Speechify alternatives for reading EPUB books aloud on iPhone
Last checked against each app's App Store page and website.
Speechify does read EPUBs, and it suits you if you want 1,000+ voices in 60+ languages across phone, computer and browser. If you mostly listen to EPUB books on iPhone, Sandbook, Éist and Narraloud run voices on the device and have sleep timers. CocoReader is English-only for iPhone, with 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app. Words highlight as they're read aloud.
Does Speechify read EPUB?
- Yes. Speechify's website lists PDF, EPUB, DOCX, XLSX and TXT among its supported formats, as well as web links, scanned pages, and typed or pasted text. It says you can listen offline by downloading converted audio. Speechify also says it offers on-device iOS voices that run fully on your device (its newsroom, December 2025). (site · newsroom)
When Speechify is still the better choice
- Speechify says it has "over 1,000 natural-sounding text to speech voices in more than 60 languages" (site)
- Apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and web, plus a Chrome extension (site)
- Scanning printed pages (OCR) (site)
- AI podcasts, voice typing (dictation), and AI chat and summaries about your documents (site)
- Word-for-word highlighting (App Store)
How we compared
Every fact comes from each app's own App Store page or website, checked on 27 Oct 2026, with a link next to it. We haven't tested every app by hand. Where an app's own pages don't state something, the cell shows "—" (left out), never a guess. Paid tiers and their prices are as each app's App Store page listed them (US store) on 27 Oct 2026; prices change, so check each link. CocoReader is our app.
Speechify vs 7 alternatives for EPUB
Scroll sideways to see every column. Each fact links to its source on the app's own App Store page or website.
| App | EPUB import | Where voices run / offline | Highlighting | Speed | Sleep timer | Screen locked / background | Voice languages | Devices | Min iOS | Books in the app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speechifythe app you're comparing against (App Store · site) | Yes, EPUB listed in supported formats (site) | On-device iOS voices or cloud voices, the user's choice (newsroom, 18 Dec 2025); offline listening by downloading converted audio (newsroom · site) | Word for word (App Store) | Adjustable with a speed slider, plus optional speed ramping (site help) | — | Yes: "Lock your phone and keep listening. Playback continues in the background" (iOS steps) (site blog) | 60+ languages (site) | iPhone, iPad; Android, Mac, Windows, web, Chrome extension (App Store · site) | 18.0 (App Store) | "Hundreds of timeless books", public-domain classics (App Store) |
| Audiobookify (App Store) | Yes, EPUB (plus txt, MD) (App Store) | On device; fully offline once a voice is downloaded (App Store) | Sentence by sentence (App Store) | Adjustable speaking speed (App Store) | Yes: "a more visible active sleep timer" (v1.6) (version notes) | Yes, background and lock-screen controls (App Store) | Supertonic 30+ languages, Kokoro English, plus Apple system voices (App Store) | iPhone, iPad (App Store) | 26.0 (App Store) | — |
| CocoReaderour app | Yes: import your EPUB. DRM-free EPUBs only; copy-protected Kindle or Apple Books files won't import | Voices run on your iPhone; works offline once your voice is downloaded; your imported books stay on your iPhone | Words highlight as they're read aloud. | 0.75x to 2x | — | Listen with the screen locked | English only | iPhone only | 26.2 | 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app (Standard Ebooks) |
| Éist (App Store · site) | Yes, EPUB and PDF (App Store) | On-device voices; offline once a voice is downloaded; optional Cloud Assist (App Store) | Word-by-word Read-along (App Store) | 0.5x–3.0x (App Store) | Yes (App Store) | Yes (App Store) | "Dozens of languages" across Kokoro, Piper, Supertonic (App Store) | iPhone, iPad; Android (App Store · site) | 17.0 (App Store) | Project Gutenberg browsing in app (App Store) |
| ElevenReader (App Store · site) | Yes, "PDF, doc, ePub, or article link" (App Store) | Offline listening: "download and listen anywhere" (App Store) | Text highlighting (App Store) | 0.25x–4x (App Store) | Yes (App Store) | Yes: "the audio will continue playing in the background while you use other apps… or lock your screen" (site blog) | 30+ languages (App Store); its website says 90+ (App Store · site) | iPhone, iPad; web, Android, Chrome extension (App Store · site) | 18.0 (App Store) | Audiobook catalogue plus classics (App Store) |
| Narraloud (App Store · site) | Yes, PDF, EPUB, Word (App Store) | On device; "narration works offline" (App Store) | Word by word (App Store) | Up to 3x, in quarter steps (version notes) | Yes (App Store) | Lock Screen playback controls (App Store) | Six named: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (App Store · site) | iPhone, iPad (App Store) | 18.0 (App Store) | — |
