Lately, I’ve been really into listening to as much content as possible. In addition to podcasts, web pages, and audiobooks, I started listening to PDF documents these days.
iOS native text-to-speech (TTS) feature is fine for short text but isn’t great for PDFs. So I started searching for an app that suits my need.
Trying Out Four Apps
At first, Capti Voice app seemed to be very promising. But after I used it for a few days, I found the rich text mode (free version) to be buggy with PDF documents. I tried the original layout mode with a free upgrade trial and it worked okay.
Then I tried NaturalReader. I didn’t have much to complain about this one, but I wasn’t convinced enough to upgrade to the paid version.
The next one was vBookz PDF Voice Reader. Similar to NaturalReader, this is also a solid app with basic features for reading PDF files. If you like following the text while it’s being read, this app has a nice text mode that makes it easy.
Then finally, I read several good reviews about Voice Dream Reader and decided to purchase it.
Winner: Voice Dream Reader
I immediately liked Voice Dream Reader. Things I liked:
- The navigation control is much easier than in other apps
- Lots of shortcut gestures
- You can add custom pronunciation of words/phrases via the dictionary feature
- In addition to iOS system voices, you can add one of the voices provided by Acapela/Ivona/ NeoSpeech comes with the app for free
- The app is stable; no annoying issues like skipping to random locations
I wish it had a free trial version, but other than that I have no complaints.
For Free: Capti Voice
Even though I wasn’t happy at all with the unsteadiness of the app’s rich text mode, I think it’s an okay solution for someone who is looking for a free PDF reading app.
Demo Videos
Voice Dream Reader (English/Spanish/Japanese) – my own demo!
Capti Voice
NaturalReader (user video from 2016)
vBookz PDF Voice Reader (official video)
Comparison Table
The table below is best viewed on a wide screen.
| Voice Dream Reader | Capti Voice | NaturalReader | vBookz PDF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Version | n/a | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Price | $13.99 | $1.99/mo., $9.99/6 mo., $17.99/yr. | $9.99 | $4.99 per language |
| Voice upgrade | 1 free credit, additional voices are $1.99-$4.99 each | $1.99-$4.99 each | ✅ | ✅ |
| Text search | ✅ | Upgrade plan only | n/a | n/a |
| Bookmark | ✅ | Upgrade plan only | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pronunciation Dictionary | ✅ | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fine speed control (WPM) | ✅ | ✅ | n/a | ✅ |
| Visual book cover | ✅ | n/a | ✅ | ✅ |
| Table of contents | ✅ | n/a | Partial support | n/a |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, desktop browser, Chrome extension | iOS, Android, desktop browser & app | iOS |
| Pros | Stable, feature-rich, easy navigation | Free version & upgrade trial, OCR option | Relatively easy-to-navigate, stable | Relatively cheap, wide font selection for text mode, stable |
| Cons | No free trial | Rich text mode (free version) is unstable, navigation is awkward, sync with desktop is very slow | Limited free version | Very limited free version |
| Voice Dream Reader | Capti Voice | NaturalReader | vBookz PDF |