What Is Speechify?

Speechify converts any text to high-quality AI speech. Teachers recommend it to struggling readers, students with dyslexia, and ELL students as a way to make written classroom content audible and more accessible. Unlike built-in screen readers which sound robotic, Speechify uses advanced AI voices that are natural and easy to follow. Students can upload PDFs, paste text, use the Chrome extension to read any webpage aloud, or capture physical text with the phone camera. The free tier includes standard voices and a reasonable speed range. The paid tier adds premium AI voices, faster speeds, and offline access.

Pros & Cons

PROS
  • Natural AI voices — not robotic text-to-speech
  • Chrome extension reads any webpage or Google Doc
  • Camera scan reads physical text aloud
  • Free tier covers basic use
  • Works on iOS, Android, and desktop
  • Good for accessibility for dyslexia and struggling readers
CONS
  • Best voices locked behind paid plan
  • Privacy: verify terms for student document use
  • Not a teacher planning tool
  • Competition from built-in accessibility tools (free)
  • Paid plan is expensive for student access
  • Less specialised than Snap&Read for special education

Pricing

Free Tier
Free tier available
Paid Plan
Freemium
FERPA
✓ Verify for your school's specific use case
Platforms
iOS, Android, Chrome Extension, Web

Our Verdict

⚡
GOOD CHOICE

Good Accessibility Supplement — Especially at Free Tier

Speechify is a solid free text-to-speech option for improving student access to written content. For special education contexts where you need documented, FERPA-verified AT tools, Snap&Read is more appropriate. For general classroom accessibility support, Speechify's free tier is easy to recommend to students independently.