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Crikk 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. Crikk starts at $5, Speechify at $29. Both have a free tier. Only Speechify ships a public API.

CrikkReads PDFs, images, and text aloud in natural voices, with highlighting synced to playback.SpeechifyReads PDFs, web pages and email out loud

Side by side

FactCrikkSpeechify
CategoryText-to-SpeechText-to-Speech
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$5 month$29 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Chrome Ext, Web, macOS, API
CompanyMonster Incorporation Inc.Speechify Inc.
Launched—2017
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Crikk

Crikk is a straightforward pick for anyone who wants to listen to PDFs, articles, or photographed pages rather than read them, and the synced word-highlighting genuinely helps with following along. The free tier is real but capped tightly enough at 10,000 characters that regular readers will hit the paywall fast.

Pros

  • Reads PDFs and camera-captured images, not just pasted text
  • Word-level highlighting syncs to audio playback for follow-along reading
  • Playback speed goes up to 4x for fast review
  • Over 100 languages and accents supported

Cons

  • Free tier's 10,000-character monthly cap is easy to exhaust
  • Site does not disclose the company's location or founding details

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  • API pricing is unpublished and gated behind a sales conversation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 Crikk if you need

  • Students converting readings and lecture PDFs to audio
  • Commuters who want to listen to saved articles
  • Anyone who benefits from following highlighted text while listening

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 →