A powerful text to speech software, NaturalReader is a favorite among many people who enjoy listening instead of reading. Still, is it really that good for its price?

NaturalReader cost. Is it worth it?

In a sea of text to speech apps and tools, only a few get the chance to be as popular as NaturalReader. The reason it’s a favorite for so many people is because this speech-synthesizing software has so much to offer.

NaturalReader can read digital text and recognize images of printed or handwritten words. It also offers various voice-over narrators for users to choose from. Furthermore, it's available as a stand-alone app and a web browser plug-in.

Still, all that comes at a price that might be more than an average person is willing to spend. So, let’s see if NaturalReader is worth its subscription fee, and if not, which alternatives you can turn to for the best text to speech experience.

What is NaturalReader and should you get it?

NaturalReader is a text to speech tool that transcribes written content into fully audible speech. It relies on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and complex algorithms to synthesize voice-overs based on the text you run through it.

The idea behind NaturalReader and other text to speech apps is to improve the accessibility of your device. It’s primarily used for e-learning by people with reading and learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, impaired vision, and ADHD. Nevertheless, some content creators use it to narrate their YouTube videos.

There are three versions of NaturalReader, all of which offer different features. The basic one is free. However, you can only use it for 20 minutes per day. For more than that, you can pick either a Premium or Plus version, both of which require payments.

The Premium version of NaturalReader costs $9.99 a month. It allows you to use the app for as long as you like, switching between several AI narrators and fiddling with audio controls. On the other hand, the Plus version is $19.99 and it offers over 100 voice-overs.

Both the Premium and Plus versions allow users to pay a yearly fee, so they don’t have to go through the hassle of checking their credit card information each month. In that case, the one-time payment for Premium is $59.88 and $110 for the Plus version.

So, should you get NaturalReader? The answer to that question lies below. We first need to go through the app's pros and cons, and only then will we be able to see whether the positives outweigh the negatives. So, let’s check them out.

Pros of using NaturalReader

• Free version: Although it allows you to only use it 20 minutes a day, NaturalReader’s free version is a solid choice for anyone who can’t afford the Premium or Plus subscription plans.

• Number of AI voices: If you opt for a Premium or Plus version of NaturalReader, you’ll get access to over 100 narrators.

• Languages: Both the Premium and Plus versions allow users to enjoy various text files and webpages in 17 different languages, including English.

• OCR: Optical character recognition is another beneficial feature of NaturalReader. It allows you to scan physical copies of books, documents, and personal notes that the app will turn into audio.

• Cross-platform availability: NaturalReader works on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, as well as has a plug-in for the Google Chrome web browser.

• Exporting audio files: With Premium and Plus versions of NaturalReader, it’s possible to export audio of the text into various formats like WAV and mp3 files.

Cons of using NaturalReader

• Skipping text: The most obvious disadvantage of NaturalReader is that it doesn’t allow users to bookmark or skip passages and start listening to the text from where they’d like. You must listen to everything from A to Z, which can be quite a chore.

• Lack of features in the free version: Although it's always good to have an option to use an app for free, NaturalReader’s 20-minute-per-day version lacks most premium options. The most noticeable one is that you need an internet connection for the AI narrators to work, making it not the best choice for users on-the-go.

• Pricing: Both paid versions cost more than other text to speech apps that offer the same features. For a couple of dollars more, you can get a TTS tool like Speechify that will do all that NaturalReader does and even more.

Alternative to using NaturalReader — Speechify

Luckily, anyone looking for a text to speech app doesn’t have to settle with NaturalReader. There are many TTS tools that do more and are still affordable. One such tool is Speechify—the world’s leading text to speech program.

Speechify is a high-quality text to speech app that offers more than 30 different natural-sounding voices in over 15 languages for better reading comprehension. With Speechify, any txt or PDF file can become a podcast. You can also snap photos of physical books, documents, and handwritten notes, and the OCR will turn them into speech.

The fully customizable TTS app and pronunciation editor is available on Android and iOS devices, and as a stand-alone app for Mac computers. Speechify is also available as a plug-in for Google Chrome and Safari web browsers. 

FAQ

What is the best free text to speech app?

Although other text to speech apps exist, such as Read Aloud and naturalreaders.com, Speechify offers the most realistic voices compared to other apps. It also costs less than most similar apps.

Which is better—Speechify or NaturalReader?

Speechify outweighs NaturalReader in almost every department. It offers premium voices, supports more languages, is available across all platforms, and allows users to adjust the narrator’s reading speed.

What is the best text to speech app for Android?

Speechify is the top-rated text to speech app on Google’s app store. It offers numerous AI narrators in over 15 languages and an option to scan any physical writing and turn it into an audio file, thanks to its advanced OCR feature.

How much does NaturalReader cost?

You can use NaturalReader for free. However, it will only be available for up to 20 minutes daily. If you want to use it more than that, you’ll need to pay $9.99 for the Premium version and $19.99 for the Plus version. Both the Premium and Plus versions allow for a yearly subscription, which cost $59.88 and $110, respectively. As of 2022.