Read Aloud ExtensionA Free Speechify Alternative for Chrome
What Speechify's plans include, how a free reader compares, and when each makes sense.
Speechify is one of the best-known text to speech apps, and its Chrome extension is popular. Its free plan is limited, though, and the paid plan is a monthly subscription. If you mainly want to listen to articles and PDFs in Chrome, a free reader may be all you need. Here is a fair comparison.
What Speechify offers
On its pricing page, Speechify describes the free plan as text to speech only, with "10 robotic sounding voices" and speeds up to 1.5×. Premium costs $29 a month when billed monthly, with a lower price on yearly billing. It adds more than 1,000 natural voices in over 60 languages, speeds up to 5×, and AI features such as voice typing and AI podcasts.
What Read Aloud Extension offers
Read Aloud Extension is free with no account and no usage limits. It reads with the voices available in Chrome and on your computer, highlights the sentence and the word on the page, and reads PDFs in its own reader. You can start from any paragraph with Alt + click, read only selected text, and listen at up to 3×.
Side by side
| Speechify Free | Speechify Premium | Read Aloud Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $29/month billed monthly, less billed yearly | $0 |
| Voices | 10 voices | 1,000+ natural voices | Chrome's voices and your system's, including Google cloud voices |
| Top speed | 1.5× | 5× | 3× |
| Languages | Not stated | 60+ | Any language you have a voice for |
| Also includes | Text to speech only | AI features such as voice typing and AI podcasts | PDF reader, start from any paragraph, read a selection, no account |
Speechify plan details from speechify.com/pricing, checked 23 October 2026. Prices and plans can change.
Read Aloud Extension is free and needs no account.
Add to ChromeWhen Speechify is the better choice
- You want the most natural AI voices available and are happy to pay for them.
- You listen on your phone as much as on your computer.
- You need speeds above 3×, or the AI features.
When a free reader is enough
- You mostly listen to articles, documentation and PDFs in Chrome.
- You want to go faster than 1.5× without paying.
- You want something that works without creating an account.
Getting the best sound from free voices
The quality of a free reader depends on the voices you pick. In Read Aloud Extension, open the voice list: the most natural voices for your language are starred, and Google's cloud voices are marked ☁. Those usually sound best and need an internet connection. Voices without ☁ run offline on your computer and handle higher speeds.
Speechify is a trademark of its owner. Read Aloud Extension is not affiliated with Speechify.
Try it on the next PDF or article you open.
Add to Chrome