What is the best free text-to-speech software?
There is no single best free tool: it depends on what you want to hear, for how long and on which device. Here are the simplest free options, with their limits, and nothing dressed up.
Is there truly free text-to-speech?
Yes: most computers and phones already have a built-in read-aloud feature, free and with no time limit. Microsoft Edge, Acrobat Reader, the iPhone, Android and the Mac all offer one.
Their limits are mostly the voice, which can sound less natural depending on the device, and how easy it is to follow along in long documents. Free online tools add other voices, but with a quota.
How good are the tools built into Windows, Mac and phones?
They are enough for a passage or a page: Edge has Read aloud for web pages and PDFs with several online voices, Acrobat Reader has Read Out Loud, the iPhone has Speak Screen, Android has Select to Speak, and the Mac has Speak Selection. Exact menu names vary with the version and the brand of the device.
On a long PDF, they often read everything on screen, headers and page numbers included, or ask you to select the text piece by piece. The steps for each one are in our guide how to have a PDF read aloud.
Which free online tool gives the most listening?
ElevenReader, with 10 free hours of listening a month according to its official pricing page checked on October 23, 2026. That is more generous than Readotte's free plan, which goes up to about 10 minutes a day.
ElevenReader's hours don't roll over from one month to the next, and its paid Ultra plan is listed at $11 a month. If 10 free hours a month are enough for you, it is the option to try first.
| Free option | Free quota | Where | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge (Read aloud) | built in, free | computer | web pages and PDFs on Windows |
| Acrobat Reader (Read Out Loud) | built in, free | computer | a PDF already open in Acrobat |
| iPhone, Android, Mac | built in, free | device | reading the screen or a selection |
| ElevenReader | 10 h a month, no rollover | see the official page | lots of free listening |
| Readotte | about 10 min a day, no account | browser | PDFs and articles in English and French |
| Speechify (free) | basic voices only | see the official page | getting to know the tool |
What does Readotte offer for free?
Readotte reads about 10 minutes a day of a PDF, an article link or pasted text for free, with no account and no card. The features are the same as in the paid plan: 10 voices in English and French, speed from 0.75× to 3×, highlighting of the sentence and word being spoken, and resuming where you stopped.
For PDFs, the layout is rebuilt: headings and lists are read as sentences, while headers, footers and page numbers are left out. MP3 download requires Readotte Plus at €3.99 a month; see convert a PDF to MP3.
What are the limits of the free options?
Every free option has a trade-off: the voice and the ease of following along for built-in tools, a quota for online tools. With Readotte, you also need a PDF with selectable text: scanned PDFs, Word and EPUB files are not read.
Readotte only reads English and French, and has no mobile app and no extension. To listen to text you paste rather than a file, see turn text into speech.
Which free option should you choose for your use?
For a page or a passage now and then, use the tool already on your device: Edge on Windows, or the accessibility feature on iPhone, Android or Mac. For lots of free listening every month, try ElevenReader and its 10 hours first.
To listen a little every day to course notes, a report or an article in English or French, without headers or page numbers and without creating an account, Readotte is made for that; see read a PDF aloud. And if you go beyond the free quota, compare paid plans on our page on Speechify alternatives.
| Tool | Listed price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Readotte | free about 10 min a day; Plus €3.99/month (MP3 included) | no account to listen, no commitment, French and English |
| Speechify | Premium: $29/month official page, checked on 23 October 2026 | free plan limited to basic voices |
| ElevenReader | free 10 h/month; Ultra $11/month official page, checked on 23 October 2026 | hours don't roll over Where they are better: 10 free hours a month |
| NaturalReader | Lite: $13.90/month or $79/year official page, checked on 23 October 2026 | audio for personal use only |
| Narakeet | $0.20/min (30-min pack for $6) official page, checked on 23 October 2026 | Where they are better: credits never expire |
| TTSReader | $10.99/month or $99/year official page, checked on 23 October 2026 |
Compared use : listen to a PDF or an article
Listen to your document
PDF with selectable text, 25 MB max. Scanned PDFs (images only) are not read yet.
Free, no account: about 10 minutes of listening a day. The text is extracted and read by our servers in Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text-to-speech in Windows or on the Mac free?
Yes, the read-aloud features built into the system and into Edge are free and have no quota. The voices available depend on your device and its language.
Do you need an account for free Readotte?
No. An account (email and password) is only used to find your documents on another device.
Does Readotte's free quota add up over time?
No, it is daily: about 10 minutes of listening a day. Beyond that, Readotte Plus removes the daily limit for €3.99 a month.