Everyday apps

Read Aloud: Free Text to Speech That Works Offline

Free, no sign-up, works in your browser. Paste text or open a .txt or .md file and your device reads it to you, with the sentence being read lit up as it goes. Tap any sentence to start there, skip by sentence or paragraph, slow the voice down or speed it up from half speed to double, and set a sleep timer for bedtime. It uses the voices already on your phone or computer, so your text is never sent to a voice service, and it reads without a connection wherever your device's voices work offline. Texts you add are kept in a reading list that remembers where you stopped in each.

Works best onPhone: Works bestComputer: Works

Privacy at a glance

All details
  • Offline: Fully
  • Your data: On device
  • Sync: When signed in
  • Processing: On device
  • AI: None
  • Camera & mic: None
  • Ads & tracking: Not in app

Ads & tracking: none in the installed app. This page uses analytics and may show ads.

Why use Read Aloud

Your text stays on your device
It is read by the voice already on your phone or computer. Voices that go online are left out.
Follow along, jump around
The sentence being read is lit, tap one to start there, and skip by sentence or paragraph.
Picks up where you left off
A reading list of up to 30 texts remembers your place in each, with a speed from half to double and a sleep timer.
100% free
Use it as often as you like. No sign-up, no watermark, nothing to install.
Private by design
Your texts are read by your device's own voice and stay on this device. Sign in only if you want your reading list on your other devices.
Works on any device
Runs in your browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone. No app needed.

Who it's for

Proofreading your own writing
Hearing a draft read back shows the clumsy sentence and the missing word that your eyes skip over.
Long articles while you do something else
Paste an article, put your phone down, and listen while you cook or walk. Your place is saved when you stop.
Reading with less strain
Follow the highlighted sentence while it is read, with the text in a large readable size.
Studying and learning a language
Slow the voice to half speed, replay a sentence by tapping it, and hear it in a voice for that language.
Falling asleep to a text
Set a sleep timer and the voice stops by itself, a little quieter at the end.
Notes and documents
Open a .txt or .md file from your notes and hear it without copying it anywhere.

How Read Aloud compares

OptionHow it compares
Your phone's built-in speak screeniPhone Speak Screen and Android Select to Speak read what is on screen with the system voice. Read Aloud adds a reading list, your place in each text, a sentence highlight you can tap, and a sleep timer.
SpeechifySpeechify is a paid app built around natural-sounding online voices and many file types. Read Aloud is free and uses your device's own voices, so it sounds like your device and sends nothing out.

How to use Read Aloud

  1. Open Read Aloud and tap Paste or type a text, or open a .txt or .md file. Markdown marks such as # and ** are taken out before reading.
  2. Press Play. Your device's voice reads one sentence at a time and the sentence being read is highlighted. Tap any sentence to jump there.
  3. Open Voice, speed and sleep timer to choose a voice (grouped by language), slow it down or speed it up, or set a timer that stops after 5 to 60 minutes.
  4. Close the app any time. The text is saved in your reading list with your place in it, so you can carry on later, on this device or, if you sign in, on your others.

Frequently asked questions

Is my text sent anywhere?

No. The reading is done by your device's own voice, and Read Aloud only uses voices that run on the device. Voices that work online are hidden, because they would send your text to a server. Your reading list stays on this device unless you sign in, and then it syncs to your account like any other data in the app.

Does it work offline?

Yes, where your device's voices do. Once installed the app opens and reads with no connection. Most phones and computers have at least one voice that runs offline; if yours has none, Read Aloud tells you and shows how to add one in your system settings.

Why can't I pick a voice I see in my browser?

Some browsers list online voices next to the device's own, such as Google or Microsoft online voices. Those send what they read to a server, so Read Aloud leaves them out. Install a voice in your system settings, such as the extra voices in iPhone Spoken Content, Android text-to-speech or Windows Speech settings, and it appears in the list.

Will it keep reading when I lock my phone?

Often not. Phones commonly stop a web page's voice when the screen locks or the app goes to the background, and the lock-screen play and pause buttons only appear on some devices. Read Aloud asks for them, and saves your place whenever it stops, but we could not promise it. If reading stops when you lock your phone, keep the screen on while you listen. We have not tested every phone.

How long a text can I read?

Each text in the reading list holds about 60,000 bytes of text, roughly 10,000 English words. Languages with larger characters, such as Chinese or Japanese, hold fewer characters. A longer paste is cut at a sentence and you are told. The list holds 30 texts.

Which files can I open?

.txt and .md (Markdown) files up to 1 MB, in UTF-8. Headings and list items are read as their own sentences, links are read as their text, and code blocks are skipped. For a PDF or a web page, paste the text instead.

How do I change the speed or jump around?

Press Play, then use the buttons under the text to go back or forward a sentence or a paragraph. Open Voice, speed and sleep timer for a slider from half speed to double. Tapping a sentence starts reading from it. A speed change takes effect on the sentence you are on.

What does the sleep timer do?

Pick 5 to 60 minutes. The voice finishes the sentence it is on and then stops, getting quieter over the last minute, and your place is saved. The count runs on the clock, so it keeps going if you pause.

Why does the voice sometimes pause between sentences or pronounce a word oddly?

The device's voice is given one sentence at a time so that no phone cuts a long text off partway, and each voice decides how to say things. A different voice, or a slower speed, often helps. Web addresses are read as their site name.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no limit on how much you listen, no sign-in needed, and nothing to pay. It uses voices that are already on your device.

Can I install it on my phone?

Yes, from your browser. On iPhone, open it in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open it in Chrome and tap Install.

Who can see my texts?

Only you. They stay on this device unless you sign in and sync, and are never used for ads. You can download them or delete them all at any time, on any plan, in Settings under Your data.

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