| Sandbook (App Store · site) | Yes, DRM-free EPUB plus PDF, docx, TXT, RTF, MD, HTML (App Store · site) | On device (Kokoro model); "no internet connection needed" (App Store) | Each spoken word (App Store) | 0.5x–2.5x (App Store) | Yes: set time or end of chapter (App Store) | Yes (App Store) | 41 voices: American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi (App Store) | iPhone 12 or later, iPad with A14/M1 or later; Mac with M1 (App Store · site) | 18.2 (App Store) | Shelf of public-domain classics (App Store) |
| Voice Dream Reader (App Store · site) | Yes, DRM-free EPUB only (App Store) | "All voices work offline" (App Store) | Spoken word highlighted (App Store) | Adjustable: "Choose your voice and adjust the speed" (site) | — | Yes, plays in background with screen locked (App Store) | 36 iOS voices in 27 languages; 200+ more voices in 30 languages (App Store) | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch; Mac (App Store · site) | 15.0 (App Store) | Bookshare access (App Store) |
"—" means left out. For competitor apps, that's because their own App Store page and website don't state it (checked 27 Oct 2026); we don't fill gaps from reviews or other sites. Left out: Speechify: sleep timer; Audiobookify: books in the app; Narraloud: books in the app; Voice Dream Reader: sleep timer. Version notes are the app's own "What's New" text on its App Store page. Paid tiers are listed under each app below; prices change, so check each App Store link.
Which alternative fits you?
- Voices on the device plus a sleep timer: Sandbook (41 voices in six languages), Éist and Narraloud. (App Store · App Store · App Store)
- Older iOS: Voice Dream Reader needs iOS 15.0 or later, and Éist needs iOS 17.0 or later. (App Store · App Store)
- Accessibility formats (Bookshare, DAISY): Voice Dream Reader lists Bookshare access and DAISY books on its App Store page. (App Store)
- The most voices across devices, other than Speechify: ElevenReader lists 30+ languages on its App Store page (90+ on its website) and runs on web, Android and a Chrome extension. (App Store · site · site)
- Classics and word-by-word highlighting on a recent iPhone: CocoReader has 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app, and words highlight as they're read aloud. It needs iOS 26.2 or later.
The apps
Speechify (the app you're comparing against)
Speechify lists EPUB among its supported formats. Its newsroom says you can choose on-device iOS voices or cloud voices, and its website says you can listen offline by downloading converted audio. It highlights word for word, has a speed slider with optional speed ramping, and keeps playing with your phone locked. It lists 60+ languages and runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS 18.0 or later), Android, Mac, Windows, web and a Chrome extension, with "hundreds of timeless books" in the app. (App Store · site · newsroom · site help · site blog)
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). (App Store)
Audiobookify
Audiobookify imports EPUB (plus txt and MD) and runs its voices on the device; its App Store page says it's fully offline once a voice is downloaded. It highlights sentence by sentence, has an adjustable speaking speed, a sleep timer, and background and lock-screen controls. Voices: Supertonic in 30+ languages, Kokoro in English, plus Apple system voices. iPhone and iPad, iOS 26.0 or later. (App Store · version notes)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: apps beyond iPhone and iPad, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat. Highlighting is by sentence, not by word.
CocoReader (our app)
CocoReader is our app. Import your EPUB; it works with DRM-free EPUBs only, and copy-protected Kindle or Apple Books files won't import. Where the voice runs: on your iPhone. CocoReader works offline once your voice is downloaded, and your imported books stay on your iPhone. Words highlight as they're read aloud, and you can set the speed from 0.75x to 2x. It has 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app, from Standard Ebooks. You can listen with the screen locked. Limits: iPhone only, iOS 26.2 or later, and English only.
Get CocoReader on the App Store (iOS 26.2 or later), see how to import an EPUB on iPhone, read more about the CocoReader app, or browse more books you can listen to with CocoReader.
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: apps beyond iPhone, voices in other languages, file types other than EPUB, scanning, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
For example, you can listen to Pride and Prejudice, one of the Standard Ebooks classics you can download in the app.
