Readotte guides
Listening to a PDF, an article or some text: step-by-step use cases, the read-aloud features of your devices and apps, and dated comparisons.
PDFs, articles and text
What Readotte can read, and how to get your document ready.
- Read an article or link aloudPaste an article link: Readotte keeps the text, without menus or ads, and reads it aloud with highlighting. Free, no account needed.
- Convert a PDF to MP3Listen to your PDF for free, then download it as an MP3 with Readotte Plus (€3.99 a month, no commitment), with the voice and settings you chose.
- Why won't my PDF read aloudScanned PDF, text saved as images, protected file, words out of order: the reasons a PDF won't read aloud, and what to do in each case.
Listening to…
Studying, proofreading, practising a language, listening on the go: practical ways to use text to speech.
- Listen to your lecture notesTurn your course PDFs and revision notes into audio: sentence-by-sentence highlighting, speed up to 3×, and it resumes where you left off.
- Hear English pronunciationPaste an English text or article and hear it in a US or UK voice, with each word highlighted as it is spoken. Handy for checking pronunciation. Free.
- Proofread by listeningHave your essay, cover letter or article read aloud: missing words and clumsy sentences are easier to hear. Free, no account needed.
- Best listening speedFrom 0.75× to 3×: how to find the listening speed that suits you for each kind of text, with a simple method and the voice's pitch preserved.
- Listen to PDFs while drivingPrepare an MP3 before you leave to listen to a PDF offline in the car, on foot or on transit, without ever touching your phone while driving.
- Read aloud for low visionSystem screen readers and a reading tool like Readotte: what each does, who it suits, and Readotte's accessibility limits, stated plainly.
- PDF to audiobookTurn your PDF into an audiobook for yourself: one file per chapter, MP3 with Readotte Plus, preparation time and copyright rules.
On your device
The read-aloud features built into iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook, and when an online reader helps more.
- Read a PDF aloudHow to have a PDF read aloud on iPhone, Android, Mac, Chromebook or Windows for free, and when an online reader does better.
- Read a PDF aloud on WindowsEdge's Read aloud, Narrator or Readotte: how to have a Windows PC read a PDF aloud, and which option to pick for your document.
In the apps you use
Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Edge, Word: what their read-aloud does well, and where it stops.
- Acrobat Reader Read Out LoudActivate Read Out Loud in Acrobat Reader, read one page or the whole PDF, set the voice, and why it goes silent or reads out of order.
- Microsoft Edge Read aloudStart Edge's Read aloud on a web page or a PDF with Ctrl+Shift+U, pick the voice and speed, and know when another tool helps.
- Read a Word document aloudReview tab, Read Aloud, Immersive Reader: how to have Word read a document aloud, or export it to PDF to listen with Readotte.
Understanding text to speech
How a synthetic voice works, what a neural voice is, and what you may do with the audio.
- How text-to-speech worksFrom text to sound: normalization, phonemes, acoustic model and vocoder explained without jargon, and why Readotte reads sentence by sentence.
- What is a neural voice?Neural vs older synthetic voices, the open models Pocket TTS, Supertonic 3 and Kokoro, lingering accents: how to pick the voice that suits you.
- Text-to-speech and commercial useModel license or service terms: what commercial use means for generated audio, and why Readotte's MP3 is for personal use only.
Comparisons
Speechify, NaturalReader, ElevenReader and others: prices read on the official pages, dated, and who each one suits.
- Speechify alternativeSpeechify, ElevenReader, NaturalReader, Narakeet, TTSReader and Readotte: official prices, what each does best, and who Speechify still suits best.
- Speechify priceSpeechify Premium is listed at $29 a month. What the free plan covers, the same listening with Readotte, and when Speechify is worth the price.
- NaturalReader alternativeNaturalReader Lite: $13.90 a month or $79 a year. Readotte: free or €3.99 a month, in English and French. A like-for-like comparison.
- Speechify vs NaturalReaderSpeechify Premium at $29/month, NaturalReader Lite at $13.90/month or $79/year: what the official pages say, with Readotte as a third option.
- Free text-to-speechEdge, Acrobat, iPhone, Android, Mac, ElevenReader (10 free hours a month) or Readotte (10 min a day): which free text-to-speech to choose.
Facts and exact pricesWhat the tool does, what it costs and its limits, on one page.