Common Sense Media Review
By Keri Wilmot
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Solid text-to-speech converter may be pricey for some.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Speechify - Text to Audiobook
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 162 parent reviews
Parents say the app is an incredible educational tool that offers various voice options for a diverse audience, from young children to adults with dyslexia, making reading more accessible and enjoyable. Reviewers consistently praise the prompt and helpful customer service, highlighting the app’s usefulness for students and individuals with reading challenges, while also noting some minor glitches and higher subscription costs.
- educational tool
- customer service
- voice options
- reading assistance
- subscription costs
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 6 kid reviews
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
In SPEECHIFY - TEXT TO AUDIOBOOK users upload content into the app from websites, internet images, documents, or photos of worksheets. Once the content is uploaded into the app, the text is read out loud. Words are highlighted so that users can follow along at the same time. It's easy to change between different voices, like American male, American female, British male, British female, Australian, or a child. Sliding the dot at the bottom of the page easily adjusts the speed of the words spoken, from 100 up to 780 words per minute. You can organize the content you upload into different collections. There are 14 available languages for translation; they include Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese (male and female), Dutch (male and female), Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, German, Italian, Hebrew, and Russian. Note that it only works in a vertical orientation on the device.
Is It Any Good?
This reading tool provides users -- especially those with reading and learning disabilities -- with an option to hear written text spoken out loud. For those who have difficulty reading, Speechify - Text to Audiobook might help them learn new information and reduce the likelihood of frustration. Uploading content is simple, and the option to snap a photo of documents is very useful, especially for kids who might be given information from a variety of curricula, in different formats. Acclimating to the in-app voices can take some time, because they don't sound totally natural, but choosing the option for the child's voice definitely makes the content sound friendlier for younger users. For those who require translation of documents into various languages, it's easy to convert information from one language to another. At $7.99 per month for the Pro version (about $100 annually), it's expensive. Users should plan to make a dedicated effort to prepare to upload as much content as possible during the trial period to determine whether this strategy is helpful, so they have as much time as possible to experience the features before deciding whether to upgrade.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Speechify - Text to Audiobook may benefit their ability to improve their comprehension or understanding of what they are reading and learning. Does it help to have text read out loud?
Talk about organization. For kids who are prone to losing their papers, would taking a picture and uploading the document into Speechify help kids keep their information in one place?
Discuss learning styles. Finding time to complete all of the steps needed for homework and studying can be hard with a lot of reading assignments, especially for those who struggle with reading. Does listening to content help your kid complete work faster? Or is it a distraction?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : reading , reading comprehension , text analysis
- Skills : Self-Direction : academic development , working efficiently , Communication : listening , Tech Skills : using and applying technology
- Pricing structure : Free to try ($7.99/mo.)
- Release date : August 20, 2017
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Speechify Inc.
- Version : 1.8.4
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 9
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate