Speechify

What is Speechify?

Speechify is a text-to-speech and voice AI platform serving 55+ million users across web, mobile, and browser extensions. The tool converts written content—PDFs, documents, emails, web pages—into natural-sounding audio using 1,000+ AI voices, with playback speeds up to 4.5x. It operates on a freemium model with premium features available by subscription.

The platform combines three core capabilities: text-to-speech reading, voice typing dictation (converting speech to text at up to 160 words per minute), and a conversational AI assistant that answers questions about content being consumed. Users can highlight text while listening, adjust playback speed, and scan photos to have printed text read aloud. The voice typing feature works across applications including Google Docs, Gmail, Slack, Outlook, and Cursor, enabling composition three to five times faster than keyboard typing. Speechify also generates podcasts from documents or descriptions with adjustable style settings, and provides meeting note-taking with automatic summaries and key-point extraction.

The service operates across iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Chrome/Edge browsers. Notable integrations include Google Docs, PDF readers, and enterprise platforms. Speechify offers specialized versions for education (Speechify for EDU), accessibility (Speechify for Access to Work and Disability Student Allowance), and developers through an API. The platform holds multiple accolades including Apple's 2025 Design Award and Google Chrome's Extension of the Year recognition, with user ratings averaging 4.6-4.7 stars across app stores.

Speechify competes with tools like Natural Reader, Google Play Books, and Read&Write, which offer similar text-to-speech functionality with varying feature sets and platform availability.