader.
Import EPUBs that aren't copy-protected, PDFs, text files, web articles and photos of printed pages on iPhone. EPUB on Mac. Limits: English only, iOS 26.2 or later, no sleep timer (see the EPUB comparison table), no Bookshare.
ElevenReader
Best for: Natural voices, many languages, and an audiobook catalogue.
Skip when: You want a book-only iPhone app without a large catalogue, or you only listen in English to files you already have.
- Import / input: PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, MD, TXT; articles and links; scan (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026).
- Offline: Offline download on a paid plan (elevenreader.io/pricing, 10 Nov 2026: 150 hrs/mo offline downloads on Ultra).
- Highlight: Text highlighting (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026).
- Platforms: iOS, Android, web, Chrome (elevenreader.io, 10 Nov 2026).
- Price note: Free option with a monthly text-to-audio hour cap; Ultra billed monthly or annually, with a short trial (elevenreader.io/pricing, 10 Nov 2026). Paid tiers: ElevenReader Ultra and Plus. Its App Store page lists Ultra Monthly ($11.00), Ultra Annual ($99.00), Plus Monthly ($10.00) and Plus Annual ($96.00) as in-app purchases (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store).
Source: elevenreader.io/pricing.
Voice Dream Reader
Best for: Accessibility, Bookshare and offline listening on older iOS.
Skip when: You don't need Bookshare, DAISY or Apple Watch, and you mainly want a recent-iPhone book listener.
- Import / input: PDFs, EPUBs, Word, PowerPoint, web pages (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Offline: Listen offline (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026). App Store: "All voices work offline" (27 Oct 2026).
- Highlight: Highlight key passages (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Platforms: iPhone and Mac (voicedream.com, 10 Nov 2026).
- Price note: Paid tier: Premium. Voice Dream Reader's App Store page lists in-app purchases named Premium ($79.99), Monthly Subscription ($4.99) and Annual Subscription ($39.99, $59.99 and $79.99) (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store).
Source: voicedream.com.
Sandbook
Best for: Free on-device text to speech with no account.
Skip when: You need Android, or more than its six languages.
- Import / input: EPUB, PDF, Word, TXT, RTF, MD, HTML; paste a link; scan or photo (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026).
- Offline: Model and 41 voices in the app; airplane mode (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026).
- Highlight: Word-by-word (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026).
- Platforms: iPhone and Mac (Apple silicon); no Android (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026).
- Price note: Free; no subscription or account (sandbook.app, 10 Nov 2026).
Source: sandbook.app.
Offline listening
Several of these apps can listen without a live connection after a download. Once your voice and books are downloaded, you can listen with no internet connection in CocoReader — that behaviour is not unique. For the setup steps, see offline text to speech on iPhone.
Listening to books you own
If the job is a book or PDF you already have, start with how to listen to an EPUB on iPhone and the best EPUB to audiobook apps table. CocoReader sits in the middle of this list on purpose: it is not the most languages, not the free built-in option, and not the accessibility specialist.