ReadSpeaker
The Text-to-Speech Company
About ReadSpeaker
ReadSpeaker is a text-to-speech company, in business since 1999, that sells listen buttons for websites and documents, a TTS API, embedded and on-premise speech engines, and custom brand voices. Its webReader player is used by publishers, governments and schools to read pages aloud with word-by-word highlighting, while speechCloud API turns text into speech in 90+ languages and 300+ voices for apps, devices, IVR and batch audio production.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Long track record (since 1999) with 12,000+ organizations using its products, including media brands like Corriere della Sera
- webReader installs with two HTML snippets and is independently audited for WCAG 2.2 AA, with a VPAT available for procurement
- Large voice catalog: 300+ voices in 90+ languages on the API, including regional varieties
- Runs in the cloud, on-premise, or embedded on-device, which suits data-sensitive and offline use cases
- Custom pronunciation dictionaries and SSML give fine control over names and technical terms
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified and EU-based, GDPR compliant
Cons
- No public price list for websites, media, or API use; every plan except individual TextAid requires a sales quote
- Commercial model is built for enterprise and institutional procurement, which is heavy for solo creators
- Users report voice quality varies between languages
- Admin and integration tooling is aimed at integrators rather than non-technical users
- Reviewers describe it as more expensive than self-serve TTS alternatives
Key Features
webReader listen button
Adds a Listen button and player to any website so visitors hear the page read aloud in 50+ languages, installed with two snippets of HTML.
Word and sentence highlighting
Highlights text as it is read, with an enlarged caption of the current sentence and highlight colors saved per reader.
speechCloud API
REST text-to-speech endpoint returning audio in 90+ languages and 300+ voices, with streaming or file download for real-time and batch use.
SSML and pronunciation dictionaries
SSML controls pauses, phonetics and inline voice or language switches; a voice-specific custom dictionary fixes brand names and technical terms.
docReader
Reads PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, ePub and OpenDocument files aloud from a Listen button, with OCR for scanned documents.
Custom and branded voices
VoiceLab builds an exclusive voice cast from a voice actor and trained as a new model, tuned to pronounce brand names and slogans.
Cloud, on-premise and on-device deployment
The same engine runs hosted by ReadSpeaker, inside your own infrastructure, or embedded on hardware for fully offline speech.
Translate, summarize and download MP3
webReader visitors can translate selected text and hear it, get AI plain-language summaries, and download articles as MP3 for offline listening.
Telephony audio formats
speechCloud outputs MP3, Ogg, WAV, PCM, A-law and mu-law (G.711) for IVR, contact centers and LLM voice agents.
TextAid literacy tool
Student reading and writing toolkit with TTS, word prediction, dictionary and an exam mode, integrated with Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard and Brightspace via LTI 1.3.
Pricing
- Annual licensing fee
- News and media priced on activations, volume of speech, or page views
- Websites priced on page views
- Governments priced on number of inhabitants
- Publishing priced per page, audiobook, or speech hours
- Priced on volume of speech (speech hours or characters)
- Recurring or one-time licenses by capacity, duration, languages, and voice quality
- Subscription, license, or pay-per-use models
- Trial available for speechCloud API
- Individual, non-institutional subscriptions start at $9/month
- Institutional pricing based on FTE enrollment plus a one-time setup fee
- Multi-user licenses priced by number of users
- One-time development fee
- License fee based on the solution adopted
- Voice actor, rights, and studio recording billed at actual cost
- Optional extra speaking styles and multilingual support
Best For
Audio versions of news articles
Publishers embed a Listen player on articles, e-papers and apps, or automate article-to-audio via the API for podcasts and news digests.
Website accessibility compliance
Governments, universities and businesses add webReader and docReader to support low-vision, dyslexic and non-native readers and meet WCAG and EAA requirements.
Voice for apps, devices and IVR
Developers call speechCloud API or embed the speechEngine SDK to give mobile apps, kiosks, cars and phone systems natural speech.
Branded custom voice
Brands like Sonos commission an exclusive voice from ReadSpeaker VoiceLab for products and customer touchpoints.
Literacy support in education
Schools deploy TextAid inside their LMS so students can listen, write with word prediction, and use reading accommodations during exams.
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