Éist
Éist imports EPUB and PDF and uses on-device voices that work offline once a voice is downloaded, with an optional Cloud Assist. It has word-by-word Read-along highlighting, 0.5x–3.0x speed, a sleep timer and screen-locked listening, and lists "dozens of languages" across Kokoro, Piper and Supertonic voices. It runs on iPhone and iPad from iOS 17.0, has an Android app per its website, and lets you browse Project Gutenberg in the app. (App Store · site)
Paid tier: Éist Premium. Its App Store page lists Premium Monthly and Eist Premium ($4.99 each), and Premium Annual and Eist Premium (Annual) ($33.99 each) as in-app purchases (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store). (App Store)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: Mac, Windows, web and the Chrome extension, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
ElevenReader
ElevenReader imports a "PDF, doc, ePub, or article link" and offers offline listening ("download and listen anywhere"). It has text highlighting, 0.25x–4x speed and a sleep timer, and its website says audio keeps playing when you lock your screen. Its App Store page lists 30+ languages; its website says 90+. It runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS 18.0 or later), plus web, Android and a Chrome extension, with an audiobook catalogue plus classics. (App Store · site · site · site blog)
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). (App Store)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: Mac and Windows apps, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
Narraloud
Narraloud imports PDF, EPUB and Word files and runs on the device; its App Store page says "narration works offline". It highlights word by word, goes up to 3x in quarter steps, has a sleep timer and Lock Screen playback controls, and names six languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese. iPhone and iPad, iOS 18.0 or later. (App Store · site · version notes)
Paid tier: Narraloud Plus. Its App Store page lists Weekly Plus ($2.99), Monthly Plus ($6.99), Yearly Plus ($49.99) and Lifetime Plus ($79.99) as in-app purchases (checked 27 Oct 2026, US App Store). (App Store)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: apps beyond iPhone and iPad, languages beyond the six it names, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
Sandbook
Sandbook imports DRM-free EPUB plus PDF, docx, TXT, RTF, MD and HTML, and runs the Kokoro model on the device ("no internet connection needed"). It highlights each spoken word, runs 0.5x–2.5x, has a sleep timer you set to a time or the end of a chapter, and keeps playing with the screen locked. It has 41 voices in American and British English, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Hindi. It needs an iPhone 12 or later (iOS 18.2), also runs on iPad with A14/M1 or later, and on Mac with M1 per its website, with a shelf of public-domain classics. (App Store · site)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: Android, Windows, web and the Chrome extension, languages beyond its six, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
Voice Dream Reader
Voice Dream Reader imports DRM-free EPUB only, and its App Store page says "All voices work offline". It highlights the spoken word, lets you adjust the speed, and plays in the background with the screen locked. It has 36 iOS voices in 27 languages plus 200+ more voices in 30 languages, runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch from iOS 15.0 and on Mac per its website, and offers Bookshare access. (App Store · site)
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). (App Store)
What you'd give up vs Speechify, going by each app's own pages: Android, Windows, web and the Chrome extension, and Speechify's AI podcasts, voice typing and document chat.
FAQ
Does Speechify read EPUB files?
Yes. Speechify's website lists EPUB among its supported formats, along with PDF, DOCX, XLSX and TXT.
What is the best Speechify alternative for EPUB books on iPhone?
If you mostly listen to EPUB books on iPhone, look at apps that run voices on the device: Sandbook (six languages, sleep timer), Éist or Narraloud. For 1,500+ free classics you can download in the app and word-by-word highlighting, try CocoReader on iOS 26.2 or later.
Is there a Speechify alternative that works offline?
Sandbook, Éist, Narraloud, Audiobookify and Voice Dream Reader say their voices work offline, some after a one-time voice download. CocoReader works offline once your voice is downloaded, its voices run on your iPhone, and your imported books stay on your iPhone. Speechify itself now says it offers on-device iOS voices and offline listening by downloading converted audio.
Which Speechify alternatives have a sleep timer?
According to their App Store pages, Sandbook, Éist, Narraloud, ElevenReader and Audiobookify have one.
Can I use these alternatives on a computer too?
Speechify, ElevenReader and Voice Dream Reader list apps beyond iPhone and iPad on their own pages, and Sandbook lists Mac. CocoReader is iPhone only.
Can a Speechify alternative read in languages other than English?
Yes. Sandbook and Narraloud name six languages each, and Voice Dream Reader, ElevenReader, Éist and Audiobookify list many more. CocoReader is English only.
Related: the full comparison of EPUB to audiobook apps and Voice Dream Reader alternatives.