Readio or Speechify? It depends on what you want to hear
Speechify reads almost anything you give it: PDFs, documents, web pages and photos of printed pages. Readio does one thing: it reads the Kindle books you already own, straight from your Kindle library.
Readio or Speechify: which should you use?
Speechify reads PDFs, documents, web pages and scans in 1,000+ voices, and Premium lets you listen offline, but its pages do not list Kindle books. Readio reads the Kindle books you already own, including Kindle Unlimited, from your last page, on iPhone, Android and in Chrome. Choose Speechify for documents; choose Readio for your Kindle books.
Readio and Speechify at a glance
| Category | Readio | Speechify |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Listening to Kindle books you already own | Listening to documents, PDFs and web pages |
| Kindle books | Your Kindle library, including Kindle Unlimited | Not listed on Speechify’s pages |
| Other files | Kindle books only | PDF, EPUB, DOCX, TXT, web links and scans |
| Voice | 40+ natural AI voices | 1,000+ on Premium; 10 on the free plan |
| Speed | 0.5× to 3× | Up to 4.5× on Premium; 1.5× on the free plan |
| Read along | In Chrome; the spoken word lights up | Each word lights up as it is read |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android and Chrome | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome, Edge, web |
| Offline | Needs a connection | On Premium; download the audio |
| Languages | Six, plus Chinese and Japanese in Chrome | 60+ |
| Try it free | Free in Chrome with your computer’s voice; no free trial in the apps | A free plan and a 3-day Premium trial |
Product and pricing details checked against official sources on November 8, 2026. Features and prices can change.
Speechify reads what you give it
Speechify is a general text-to-speech app. You upload a PDF, an EPUB, a Word or text file, paste a web link or take a photo of a printed page, and it reads it aloud while each word lights up. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows, on the web, and in Chrome and Edge.
Speechify’s pages list the files it reads: PDF, EPUB, DOCX, XLSX and TXT, web links, scanned pages and typed or pasted text. They do not list Kindle books, and we found no Kindle guide in Speechify’s help centre.
Readio reads the library you have
Readio signs in to your Kindle account and shows your books. Press play and a natural voice reads from your last page, with the screen off if you like, and pause and skip stay on the lock screen. In Chrome, the word being read lights up on the Kindle page, so you can read along.
There is nothing to upload or convert. Readio suits you if your books are on Kindle, including Kindle Unlimited titles. It is not a fit for PDFs, articles or work documents: Readio does not read them. The guide has which books Readio can read.
What three years cost
Both have a yearly plan. Over three years, Readio Pro costs a little more than half of Speechify Premium.
Speechify$417Readio$240Speechify Premium yearly at $139 a year on speechify.com. Readio Pro yearly at $79.99 a year. US prices, before tax.
By the month, Readio Pro is $24.99 on the web and Speechify Premium is $29. By the week, Readio Pro is $9.99, about $43 a month. Speechify also has a free plan with 10 voices and speeds up to 1.5×, and a 3-day free trial of Premium. Readio has no free trial in the apps. In Chrome, a free account listens with the computer’s own voice, and Readio Pro adds the natural voices.
Where Speechify is ahead
Speechify does more. It reads PDFs, documents, web pages and photos of printed pages; Readio reads Kindle books only. It has more voices and languages, it goes faster than Readio’s 3×, and it runs on more devices, including Mac, Windows and Edge. Premium lets you download audio and listen offline; Readio needs a connection.
If you want to try Readio’s voices first, every voice has a short sample you can play before you choose.
Which should you choose?
Pick Readio for
- The Kindle books you already bought
- Kindle Unlimited titles
- Reading along in the Kindle web reader, word by word
- Nothing to upload: your library is already there
- A lower price, by the year or the month
Pick Speechify for
- PDFs, documents and web articles
- Photos of printed pages
- Listening offline
- Mac, Windows or Edge
- Speeds above 3×
If you listen to work documents and Kindle books, the two can sit side by side: Speechify for the files, Readio for the books on your Kindle shelf.
Frequently asked questions
No. Readio reads the Kindle books in your Amazon library. For PDFs, documents and articles, a general reader like Speechify is the better tool.
Yes. Books you borrow through Kindle Unlimited show up in your library and Readio can read them.
Readio Pro is $9.99 a week or $79.99 a year in the US, or $24.99 a month on the web. One plan works on iPhone, Android and Chrome. There is no free trial in the apps. In Chrome, a free account listens with the computer’s own voice.
Try it on a book you own.
Sign in to Kindle and press play.
Sources
Readio
3 pagesSpeechify
6 pages- Plans and pricesspeechify.com/pricing(opens in a new tab)
- Free and Premiumspeechify.com/speechify-free-vs-premium(opens in a new tab)
- Formats, platforms, offlinespeechify.com(opens in a new tab)
- Chrome extensionspeechify.com/text-to-speech-chrome-extension(opens in a new tab)
- Free trialspeechify.com/terms(opens in a new tab)
- Help centrehelp.speechify.com(opens in a new tab)
We make Readio. Every claim about Speechify comes from its own pages above. Last checked November 8, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@theflynch.com and we will fix it.