Speechify vs. Siri: Which is better?

More and more accessibility apps are developed to make your life easier, from built-in voice assistants like Siri to text to speech platforms like Speechify. Even though these two assistive technology apps are useful in several ways, they’re not the same. Read on to discover the key differences between Speechify and Siri to see which app may work best for you.

What is Speechify?

Speechify is a text to speech app that can translate written text into spoken words using speech synthesis. This TTS app can read aloud any text, from PDF files and web pages to Microsoft Word documents and Google Docs files. This voiceover app was first made for students with learning disabilities and reading difficulties like dyslexia, but it can be used by anyone who wants to turn text into an audio file. Speechify is known for its natural-sounding voices, customization options like languages and accents, and compatibility with many operating systems, devices, and file types.

What is Siri?

Siri is Apple’s default virtual voice assistant that’s built into their iOS devices. It works similarly to Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Google Assistant. With Siri, you can set reminders, get directions, make calls, play music, and do much more. You can even ask Siri questions (e.g., “Hey Siri, what’s the weather like today?”). Siri uses end-to-end encryption to sync all your Apple devices through your iCloud account.

Speechify vs. Siri—Comparison

While Siri is better than you might expect at some tasks, it’s not as good as it could be for things like text to speech. Speechify, on the other hand, excels at text to speech with its many features and natural-sounding voices.

Here’s everything you need to know about Speechify and Siri and their main differences:

What each service does

Before we compare these two services, it’s important to remember that they’re not the same tool. Speechify is a dedicated text to speech app that converts written text into natural-sounding language, while Siri is a virtual assistant that has both a text to speech feature and a dictation feature. Speechify can read text from many different file types—including Word Docs, Google Docs, PDF, EPUB, TXT, and more. With optical character recognition (OCR), Speechify can even read from pictures of text.

What these two services have in common is that they can make your life easier. While Siri can do much more, it also comes with a text to speech feature.

Platform availability

Speechify can be installed as desktop app (Windows or Mac), and mobile app. Safari and Chrome extensions are available if you want to use Speechify in your web browser. When it comes to the mobile app, it’s available in the App Store for iOS (iPhones and iPad) and Google Play for Android devices.

Siri can be integrated with all your Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, and Apple Watches. You won’t have to install Siri on your iOS device. It’s already built into macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS devices. You can even connect Siri to your HomePod or HomePod mini device. Note that Siri is not available for Android devices.

Languages available

Siri has support for 21 languages, including English, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Korean, French, Chinese, and more. Speechify is available in more than 30 languages, and it can even be used as a translator.

Who gets the most use of out each service

Anyone who owns an Apple device can benefit from Siri since this digital assistant can do so much with voice commands. For example, users can use Siri to set alarms, go through notifications, open social media apps, listen to music, play and pause videos, etc.

Speechify provides accessibility for dyslexic learners and anyone with reading and learning disabilities. It can also be useful for students and employees who want to multitask and maximize productivity.

Pricing

Speechify offers a free plan and a premium plan. The premium plan offers many more advanced features, and it’s priced at $139 a year, which is $11.58 a month. Note that you can try Speechify for free without having to register.

On the other hand, Siri comes included at no cost to Apple users—but you must first purchase an Apple device such as a Macbook, iPhone, or iPad. This can be an expensive option for many consumers.

How to use them

To activate Siri, all you need to do is say, “Hey Siri,” and the voice assistant will immediately ask you what you need. On some devices, Siri can be accessed via a keyboard shortcut. If you want to set up Siri, this is usually done in the “Accessibility” section on your device’s settings. However, the exact installation process depends on the device you’re using.

Speechify is easy to use. You can download it as a web browser, desktop app, or mobile app. With the Google Chrome extension, you can use Speechify to read texts on your Google Drive and emails in your Gmail inbox. You can use Speechify regardless of if you are an Apple user or prefer Windows or Android. Simply have Speechify read the text out loud you want to hear. You can even choose between male and female voices and which accents you would like to listen to.

Speechify—The text to speech app for Apple devices

Ultimately, Speechify is better than Siri for text to speech for Apple devices.

As useful as Siri can be, it’s not a comprehensive text to speech tool. It lacks the broad file type and device type compatibility, large number of languages and accents, and the many additional versatile text to speech features of Speechify.

This is why Speechify is a useful companion tool on Apple devices. With Speechify, you can choose the voice, language, accent, and reading rate of the voiceover. You can also use Speechify on many more types of documents and across devices, as well as pictures through OCR technology.

Try Speechify for free today.

FAQ

What are some text to speech apps other than Speechify?

Aside from Speechify, other text to speech apps include Voice Dream Reader, Pocket, Murf AI, NaturalReader, Google Text to Speech, AI Reader, Talk Free, and TTS Reader. But Speechify is the best text to speech app of them all.

What other voice assistants are there?

Apart from Siri, other voice assistants include Amazon Alexa, Bixby, Google Assistant, DataBot, and Microsoft Cortana.

Is Speechify worth the money?

Speechify is definitely worth the money, taking into consideration its numerous TTS features and accessibility tools for dyslexic readers and people with other reading difficulties.

Is Speechify free?

Speechify does offer a free version, but it has limited features compared to Speechify Premium.

What is the difference between Speechify free and premium?

The free version of Speechify comes with 10 standard reading voices, the ability to use it anywhere, and a reading speed of 1x. On the other hand, Speechify Premium offers over 30 high-quality, natural reading voices, more than 20 languages, a playback speed of up to 5x, and advanced text to speech features like note-taking, skipping, importing, and highlighting tools.

What are the benefits of Speechify?

There are many benefits that make Speechify the best text to speech platform. Not only can it read aloud any type of text in different voices and different languages, but you can also adjust the speaking rate to a speed of 5x. Speechify also uses OCR technology, which allows it to convert text from images and screenshots. It’s a great tool for people who already love audio content like podcasts or audiobooks and want to turn any text into audio.

Is Speechify available for Android?

Yes, Speechify can be installed on Android devices.

Is Speechify better than Siri?

As a text to speech app, Speechify is better than Siri. Even though Siri offers the text to speech feature, Speechify’s voiceover features are more versatile and customizable, thus improving your listening experience.