Adobe Read Out Loud and Speechify are both text to speech options for PDF files. Find out how they compare and which one you should choose.

Adobe Read Out Loud vs. Speechify

Text to speech apps, also known as TTS apps, have been around for some time but have seen a massive expansion in options recent years. Today, many tools can read aloud any text the user wants. TTS is particularly valuable for people with learning disabilities and those who don’t have the time to read. Modern TTS apps perform their function more fluently and with natural-sounding voices, helping people worldwide read more. Adobe Read Out Loud and Speechify are among the leading TTS options. The former is a built-in feature, while the latter is a standalone app. This article will compare the two and help you choose the best option.

What is Read Out Loud?

Adobe Read Out Loud is a feature included in Adobe Acrobat Reader. To use it, you need to open a PDF doc in Adobe Reader, navigate to View, and go to Read Out Loud. The Read Out Loud option will have a sub-menu. Initially, you’ll only be able to click on Activate Read Out Loud. Once you activate the feature, other options will become available. You can tell the reader to read only the current page or the entire document. You can also pause or stop Read Out Loud from the same menu. To customize Read Out Loud, you’ll need to go to different menus: Edit, Preferences, and Reading. This section will allow you to change the reading voice and speed. You can change the voice by unchecking the box next to Use Default Voice. Then, a drop-down menu will become available, and you’ll be able to choose another narrator. Note that only voices installed on your operating system will be available. Regarding speed adjustment, you can customize it through the Words Per Minute option. Finally, you can deactivate Read Out Loud from the View menu.

What is Speechify?

Speechify is a text to speech engine with a focus on natural-sounding narrator voices. Speechify can read text files, PDFs, e-book formats like ePub, web pages, and more. You can use the essential functions of Speechify for free. These include a variety of narrator voices and reading speed adjustments. When you start using the free version, the app will ask you to set up some preferences. You can choose the narrator (including celebrity voices like Gwyneth Paltrow), reading speed, language, and how you wish to use Speechify. After you set up those preferences, you can give the app any text to read. The text can be copied, pasted, uploaded, or accessed from a web page. The voices can then be adjusted even further, and you can create a reading playlist to listen while you’re on-the-go. There is a free version of Speechify as well as the paid Speechify Premium, which offers even more helpful TTS features on top of the many you receive with the standard version.

Speechify vs. Adobe Read Out Loud—The key differences

The best way to understand what sets Read Out Loud and Speechify apart is to compare some crucial features of both apps. Let’s look at them in terms of functionality, platform availability, reading voices, and language support.

Functionality

Read Out Loud is designed to work within Adobe Acrobat Reader, which has minimal functionality. The app can read PDF files but lacks support for other file formats. Speechify has much broader support. It can read text copied into the app, PDFs, ebooks, other documents uploaded to it, and any web content you select. In addition, Speechify supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Platform availability

Read Out Loud is available on computer versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. While Android and iOS users have alternative options, this PDF reader doesn’t support mobile devices. Speechify can work on computers (Mac and Windows), Apple iPads and iPhones, and Android devices. Additionally, the app comes as a Google Chrome extension and other browser extensions for seamless online functionality.

Voice availability

Like many other TTS engines, Read Out Loud will work with the voices already installed on your computer. The selection will be limited and consist of three to four narrators unless you find and install more. These voices can be robotic and sound unnatural. With both the standard and premium Speechify service, you’ll get access to a wide variety of narrators with natural-sounding voices. Furthermore, you can choose various voiceovers for every language that Speechify supports. Each voice is customizable by speed, making the experience unique.

Languages

On its own, Read Out Loud doesn’t have language support. You’ll need to install different language packages on your computer for the app to recognize them. Speechify supports over a dozen languages with natural-sounding narrators. The languages on the app don’t rely on pre-installed language support on your device.

Try Speechify for free

Although Read Out Loud can come in handy for PDFs, its text to speech features can’t compare to Speechify. You can grab Speechify from your preferred app store and start enjoying high-quality TTS reading immediately. Try Speechify for yourself today by visiting www.speechify.com.

FAQs

What are some other TTS readers?

Other text to speech tools include Voice Dream Reader, NaturalReader, Murf, Amazon Polly, and more. However, Speechify is the best TTS reader out there today.

Does Speechify work with Adobe?

Speechify can translate any text into sound, including PDF documents. This ability makes Speechify perfectly compatible with Adobe.

Which app can read PDFs out loud?

Speechify can read PDFs out lout with natural-sounding voices.

Can Adobe do text to speech?

Adobe Acrobat offers a primary text to speech function with Read Out Loud, although it’s only available on Mac or Windows computers.

What is the difference between a screen reader and a text to speech engine?

Screen readers and text to speech software are similar, but their functions aren’t the same. Screen readers primarily serve as assistive technology for the visually impaired.

How much is Adobe?

The basic version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is free. The Pro version costs $20 per month.

Does Speechify have a voice changer?

Speechify doesn’t have a voice changer feature. However, with the variety of voices available on the app, it’s easy to use Speechify to change how you sound online by using text to speech.