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CastReader vs Speechify

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. CastReader starts at $3, Speechify at $29. Both have a free tier. Only Speechify ships a public API.

CastReaderReads webpages, PDFs, Kindle books and chatbot replies aloud with synced highlighting, in nine languages.SpeechifyReads PDFs, web pages and email out loud

Side by side

FactCastReaderSpeechify
CategoryText-to-SpeechText-to-Speech
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$3 month$29 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsChrome Ext, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Chrome Ext, Web, macOS, API
Company—Speechify Inc.
Launched—2017
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

CastReader

Kindle Cloud Reader support is the detail that matters — most read-aloud extensions cannot touch it, and that is precisely where people have a backlog they never get through. At roughly three dollars a month it undercuts the established readers, and the permanent free tier is generous enough for occasional use.

Pros

  • Works on Kindle Cloud Reader, Google Docs, Gmail and Notion
  • Permanent free tier with 20 minutes a day
  • Read and Explain highlights what the AI is discussing
  • Private voice cloning included on Pro

Cons

  • No company name or country disclosed
  • No public API
  • Safari support is still listed as coming

Speechify

The most complete listen-to-anything reader on a phone, but the $29 monthly sticker is a trap — the same thing is $139 a year, and the free tier is deliberately unpleasant.

Pros

  • Handles almost any input, including scanned pages captured through the camera
  • Voices stay intelligible all the way up to 5x playback
  • One library syncs between phone, browser extension and Mac

Cons

  • Monthly billing costs about 2.5x the annual rate for the same features
  • Free tier is held to 10 robotic voices and 1.5x speed
  • Studio and the developer API are separate products on a separate domain
  • API pricing is unpublished and gated behind a sales conversation

Which one fits

Choose CastReader if you need

  • People working through a Kindle backlog on a commute
  • Anyone who reads long articles by ear
  • Users wanting explanations alongside narration

Choose Speechify if you need

  • Students and professionals working through long PDFs and articles by ear
  • Readers with dyslexia or low vision who need OCR capture plus playback
  • Developers who want the Simba voices without building a reader app

More comparisons

Browse all Text-to-Speech →